What you should do before going away for long periods of time

What you should do before going away for long periods of time?

Q: Every year my wife and I like to get away for three to five weeks and we are always concerned that something like a flood do to the hot water tank could go, what we would like to know is do you recommend turning off the water main to the home and what others suggestions you might have to put our minds at ease?

A: Over the years I have put together a list of recommendations to follow when leaving your home for extended periods.

1. Shut off automatic ice maker in the refrigerator.
2. Shut the water supply off under each toilet tank.
3. Unplug any instant hot water heaters i.e: countertop units.
4. Turn the setting on the hot water tank to vacation.
5. Shut off supply hoses to automatic washing machines.
6. When you are taking a winter vacation, winterize outside faucets by shutting off the individual water supplies and draining the faucets by turning to the on position.
7. Leave thermostats for furnace or heating systems at 60 degrees F. You may wonder why not shut off main water valve as your question suggests. The reason I don’t recommend this is that you may have such things as automatic humidifiers that require water.

The rule of thumb is to shut off anything that might freeze and/or fracture a pipe.

It’s Just That Easy !

How often should we clean our heating ducts?

Q: I have been getting conflicting stories from family & friends and would like to know if it really is necessary to have my heating ducts cleaned after extensive renovations? Also how often should one have them cleaned?

Betty – North Vancouver

A: Not only is it a good idea to have them cleaned after renovations as debris and dust will find it’s way into the heating ducts but it should also be done when you purchase or have a new home built.
As for how often they should be cleaned really depends on the health of your household, if you or someone in your home have allergies, then they should be done more often than if you are in good health. Under normal circumstances every two to three years is advised.
If you are having your furnace up-graded to a more efficient heating system, before it is installed you should have your heating ducts cleaned and of course after any type of renovation that is causing a lot of dust from drywall and plaster jobs.

Should you live in the Lower Mainland or Vancouver area we have an excellent company called Michael A Smith Duct Cleaning on our referral network, he has the proper truck mounted equipment to do the job right, they also do dryer vent cleaning, which is something people often forget is important to maintain and this should be done at least once a year, another sign to look for when your clothes are taking longer to dry than normal.

“It’s Just That Easy”

How to get creaks out of the sub floor?

Q: I have all the floors exposed and I want to get rid of the creaks by screwing them down, is there any special type of screws to use? Someone suggested Green Deck Screws?
Please help, Thanks.

L. Lane – Calgary

A: Using the proper screw to secure plywood sub floors is very important, in fact most builders and home owners feel that screws are the answer to all floor squeak problems and that is not so. Most screws used for floor squeaks end up being the drywall screw type (threaded up the hole shank) if this type is used you should always drill a pilot hole first, allowing the screw to pass through the pilot hole before entering the joist, to hold the plywood tight to the joist.

Note: Pilot Hole – A hole which is larger than the screw diameter in size to allow the screw to pass through into a retaining product.
After drilling the pilot holes always drill a countersink to allow head of the screw to be installed flush with the surface of the plywood.

The simplified process to securing the plywood is to use a “Counter Snap Screw” system, this allows the screw to be installed with an electric drill and the screw heads snap off 1/16” of an inch below the surface of the plywood, eliminating pilot hole drilling and countersink drilling.
“It’s Just That Easy” The Counter Snap System is available at the HouseSmart Referral office call toll free 1-888-266-8806