tips

March 10 2023

Toilet Do’s and Don’ts

Robert Jones Home Maintenance homeowners, Maintenance, prevention, Repairs, tips

6 Tips for Toilet Maintenance Your bathroom is one of the most frequented rooms in your home, so when your toilet is on the fritz, it can cause major problems. You can avoid toilet issues like clogging and flooding, or even the dreaded running toilet, when you learn some simple toilet maintenance tips. Read on for more information about do’s and don’ts for your toilet. DO Watch What You Flush Toilets are designed to handle #1, #2, and toilet paper – nothing more. Avoid flushing thick paper products like paper towels and napkins, as well as things like floss, bandaids, or cotton balls. Some brands of tampons claim that the tampons themselves (not the applicators) can be discarded in the toilet, but the reality is that flushing tampons can stress a septic system. Flushable wipes are also commonly found in bathrooms, but those take a while to degrade, and in the meantime they can clog plumbing. Also use caution with super absorbent types of toilet paper. DO Keep a Plunger Handy Even if you’re doing your due diligence by not flushing tampons, wipes, and thick toilet paper, it’s still possible that your toilet may clog. In these cases it’s best […]

February 27 2023

7 Tips for Spring Home Maintenance

Robert Jones Home Maintenance homeowners, Maintenance, Spring, tips

After enduring a long, cold winter, your home will be ready for some springtime maintenance to prepare for the warmer months. If your home’s interior and exterior needs a bit of TLC, follow these spring home maintenance tips. Air Duct and HVAC Cleaning Spring is a beautiful season, but the allergies that come along with it can be a pain. You can help reduce the impact of indoor allergies by clearing your home of particles that irritate your sinuses. You can clean air ducts yourself by using a vacuum, a cleaning brush, a screwdriver, and some paper towels. First, loosen up the dust by turning on the “fan” function of your HVAC system to help move dust closer to the registers. Then, turn off the HVAC system. Use a screwdriver to remove vent grates and wash them. Once the vent grates are off, use your cleaning brush to knock off any debris stuck to the sides of the vent, and then vacuum the remaining dust. Finally, replace the vent grates. Seal Up Doors and Windows Cold air, snow, and ice can wreak havoc on the areas around your doors and windows, so check those seals and make sure they’re intact. […]

January 11 2023

9 Tips for Keeping Your Home Warm this Winter

Robert Jones Home Maintenance, Information homeowners, inspection, Maintenance, prevention, tips, winter

You want your home to be warm and comfortable during the winter, but sometimes the cold finds its way indoors. There are some steps you can take before winter and during the colder months to keep your home warm. Read on for 9 tips that may help keep your home warm without increasing energy costs. 1) Make sure doors and windows are properly sealed Window caulking is a good way to seal your windows for winter, and it can be done in a few easy steps. Heat shrink film is another good idea for windows, while door draft stoppers can combat cold air coming in through the bottom of a door. 2) Use dampers effectively A damper is a plate that controls the flow of air through a home’s ductwork, and knowing how to adjust them to regulate temperatures can keep your home comfortable. Because hot air rises, you can close the dampers on ducts going to the top floors of your home, and open the dampers for the lower floors so those areas stay warm. 3) Clean the vents Clean out your HVAC system at least once per year to help ensure proper airflow and decrease the amount of […]

October 24 2022

Backup Power Generator Safety

Robert Jones Home Maintenance, Information, Safety homeowners, safety, tips, winter

A portable generator can be a lifesaver for homeowners during extreme weather conditions that knock out power grids. But generators can come with safety hazards like carbon monoxide emissions and electrical shock, so it’s important to understand how to use one correctly. Read on for more information about how to choose a generator and run it safely. FIND THE RIGHT WATTAGE The first step is finding the right wattage generator to power your home based on what you need to keep running, such as a refrigerator, HVAC system, sump pump or lights. For example, a refrigerator typically needs 600-800 watts to function; a sump pump needs 1,500 watts; and a central air conditioning unit uses about 2,000 to 4,000 watts. To find the right generator for your home, add up the wattage for the appliances and systems that you need to keep running during an emergency. Then, follow this formula to determine the wattage generator you need: Running Wattage (R) + Starting Wattage (Rx3) = TOTAL wattage. If your running wattage is 500, add that to 1,500 (or 500 x 3) to get your starting wattage, which results in a total wattage of 2,000. HOOK UP YOUR GENERATOR SAFELY For a simple, low […]

July 11 2022

How to Adjust HVAC Dampers

Robert Jones Home Maintenance, Information homeowners, Maintenance, Summer, tips, winter

Using HVAC Dampers to Improve Air Flow in Your Home Unless you live in a perfect Mediterranean environment where the temperature remains at a comfortable level all year long, you most likely have to adjust your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system with seasonal changes. In the winter, you want hot air to circulate throughout your home, and in the summer, cool air should fill all your rooms. Aside from switching your thermostat from “heat” to “cool,” a great way to regulate temperature and air flow is by adjusting your HVAC dampers. Similar to how a dam controls water flow, dampers control air flow. By opening or closing them, you can promote or prevent airflow to certain parts of your home. Read on for more info about how and when to use HVAC dampers. DAMPER LOCATION AND HOW IT WORKS Not every home has HVAC dampers, but if yours does, they are found inside the ducts of your HVAC system. They look and function like flaps or shutters. If you have a two or three story home, the main air duct that runs from the mechanical room likely branches off into two or three different ducts to move air […]