DO-IT-YOURSELF MAINTENANCE TIPS

Air Quality

Improve Your Home’s Air Quality with Our Help

Mildew
You can help to avoid mildew problems with these preventative actions. Ventilate basements or run dehumidifiers to dry the air, walls and furnishings. Don’t hang wet clothes in your closets. Keep your showers and tubs clean of soap-scum so that they dry quicker. Air-out your bathroom cabinets and kitchen sink cabinet often.

Clean Humidifier
Clean your humidifier at the beginning of every heating season. Review your owner’s manual for the proper procedure to clean the evaporator pad and external components.

Clean Air Cleaner
The pre-filter and collection cells of an electronic air cleaner should be cleaned at least two or three times per year.

Check Filter
Check the air filter in your furnace or fan coil each month. A dirty filter will cause excessive wear on your furnace, air conditioner or heat pump. Replace your filter when necessary, or clean it if you have the reusable type. (If you have a reusable filter, make sure it’s completely dry before you re-install it.)

Heating & Cooling

Inspect Ventilation
Inspect your furnace’s combustion area and vent system before each heating season. If you find dirt, soot or rust, your system may not operate properly or at its peak efficiency. Call Comfort Solutions and do not operate your furnace until it is professionally inspected and/or repaired.

Check Level
Make sure your outdoor coil stays in a level position. If the support for your outdoor coil shifts or settles and the unit is no longer level, re-level it to make sure moisture drains properly out from under the unit.

Brush Exterior
If the exterior of your outdoor coil becomes dirty, use a brush or a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment to clean the surface. To clean dirt that is deep in the coil, contact a Comfort Solutions representative to schedule maintenance.

Remove Debris
Keep your outdoor condensing unit free of debris. If you keep grass clippings, leaves, shrubbery and debris away from your outdoor unit, it should only require minimal care. Check the base pan (under the unit) occasionally and remove debris to help the unit drain properly.

Plumbing

11 Plumbing Problems Every Homeowner Should Be Aware Of
With all the different pipes running through your home, it’s not unusual to get a few plumbing problems. When it’s a minor problem, you may be able to fix it yourself, but for some problems you will need a professional plumber. If you are in need of plumbing repair, give us a call at Comfort Solutions.

• Blocked Traps: Traps are a common place for blockages to occur. Sometimes a snake can be used to fix a trap, but sometimes you will have to dismantle it. Simply undo the trap, remove debris and clean the trap, and then reinstall it.
• Clogged Sink Drain: Whether it’s your bathroom or kitchen, a clogged sink can be very annoying. Most of the time the problem is located in the pop-up plug in the drain. You might have to remove a few other tabs and valves first, but ultimately you will want to empty the debris in your pop-up plug and then put it back.
• Clogged Toilet: Of all plumbing problems, this might be the most common. First try using a plunger. If this doesn’t work, a snake might help you clear up the drain.
• Dripping Faucet: When you have a dripping faucet that means something is wrong with the washers. You can replace the washers yourself, but if it has been leaking for a long time, you should call a plumber to check if the valve seat is corroded or worn out.
• Weak Water Pressure in the Shower: This is ordinarily caused by calcium or lime scale buildup in your shower head. You will want to unscrew the shower head and remove the deposits inside. Sometimes it will be difficult to get rid of them, so you will need to soak the shower head in vinegar overnight.
• Running Toilet: Toilets have a flapper valve that controls when water passes from the tank to the bowl. If your flapper valve is no longer working, you can go to a store with a plumbing section and buy a toilet repair kit.
• Leaky Pipes: You will want to call a plumber to help with leak locating if you don’t know where the leak is coming from. Joint fillers and fitting compounds can provide a temporary solution, but you should also get a plumbing professional to solve the problem.
• Corroded Pipes: Some people don’t realize how old their pipes are, and don’t find out until the pipes degrade completely. If you have corroded pipes, you will want to call an Arizona plumbing contractor like Comfort Solutions to help you replace your pipes.
• Tree Roots: Sometimes tree roots can get inside pipe joints and cause leaks or blockages. You will need to get the help of a plumber to remove the root completely and make sure that the pipe doesn’t need to be replaced.
• Pipe Burst: If a pipe suddenly bursts, there could be large amounts of leaking water causing serious damage to your home. You will want to get plumbing repair help immediately because you will need to tear out the damaged areas and look between walls for the leak.
• Faulty Water Heaters: Water heaters occasionally break down. It could be a broken part or a loose connection somewhere. Our plumbing technicians at Comfort Solutions can help you if your water heater suddenly stops working.
• Roots: Roots can be a big problem. They can grow into the joints of the pipes. A little “root-x” flushed down the toilet can reduce the growth of roots in your pipes. It needs to sit in the pipes overnight, so do it before bed
• Pipe Insulation: Insulate those pipes before it gets cold! When temperatures are at or below freezing, running a steady drop of hot and cold water from your faucets may keep your pipes from freezing. If your pipes are not insulated, they can freeze even with a small flow of water. So, insulate those pipes! But beware; insulated pipes can freeze when there is no water movement to keep the pipes warm.
• Water Moisture In The Home: Make sure that vents (with a ventilating fan) are installed in your kitchen and baths. These rooms can produce a lot of moisture. Ventilating fans are great, but will be of no use if they are not turned on! So make sure that you use them!
• Scalding Tap Water: Thousands of people are scalded by tap water every year. The Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association recommends that the full-on hot water temperature at the faucet be set between 120° and 125° F.
• Garbage Disposal: Use cold water when the disposal is operating. You can clean your disposal by grinding ice cubes. When you disposal needs a little freshening, just grind some lemon peels. Of course, you should read your maintenance manual.
• Showerheads: Weak or changing water pressure usually points to a mineral buildup in the showerhead. Clean the outlet holes with a pin or unscrew the faceplate and soak it overnight in vinegar. Scrub it clean before replacing it on the showerhead.

Preventing Kitchen Drain Clogs

A clogged drain can be so frustrating; and, of course, it happens more often than we care to think about! Usually, kitchen sink drains clog because of a build-up of grease. The grease traps food particles, which eventually clogs the drain. Now, the bathroom drains are a different story. They are usually clogged by hair and soap. So, take some simple precautions to avoid this situation.

• Don’t pour grease down the kitchen sink.
• Don’t wash coffee grounds down the sink.
• Use chemical cleaners only when necessary. Some chemicals can corrode metal pipes.
• Clean tub and shower drain strainers that are removable.
• Clean pop-up stoppers in the bathroom sink and the tub regularly. Lift out sink pop-ups once a week and rinse them off.
• Every few months, remove the overflow plate on a tub and pull up the pop-up assembly to reach the spring or rocker arm. Remove accumulated hair and rinse thoroughly.
• Keep sewer pipes from the house free of tree roots.
• Flush the drain-waste and vent systems when you’re on the roof cleaning out your gutters. Use your hose to run water into all of the vents.

Winterize a Vacant Home

Preparing your plumbing for the winter is a wise alternative to frozen pipes.
• Turn off the water to your home using the main shut-off valve or contacting the water company.
• Open all faucets, both indoors and outside, starting with the upstairs.
• After all water has dripped from the taps, drain the main shut-off valve by opening the plug. You may have to contact the water company.
• Turn off the power or gas to the water heater. Open the drain valve.
• Remove the clean out plugs on all sink traps or remove the traps. When empty, replace them and fill with plumbing antifreeze mixed with water following the directions for car in your climate.
• Add a full quart of antifreeze to tubs and showers since you cannot drain them. Do NOT use in a dishwasher or washing machine.
• If your home has a basement floor drain or a main house trap, fill each with undiluted antifreeze.