Author: Platinum Team

Should a plumbing problem occur your home warranty company will be there for you to help you by handling finding a licensed and reliable plumber so that you do not have to worry that you are being taken advantage of and to ensure a timely repair. But, there are also some basic home plumbing maintenance steps you can take to help prevent plumbing problems and should minor plumbing problems occur, you may be able to handle some simple fixes on your own.
First, a great thing for all homeowners to know is where your emergency shut offs are located. You should have emergency shut offs located under all of you plumbing fixtures and knowing how to quickly and effectively shut off water could save some major headaches and help avoid damage during a plumbing problem.
Next, in maintaining your kitchen plumbing you will want to do such things as avoid putting any grease or cooking fats down the drain as they will solidify and cause clogs. Also, when running your garbage disposal you should run cold water during the disposal as well as for 15-20 seconds after turning the disposal off. Also, you should avoid putting any hard or stringy materials through your garbage disposal as they can cause damage.
In your bathrooms, avoid putting sanitary products, cotton balls, tissues or any other objects down your toilet as they are likely to cause clogs. In your showers make sure your drain has a strainer to catch hair as that will quickly lead to a clog if unmanaged. You will also need to regularly clean the strainers. Also, you should check your water heater at least once a year for sediment build up or leaks.
Should a clog occur, there are a few basic ways you can unclog the drain and resume normal usage. First, a great way to unclog a drain that uses basic household ingredients is to pour one cup of baking soda down the drain and then one cup of hot vinegar, wait a few minutes for it to do its work and then flush out the drain with two quarts of very hot water.
Another similar method is to pour the one cup of baking soda down the drain and then one half cup of table salt and allow to sit for a few hours. Once it has sat, use very hot water, approximately two cups, and flush the drain. Should more high strength measures be needed there are chemical plumbing cleaners available at most hardware stores. You can also use drain snakes and plungers should the problem be particularly stubborn.
By regularly maintaining your home plumbing you can avoid costly repairs. Should you feel your plumbing problem warrants a professional level of repair, contact your home warranty company and explain your problem. A good home warranty company, such as Platinum Home Warranty, will be available 24 hours to assist your with your needs and make sure your repair is handled quickly and professionally.

You have taken care of your yard all spring and summer to ensure it was a beautiful place to spend time and for others to see. The winter months and their cold temperatures can be hard on our yards and lawns but there are many ways you can keep your yard maintained during the winter so that, come spring, it will be ready to come back to life nicely.
First, you will want to overseed your grass with a cool season grass for winter to keep your grass looking nice. Maintaining your lawn is probably the most labor intensive part of winter yard maintenance but it is certainly worth it. According to many sources, the best time to overseed your lawn is about six to eight weeks before the first hard freeze of the winter season. You will also want to mow your lawn short during the winter months, especially in particularly cold climates as grass that has grown overly long will lay on itself under the pressure of snow and could cause snow mold which could be destructive to your lawn, or, at the very least, a big pain come spring. In warmer climates, such as Arizona, over-seeding should be done when temperatures during the day are around 78 to 83 degrees. You should also fertilize your lawn before the long winter months. With your grass cut short, fertilizing the lawn will be very effective as the benefits of fertilizer will go straight to the roots producing optimal results.
Also, if you will be taking an extended break from mowing your lawn during the winter, you should make sure to tune up your mower prior to storing it. You will want to drain your lawn mower’s gas tank and change the oil. Also, you can clean out any debris stuck in the bottom of your mower, sharpen or replace the blade and check the spark plug.
Safety when cleaning your mower is very important and should not be overlooked. Before beginning any maintenance on your mower you should check and make sure the spark plug wire has been disconnected. If you live in an area that receives a lot of snow, be sure to clear the snow regularly and make sure large amounts do not accumulate on any branches as this can be a big hazard. Also, regularly raking up and removing leaves prevents damage to your lawn. You can also protect your plants from damaging freezing temperatures by covering them before a frost occurs. It is best to wait until the fall stages have happened for the plant and it has entered “winter mode.” When temperatures below 34 degrees Fahrenheit are expected to occur, cover your plants with a breathable material such as burlap, linen or even newspaper. You will need to secure your cover with rocks or another device to ensure wind does not shift your covers. If you have any plants in containers it is best to move them inside before a freeze occurs.
Luckily, there is not much to winter yard maintenance but it is very important that you take the steps to ensure your yard is prepared for colder temperatures. By properly maintaining your yard in the winter you will be able to easily transition to a spring yard when temperatures warm up a bit.

When the crisp air of autumn starts to turn chilly, it is time to start preparing your home for the season. Freezing temperatures can definitely take their toll on your home and your pocketbook if you aren't careful. During the winter, there are certain aspects of home maintenance that can really make a big difference. Although some of these tips are commonly overlooked by homeowners, taking care to do a few things is one way that you can help your home survive the darkness of winter.
As you start to do some home maintenance, you should begin on the inside of your house. The first place you should visit is your furnace room. Because the furnace may not have been used in several months, take time to inspect it and make sure that there is no visible damage that has occurred since its last use. You may even want to have your furnace inspected by a professional. Having a tune up done on your furnace can really improve its function and can help you feel more confident going into winter. Commonly, a tune up consists of replacing air filters, cleaning the various components, tightening the electrical connections, adjusting the calibration of the thermostat, and monitoring to ensure that everything is in proper working order.
Winter is also a good time for inspecting and replacing any damaged hoses on your washing machine, dryer, and kitchen appliances. Also, deep clean your kitchen to get rid of any grease and other material that may be a fire hazard. This can help you have a safer holiday season, as you get ready for family gatherings and parties.
There is also a number of important home maintenance tasks that should be done on the outside of the house. Begin by inspecting your gutters and rainspouts. Clean them so they are free of dirt and debris. Clean gutters that are in good repair will be a lot stronger in the face of heavy snow and ice.
Another great home maintenance tip is to do a little bit of yard clean up and storage. Avoid having your garden hose freeze or break by removing it from the spigot. Drain any water droplets out of the hose. If you have a built-in sprinkler system, it is important to winterize the system before anything begins to freeze. Turn off the water to the sprinkler system and run the sprinklers for a few minutes to release any droplets that have been sitting in the waterlines.
If you have a barbecue, cover it so that it is protected from the harsh winter weather, or move it into a shed or garage. Also, put away any toys or patio furniture that could be damaged or even lost under piles of snow. Prepare for snow removal by stocking up on rock salt, snow shovels, or even a snow blower. If you have a wood fireplace, store your firewood off of the ground and away from a wall in order to promote the flow of air and avoid the growth of mold and mildew.
By following these few home maintenance tips for winter, you can help to make your home safer and more efficient during the winter months.

Choose A Good Home Warranty For Peace Of Mind

A good Phoenix home warranty works like any other essential insurance you may have.  You get it in order to protect against the risk of an expensive repair cost to your home.  Unlike car insurance, you are not required to purchase a home warranty, but there are many reasons to do so.
Your home warranty is like your car insurance in that you are insuring against the unexpected.  The surprise costs on a home can be at least as much as those for a full on car collision.  The big difference is that you are not driving your home around in heavy traffic, waiting to be hit by some nut.  You also have no chance of crashing your home into another person, and then being responsible for the damage and injuries.  However, your home warranty insurance will protect you against many of the things that can damage your home while it is just sitting there.
A Phoenix home warranty covers a certain range of home repairs.  The repairs must be specific and they must be unexpected.  Making specific repairs means that a particular part of the home or a major appliance must be broken.  In other words, just because the behavior of something in your home indicates a problem does not mean that it is covered under home warranty.  For instance, suppose you begin to hear a banging in your pipes.  You may call your Phoenix home warranty representative, but they will likely tell you that they fix problems, not noises.  Using their judgment, they may let you take a chance on a repair visit.  Then the normal process of a home warranty repair starts.
When a home warranty representative approves a repair, then they arrange for one of their local repair persons to come to your home and perform the work.  You generally pay a deductible of around $50, which essentially covers the service charge of the technician.  He then makes the repair and then bills the parts labor to the home warranty company.  In the case of the noisy pipes, if the repair person finds that the problem is a faulty pressure gauge, then the company will pay for a new one, and you will only have to pay the $50 deductible.  If the technician finds no problem, then you pay him for his time directly.  In addition, if it turns out that the solution is to add a part (not replace a part), then again, you are responsible for the entire repair cost.
This example illustrates the nature of a Phoenix home warranty.  The other component of the coverage is that repairs are meant for unexpected failures.  That means if your water heater breaks because of an earthquake, then you will have coverage.  However, it would not generally apply if your water heater fails because it has just worn out over time.
Speaking of earthquakes, be sure to discuss the particular coverage with your home warranty representative.  Sometimes earthquake coverage requires a comparatively expensive rider in earthquake areas.  The same goes for floods in a flood zone, tornado damage in the Mideast, etc.
With these caveats, a Phoenix home warranty is an excellent risk management insurance, and one that will help you sleep at night with the risks of owning and protecting a home.

A Home Warranty Is Excellent Protection

One of the best types of insurance you can get is a Chandler home warranty.  Because of their usefulness, home warranties are often given as a house-warming present by the representative realtor on closing.  The power of a good home warranty is to set your mind at ease about all of the potential problems that naturally occur with a home.
There are several important things to understand about a Chandler home warranty.  One is that this is a different kind of insurance that that which you would buy to protect your possessions.  This means it would not for example cover the loss of your furniture to a fire.  It would also not cover the liability of people who hurts themselves on your property.  The insurance only covers the house itself, including the major appliances, in the state it is in on purchase.  In other words, it is a home maintenance warranty, which only replaces or repairs, but does not upgrade or improve.  This will help you understand the limits of your home warranty.
When you purchase your home, you understand that there are many things you will have to do to keep it in its pristine condition.  You will have to paint it every few years.  You will have to replace your appliances when they wear out.  None of these things is a surprise to a wise homeowner.
However, there are many things that can happen to a home that are unexpected.  Your garage door opener may suddenly stop working.  This can happen after you own it for a few years and your manufacturer’s warranty has expired.  On the other hand, let us also say that the garage door unit is only a few years old and it has failed for some reason other than wear.  This is when the home warranty company steps in.
When you have a problem with a failed appliance or something happens to the home itself, you can call the home warranty office.  If they approve the repair, then they take it from there and do most of the rest of the work.  They will contact one of their licensed repairpersons in your area, usually someone they have worked with successfully in the past, give them your contact information.  They will call you and arrange a time for the repair.  Then they will perform the repair and collect your deductible, which is roughly in the neighborhood of $50.  They bill the rest to the Chandler home warranty company, and you are essentially done.  It is a very easy process, if you have a good home warranty company.
The power of a Chandler home warranty is that it is a solid insurance.  In other words, it is reducing the very real risk of having something happen to your home, and it generally covers all items that will preserve your house exactly the way you bought it, except for expected maintenance.  For this service, the cost of the home warranty is very reasonable.
If you are purchasing a new home, or if you currently own a home with no warranty, be sure to talk to a home warranty representative and let them explain how they can help.  Many homeowners find a Chandler home warranty to be money very well spent.

Whether you are living in a home or have a vacation home that you live in for a portion of the year, there is basic plumbing maintenance that needs to happen. It is very important that when the temperatures start to turn cold, you prepare your plumbing for the change.
During the winter, extreme temperatures can lead to problems for many homeowners. It is a good idea to have a home warranty to protect you and your home should a problem arise. A good home warranty will be available around the clock for you and can help you get your repairs done quickly and easily. It will give you the peace of mind that you are covered in case of an emergency. By winterizing your plumbing you can protect your home and hopefully avoid such an emergency altogether.
The last thing you want on a cold winter night is to discover that a pipe has burst because you did not properly winterize your plumbing. There are some simple steps you can take to winterize your plumbing and spend time enjoying the holidays with your family rather than dealing with untimely and costly plumbing problems.
First, you will want to begin with a simple visual inspection of your plumbing, particularly your external plumbing. If you see any cracked or missing caulk around the external plumbing, you will want to fill and fix any holes as this is an easy way for the cold air to get into the pipes. Additionally, for external pipes, you will want to make sure the pipes are wrapped or insulated in some way. You can get foam to wrap around the pipes, there is also insulating tape available and in a pinch you can always wrap your pipes with insulating towels or rags.
You should also disconnect your hose during the winter months. Any water in a garden hose can easily freeze and cause major problems in your pipes. On the inside of your home, you should keep temperatures relatively warm. The internal warmth of your home will help regulate the temperature of your plumbing.
If the weather drops very low, for example, below 30 degrees or more, you may want to go around your home and run all the faucets and flush the toilets to keep water moving and help prevent freezing. Lastly, you may consider winterizing your water heater by insulating it. While your water heater will more than likely not be at risk of bursting, it will help your water run more efficiently and help you save money on your energy bills.
Depending on your location and how cold it gets, you may need to do all or only some of these things. The important thing is to routinely inspect your plumbing and be aware of what is going on in your home. If you have made the wise decision to invest in a home warranty you also have the added peace of mind that, should a problem arise, you will have someone on your side in an emergency. By properly winterizing your plumbing you will more than likely prevent any major problems and save yourself time and money.

Nobody wants to be cold during the winter months. We crank up the heat and bundle up in our warm and cozy homes. Unfortunately, many insects and rodents can have the same idea as us. They will seek out the warmth and comfort of our homes, especially if we do not keep up with routine maintenance that would prevent them from entering.
We often do so much to decorate our homes to make them beautiful during the holiday season but are we masking lurking problems and welcoming pests into our homes? The most important part of winter pest control is prevention. You can save yourself time and frustration by preventing these pests from entering your home in the first place. There are many insects that are dormant during the cold winter months but we cannot forget the ones that seek out warmth and shelter. Some pests to be aware of that could enter your home are ants, cockroaches, and rodents. Being vigilant about year round pest control can keep nasty critters out of your house and away from your family.
First, you will want to check the perimeter of your home on a regular basis. Things you should be on the lookout for include the conditions of your walls and roof, should you see any holes or cracks where insects could enter you will want to have them sealed immediately. Also, if you see any scratches, marks, or droppings you may have rodents nearby or already in your home.
Chimneys and stove pipes should be covered by protective screens to prevent rodent entry. If you have a fireplace and store firewood it can retain a lot of moisture and invite insects. You will need to store all firewood as far away from your home as possible. By maintaining the exterior of your home you are taking the first step to protecting your home from unwanted visitors during the winter months.
Next, you will want to protect the interior of your home. Now is a great time to declutter and maintain general cleanliness. Clutter is like an invitation to rodents and bugs to take up residence in your home. Also, food should be stored in airtight containers. Cleaning out your cabinets will also help prevent creatures from scavenging around in your home. Storing items in cardboard boxes is not a great idea because insects like to hide in cardboard. Instead, in your basement or garage, store items in plastic containers.
Should you hear any sounds or scratching in your ceiling or walls it is best to call professionals to help you remove any unwanted visitors from your home. You should also keep up with your routine pest control such as pesticide during the winter months to help ensure protection of your home.
When you have decorated your home and made it a beautiful and comfortable place for your family during the winter months the last thing you want are insects and rodents to make an appearance! Routinely maintaining your home will prevent major infestations from occurring and help keep your home beautiful this winter.

Most people who own a home take time to make it beautiful and safe for their families to live in. We routinely vacuum, replace light bulbs, sanitize, maintain appliances, change air filters and more, but we often forget about our smoke detectors.
We hope that we will never have to be awoken to the loud alarm of our smoke detectors and we rely on them to protect our families, but we often forget they are there, let alone do routine maintenance checks.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, we should be testing our alarms monthly by pressing the test button. Home many of us remember to check our fire alarms yearly, let alone monthly? But the fact is, when a fire occurs in our home it can spread quickly and without our knowledge if our smoke detectors are not properly functioning.
Smoke detectors can give us the early warning that will not only help protect our home from total loss, but more importantly, save our lives. If you do not currently have a smoke detector in your home, all hardware stores sell them and they can make recommendations as to how many you need. They are an inexpensive way to protect your home and family, and are also easy to install. Many experts recommend installing smoke detectors in every sleeping area and on every floor of the home.
Once you have installed smoke alarms, routine
maintenance is critical but it is also relatively easy. According to Realtor.com, “About 90 percent of U.S. households have smoke alarms installed. However, a CPSC survey found that the smoke alarms in 20 percent of those households-about 16 million-were not working, mostly because the battery was dead or missing.” CPSC Chairman Ann Brown also notes that, “Smoke alarms can save lives, but they won’t work if they are not maintained.
They should be tested monthly, and the batteries should be replaced at least once a year or when they make the ‘chirping’ sound.” It is astonishing that approximately 16 million smoke detectors were not working! Especially during this time of year when we need to practice fire safety with our holiday decorations and lighting as well as our home heating, those smoke detectors could mean the difference between life and death! Additionally, the age of your smoke detectors could be problematic.
The National Fire Protection Association recommends replacing smoke alarms every 10 years or sooner if they do not respond to testing and battery replacement. An interesting fact that some may not know is that there are also smoke alarms available for those hard of hearing or deaf; the alarms use strobe lights and vibration. Along with smoke alarm maintenance it is also very important that every family has a fire escape plan that they have practiced and know well. By taking these steps to maintain your smoke detector you will have the peace of mind that you have protected your family as best as possible from the dangers of fire.

We are all trying to save money right now. Owning a home can be expensive. Having a home warranty is a great way to help should unforeseen home problems arise. Having a home warranty will help to prevent you from spending an arm and a leg if something breaks down. Another great way you can save money year round is with a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat will help you save money because it is energy efficient and it will also be one way to make your home more “green.” When you are sleeping or away from your home during the day your heating and cooling needs will be different than when you are spending time awake inside of your home. According to Houselogic.com, “It’s no secret that heating and cooling account for the bulk of a home’s energy usage – an average of over $1,000 annually. Switching from a manual to a programmable thermostat is one simple way to save as much as $180 a year.” That is a huge savings!
The temperature control settings make a programmable thermostat easy to use and efficient. You can time the settings around your schedule so that, in the winter, you can set the thermostat to keep the temperature a little cooler during the day while you are gone, and set it to warm up your home for your arrival. Also, while you are asleep at night you can wear warm clothes and use heavy blankets so you will not need to heat your home as much at night. There are even programmable thermostats that will help you to know what the most energy efficient settings are and learn your habits and adjust itself accordingly! There are programmable thermostats available that even can have different settings for during the week or weekend. Additionally, for those that frequently travel, a great option may be a programmable thermostat that can be managed remotely through a web portal! It does not get more convenient or efficient than that!
Lastly, in extreme weather months you can program your thermostat so that your home heats or cools 30 minutes before you intent to wake up or arrive home. You will get all the benefits of energy savings that programmable thermostats offer while still maintaining your comfort all year long. With programmable thermostats no sacrifice in comfort is made and yet energy savings, and thus money savings, are still achieved. Programmable thermostats are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to install. Now is the time to make the switch to a programmable thermostat and start helping the environment and saving big money today!

There are many every day appliances we rely on to work when we need them, but, often we may forget to properly maintain them. When we make the wise decision to protect ourselves with a home warranty, we often forget to do general maintenance and upkeep on appliances. We can make the most of our investments in both appliances and our home warranties by doing checks and maintenance on our appliances. Microwaves are an invention that has given Americans convenience and timeliness in our increasingly busy society. We often rely on them to quickly heat a meal so that we can make it to work or school on time, get our families fed, and get everything done in our day that we need to. Aside from cleaning out and spilled food or residue, we often do not do any additional maintenance to keep our microwaves functioning properly.
While many of us wipe down our microwaves on a regular basis to get those stray pieces of food out, we may not check our grease filter. We should routinely clean out the grease filter on our microwave. As with any general maintenance, you should consult the owners’ manual and follow any manufacturer recommendations. If any food debris has accumulated and is difficult to clean, you can put a glass with a cup of water in it and heat it for approximately 3 minutes. Allow the cup to sit in the microwave for a few minutes. By doing this, you steam the inside of the microwave and loosen all of the difficult stuck on food debris. This will make it much easier to wipe down the inside of your microwave.
Once you have ensured that you are working with a properly cleaned microwave, you need to take care to ensure that you are putting the correct things in your microwave. To begin, you should only put microwave safe dishes and containers in your microwave. They should be properly labeled as such to ensure you are not doing damage to your microwave and to also ensure your container will not melt or catch fire. Also, takeout food containers are not typically safe for the microwave. You should also be careful not to use dishes that are too large. By overloading your microwave, you can reduce air circulation in the device, which will cause overstress on your microwave.
As with any home maintenance, you should always take precautions to avoid dangerous, electrical situations and to always consult your manufactures guide. It is crucial to follow the manufacturer instructions to a tee. Through the advancement of technology we have been given many of our modern conveniences. We rely heavily on these conveniences, such as microwave, to keep our families functioning on a day to day basis, and in a timely manner. It could greatly slow us down to wake up one day and find that our microwave is not working. By following these simple tips, we can extend the life of our microwave and enjoy the convenience it has to offer.