Hamilton Herald Masthead

Editorial


Front Page - Friday, October 30, 2015

Home maintenance quiz


Home Builders Association of Greater Chattanooga



Terry Greene

Your home might be the biggest investment you’ll ever make. Taking good care of it with regular maintenance is necessary to maintain its value and ensure it will provide a comfortable, safe shelter for you and your family for a long time. Here’s a brief home maintenance quiz that will test your maintenance knowledge. While this quiz doesn’t address every home maintenance project, it does provide helpful tips and reminders for chores you may have overlooked:

1. What part of the faucet usually needs to be replaced when you have a water leak? The washer.

2. Should you run hot or cold water through your garbage disposal? Cold water.

3. How often should the moving parts of garage doors be oiled? Every three months.

4. Where should the fire in your fireplace be built? On the andirons or grate, never on the fireplace floor.

5. Where should your firewood be stored? Outside, away from your house and not directly on the ground. 

6. Why should frozen pipes be thawed slowly? Frozen pipes should be thawed slowly to prevent the formation of steam, which could cause the pipe to burst.

7. How often should your roof be inspected? A qualified roofer should inspect your roof every three years.

8. What should be regularly checked on your security system? The alarms and circuit breakers should be checked to make sure they are in working order and the sensors should be inspected one by one.

9. To ensure your safety, what household equipment uses batteries that must be checked regularly to make sure they are operable? Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

10. At what temperature should your water heater be set? One hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit .