Home Inspector Gives Tips on Concrete Cracks and Hot Water Heater By David Haigh At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Don't you just hate when you go outside and walk around your front steps and see cracks in the concrete and stone? One of the biggest problems is where the hand rail is mounted into the steps. This is the biggest culprit because most of the time the concrete is not filled to the top where the hand rail and steps meet.

What happens is that water gets into the holes and when it gets cold it freezes. When water freezes it expands and cracks the steps. There is a real easy way to fix this problem even if part of the step has broken off. Go to your local hardware store and pick up Vinyl Concrete Patch. This product is very easy to use. It is a matter of adding water, mixing, and applying with a small putty knife.

If there are other cracks or holes, you can also use this product to fix them so no further damage will occur. By doing this yourself you will save yourself some money. If you are still not sure how it works, then when you go to the hardware store just ask someone in the store and they will be glad help you.

Another problem in the house is a hot water heater that is getting close to being 10 to 12 years old. For most hot water heaters 10 to 12 years is all they last. If you start seeing water on the floor this may be an indication that there is a problem coming your way. It may be as simple as a rusted tank. This is very common for a hot water heater. There are other signs of aging. If you start smelling rotten eggs or when the hot water heater is creating hot water you may hear something that sounds like it is rolling around inside the tank. Both of these are signs of a hot water heater nearing the end of its useful life.

If you spot any signs of problems, you should immediately replace your hot water heater to avoid any water damage.

I do have a couple other suggestions for you about your hot water tanks. For less than $15 you can buy what is called a watchdog water alarm. What this does is it sits at the base of your heater and warns you if a leak develops. I would only suggest using this if you do not have the funds to buy a new hot water heater. If the alarm does go off hopefully you can turn the water off before any major water damage occurs.

The second thing I suggest if you are installing a new hot water heater is to see if you can put a catch pan under the heater with a drain line that can go to the exterior of the house or to a sump pump. This way if your heater does leak, the pan will catch it and drain the water out. You can buy drain pans that cost under $10 at your local hardware store.

These tips that I have given you will help you and save you money. And saving money is what it is all about nowadays. There are a lot of things you can do yourself instead of calling a professional to come to your house and fix it for you which is costly. If you tackle a problem when you see it you would be surprised how easy it may be to fix it yourself.

Your house is a valuable investment that you have made so keep an eye out on those little things that need to be fixed and fix them as soon as possible. I hope these tips have helped you and keep an eye out because there are more on the way.

If you are investing in buying a residential property, a professional home inspection can help you to avoid costly repairs. During their examination they can spot problems and potential problems that may cost you a lot of money. Minor repairs are one thing but buying a house full of problems without knowing it can be devastating to the financial security and health of your family.

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