12 Homeowner DON’Ts

Adulting as a homeowner can be hard. If you weren’t lucky enough to have a parent mentor you in the dos and don’ts of property upkeep, home maintenance can be downright overwhelming — and the internet can help only so much. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a concise list of homeowner DIYs to avoid.

Don’t Skip Recommended HVAC Maintenance

If you don’t dedicate time toward your heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) system’s wellness, you could be forced to make time for its disrepair. Regular maintenance helps ensure your system is at peak performance and small problems don’t turn into massive ones.

Don’t Close HVAC Registers and Vents

You may think you’re saving a few dollars by closing registers and vents in areas of your home that aren’t in use, but that fiddling could cost you money. Your HVAC system is designed to heat and cool your whole house, so forcing the unit to function in a way that it wasn’t designed for could lead to an equipment breakdown.

Don’t Upgrade Electrical Wiring Yourself

Turn the breaker off, replace a rodent-chewed wire behind the drywall, and voila. Easy, right? Wrong. Modifying or replacing electrical wiring in your home can be dangerous and costly if not done correctly. Anything electrical NEVER falls into the DIY category. Time to call in the pros.

Don’t Install Your Own Ceiling Exhaust Fan

Having tired arms from holding them above your head for so long is not the only risk to installing a exhaust fan. If not vented correctly you could be adding moist air to your ceiling cavity which could lead to mold growth.

Don’t Fix Frequently Clogged Drains

You can find drain cleaners at the corner store. How hard can it be? In truth, it’s not. Those cleaners actually do a fairly good job of breaking down small clogs. However, if you frequently get clogged pipes, it’s time to call in professional plumbing help.

Don’t Keep Thawing Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes were a thing even before climate change intensified our severe weather events. In the past, you may’ve put a portable heater near the pipe to speed up the thaw or just rode it out until warmer temps arrive. But all that radical freezing and thawing is terrible for the plumbing and a professional upgrade intervention might be needed.

Don’t Fix Your Own Leaky Water Heater

Although there are a gazillion uses for duct tape, this isn’t one of them. The smartest thing to do is turn off the water heater’s power supply and turn off the supply of water to the heater — then Call on Reliance™ to have the unit serviced!

Don’t Try to Replace Your Own Water Heater

Accepting that this is a big job best left to experts doesn’t make you incapable; it means you smartly assessed the scope and complexity of work and knew only trained professionals should be executing this task. Learn more about Water Heaters here.

Don’t Expect an Air Purifier to Solve All Air-Quality Problems

An air purifier could extract many particles from the air in your home. However, they can’t be relied on to filter out contaminants on surfaces. To support the work your air purifier is doing, make sure to vacuum regularly, wash towels and sheets weekly, clean carpets and fabrics, use green cleaning products and replace filters regularly.

Don’t Repair Your Own Water Softener

There are myriad reasons why your water softener isn’t working efficiently — incorrectly set regeneration schedule, improper salt levels, depleted resin bed, to name a few. And this means there are myriad ways your home repair project can go wrong. Give us a call and we will have your water softener back on track in no time.

Don’t Forget to Set Your Generator in Auto Mode

Best-laid plans! You saw the value of renting or owning a backup generator for your home or cottage – protecting you from a loss of control over your thermostat, lighting, appliances, home security devices and smart tech. But it all comes down to that one button, so follow through and check that generator setting. Call on Reliance to make sure your generator is at the ready, and the settings cater to your living space.

Don’t Skip Generator Maintenance

Similar to HVACs, regular maintenance checks can ensure your generator’s components are working smoothly and haven’t been compromised over time. This preventive step may seem like a hassle, but a working generator is a godsend when the power goes out, and you really need electricity, preventing unnecessary inconvenience, cost and damage to your home.