Protecting Your Home from Fire & Flood ….

We’d like to offer two simple suggestions that will greatly reduce the risk of damage to your home.

Fire Risk:  If you regularly run the dryer a second time to dry clothes, your dryer vent needs cleaning.  While most homeowners clean their lint trap between loads, dryer vents must also be cleaned regularly.   There are 13,000 dryer fires in the US each year, causing 10 deaths and $97 million in property damage.  One third of these fires arise from lint buildup.  Besides reducing the risk of fire, clean vents allow for efficient drying.  Savings estimates range from $.50 - $3.00 a load, depending on the size of the load, energy efficiency of your dryer and severity of obstruction in your vents. Of course, make sure to keep fresh batteries in your smoke/CO detectors, so you’ll be alerted of any danger as soon as possible.

Flood Risk:  Washing machines come with a set of black rubber hoses for the hot and cold water.  These hoses are under the same water pressure as your plumbing and must be periodically replaced.  Washing machine related failures are a leading source of home water damage losses, costing an average of $5,308 per incident.  Water supply hoses accounted for most failures.  At the first sign of cracking or dry-rot the hoses should be replaced.  When leaving the home for vacation or extended travel the washing machine water supplies should be shut off to protect against undetected flooding. There are many companies that sell water detection sensors on line ranging from $34.95 -$217 each. Just google Water Detector Sensor to choose one that is right for your home.

Our experienced techs can help you with cleaning your dryer vents and replacing your washer supply lines and any other jobs you wish to have done. No job is too small.
Be sure to ask about our FREE “Home Maintenance Review” and have your house checked from top to bottom. Call us today at (203) 373-7717!

If you have any questions about home repair, e-mail them to: [email protected]

Your Friends at Mr. Handyman