10 red flags that signal your home’s weakest links.

Avert Disaster: Listen to Your House
10 red flags that signal your home’s weakest links
By Erik Forbes

Just like a car that sputters when something under the hood is amiss, houses send out warnings of their own. Protect your investment—not to mention your security—by learning some of the warning signs and seeking out help. Be sure not to blow off the red flags: Left untreated, these small problems can become big, expensive disasters.
Red Flag What’s Going On Get Help
1. Your water bill suddenly increases for no obvious reason
If you haven’t left the hose running for a few days by mistake, you may have a water leak someplace underground where it cant be seen. To confirm, shut off everything in the house and check the water meter reading over an hour. If the flow continues, you have a leak. Plumbing How-Tos
2. Slow flushing toilets and sluggish drains
Because toilets dump a lot of water down waste lines quickly they are usually the first to exhibit signs that there is a clog or trouble with a septic system. If other drains are slow too, you can be sure that it is the whole system that is not working properly and not just one cranky fixture. Untreated clogs can become a big, smelly mess. Unblocking a Cleanout
Emergency Drain Fixes
3. Rusty nails, dark wall stains and musty odors, but no leaks
Water damage does not need a leaky pipe or roof to occur. In many homes, problems with poor ventilation can cause water damage that is every bit as bad as a leak from a burst pipe. In fact, it can be worse because it often goes undetected longer and can cause health problems. Reducing Moisture Problems
Environmental Protection Agency
4. Doors and windows that will not close or keep opening, and mysterious cracks that keep getting larger
Sure your house could be haunted, but it’s more likely that your home is settling unevenly. Small expansion cracks in concrete or plaster are usually nothing to worry about but if there are more problems you should call a structural engineer. When it’s time to call a structural engineer …
5. You continually have to relight a pilot light on an appliance
The thermocouple is probably bad. (This is the safety device that shuts off the gas to an appliance when it senses that the pilot light is no longer burning.) A thermocouple is a “fail safe” device—that is, when it goes bad it performs its intended function regardless of need. So although your pilot may be on, the wayward thermocouple will still shut it and the gas off. Find someone to fix your furnace
6. Your clothes come out of the dryer too hot or still damp
Often lint will clog dryer vents that are too long or kinked. In some cases this will even lead to fires. To solve the problem dryer vents should be kept as short as possible and cleaned at least once a year Dryer Vent Maintenance Could Save Your House
7. Flu and allergy like symptoms whenever you are at home
Dirty air filters and dirty ducts in your home’s heating/cooling system can fill your home with sickening mold and bacteria. Other causes may include adhesives and chemicals in furniture and rugs and a lack of fresh air circulating into your home. Environmental Protection Agency
8. Hot switches and plugs, sizzling electric boxes, dimming lights and tripping breakers
These are symptoms of a seriously overburdened electrical system. Switches and plugs that get hot when you use them, sizzles and buzzes in electric boxes, lights that dim when you turn on other appliances and breakers and fuses that continually need to be reset or replaced are red flags saying you need to upgrade your electrical system. Unchecked, this problem could escalate into a fire hazard. Charting Electrical Circuits
9. Small holes in wood surfaces, mud tunnels along foundations, and sawdust
Sounds like termites are taking over. These pests are a problem everywhere, but especially in southern states. Because termites do most of their damage where it cannot be seen—inside the wood—you should always be on the lookout for warning signs. Have your home inspected if you suspect these monsters are present. Warm Weather Pests
10. Small piles of sand around roof drains and gutters
Just like sand in an hourglass, when an asphalt composite (tar paper) roof starts to go bad, the little grains of sand stuck to the paper start to fall off and flow down. When enough grains have fallen off that you see bare patches, it’s time for a new roof. Roof Maintenance Tips
National Roofing Contractors Association

This entry was posted on May 25, 2010 at 9:22 am and is filed under Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.