Welcome back to Part 3 of 4 of our series on home repairs …Check out our list of topics from our BLOG SERIES to help you be prepared to handle the “unexpected” in a timely manner:
- Put Your Tool Kit Together Today and How to Find the Water Main Shutoff
- How to Restart a Garbage Disposal and Unclog a Toilet
- How to Change Your Air Filters and Put Out a Grease Fire
- How to Reset the Electrical Power and Open Garage Overhead Doors Without Power
How to Change Your Air Filters
Changing the filter in your heating and air conditioning system doesn’t qualify as an emergency. However, it could most definitely prevent one. A dirty air filter restricts air flow, wastes energy by requiring your heating and cooling systems to work harder and it also allows dirt into the system, which wears out parts and could hasten a breakdown.
Be sure to change the filters throughout the summer and winter for your central air conditioner. The same filter works for both the heating and cooling systems. Check it monthly and replace it when it looks dirty – or clean it, if it is a reusable filter. For optimum results, you should change or clean the filter at least every 3 months.
If Murphy’s Law holds true, the system will breakdown during a particularly severe heat wave – and that’s an emergency!
How to Put out a Grease Fire
The best way to handle a grease fire is to use an ABC extinguisher, a multipurpose fire extinguisher that can be used on fires caused by grease, electricity or ordinary combustibles such as paper, plastic and wood. It’s a great idea to keep it in an easily accessible place in your kitchen. If you don’t have one, add it to your list today!
If you do have to handle a stove grease fire and have not yet purchased an extinguisher, smother the flames with a lid that completely covers the pan so it will cut off the oxygen that fuels the fire. Turn off the burner, if you can do so safely, and don’t touch the pan until it has completely cooled.
While some people recommend using baking soda to smother a grease fire, you should only use that method as a last resort. It takes longer for baking soda to extinguish a fire and requires you to come very close to the flames.
If a fire gets beyond your control, get everyone out of the house immediately and call 911. No matter how small the fire, it is always recommended that you call the fire department, even if you’ve managed to put out the flames.
We hope you found this post to be helpful, informative and interesting … Watch for our next blog on September 21st as we conclude our series on HOME REPAIRS 101. To locate our recommended “Trusted Vendors” in Spring Hill and Brooksville of Hernando County, Florida, be sure to visit our website @ www.homesinthesunteam.com/trusted-vendors
Thinking of buying or selling a home in the Spring Hill, Brooksville, Weeki Wachee and Hernando Beach areas of Hernando County, Florida? Visit us TODAY at www.GailSellsFloridaHomes.com to explore our state-of-the-art, MLS Map Search Feature. We make it easy for BUYERS to SEARCH MLS listings and for SELLERS to SEE what their competition is doing!
Until then… it’s all about YOU!