The Sunday Mail
If you own your home, then, whether you like it or not, you are saddled with the responsibilities of regular maintenance. That means you must either maintain it yourself, or pay someone else to do it for you.
How much you can actually do yourself depends upon your own skills, physical fitness and enthusiasm for the task, of course. But many building problems can be averted by simply keeping an eye on things, and knowing when to call in the professionals.
Overhaul gutters and rainwater goods. The usual advice about gutters is to clean them out every winter or spring, after the autumn leaves have stopped falling. And if you have a ladder and a head for heights, then it is a good idea to have a glance along the gutters, and to scoop out any excessive build-up of leaves or silt.
Most gutter problems are not caused by leaves, however, but by leaking joints. Plastic guttering has a high coefficient of thermal movement, and this constant expansion and contraction can push adjacent sections apart. Manoeuvre them back into place, and check that the supporting brackets are lined up correctly so that it doesn’t happen again.
If you do not fancy climbing a ladder, then next time it rains, take your umbrella outside with you and just have a look to see if there are any leaks. If not, all well and good; if there are, then get a man with a ladder round to investigate.
Paint external woodwork. Timber windows and doors will last for years if they are protected by regular painting from the rotting effects of rainwater and the drying effects of the sun. There are surviving examples from the 15th and 16th centuries to prove the point.
Unfortunately, many modern homeowners cannot be bothered with this, and prefer to believe the salesman’s hype that replacement plastic windows are “maintenance free”. Strange, then, that all the major paint manufacturers are now selling PVC paint, to restore and protect that degrading plastic. If you are lucky enough to have original timber joinery, then treat it with the care it deserves, and give it a five yearly rubbing-down with fine sandpaper or wire wool, and a fresh coat of oil-based gloss.
Remove ivy and climbing plants. Ivy might look nice, but it roots in mortar joints, and as the roots expand, they push the bricks apart. In addition, the build-up of fallen leaves around the base of the walls holds moisture and encourages wood rot and insect life. Keep all vegetation (even pot plants) a healthy distance away from your walls.
Ensure outside ground levels are kept below the damp proof course (DPC) and airbricks. Ground levels should be at least 150mm (6in, or two brick courses) below DPC level, because this is the height to which rain can splash off the ground. Unobstructed airbricks are vital for ventilating below suspended timber floors. So clear away raised flowerbeds and lawns, and don’t lay new paths or patios without first excavating the existing surfaces.
Draught-proof doors and windows. The single most cost-effective way of saving energy is draught proofing. As little as $15 worth of self-adhesive rubber draught stripping will make your home cosy, and will pay for itself within a year.
Fit secondary glazing. Once you have draught-proofed your windows, the next best thing is to add sliding secondary glazing. This preserves your original windows and has the great benefit of reducing external noise
Check your central heating system water, and add inhibitor, system cleaner or both as necessary. The combination of metals in the average central heating system (copper, steel, cast-iron, zinc and maybe aluminium), connected via the electrolytic medium of water, leads inevitably to corrosion. At best, this can cause a build-up of sludge in the radiators; at worst, it can cause leaks or boiler breakdown.
Check your system water using a Fernox or Sentinel test kit and if necessary add corrosion inhibitor. If your system has been neglected for years, it will benefit from first using a system cleaner, and then flushing out before refilling using the inhibitor. With conventional central heating systems, these additives are all poured into the header tank in the loft; with combi systems they can be injected through one of the radiator bleed valves.
Add lime-scale preventer to the cold-water supply. Readers regularly ask about the supposed benefits of magnetic and electronic lime-scale inhibitors. These gadgets are not cheap, and there is no clear independent scientific evidence to support their manufacturers’ claims. A cheaper and more reliable option is to dose your water supply with phosphate. You can suspend a bag of Fernox Limescale Preventer in your cold water tank or, if you have a mains-pressure system, fit a Quantomat phosphate doser to the rising main.
Buy a dehumidifier, and use it. Every home will benefit from one. Most dampness problems are caused by moisture produced in the home, by cooking, showering, clothes-drying and even sweating and breathing. Good heating and ventilation should deal with most of it, but many British homes have neither. A dehumidifier is good insurance against condensation, and great for drying clothes.
Plus, for every unit of electricity used, it emits two to three units of heat. Strangely, however, some readers buy a dehumidifier, find that it collects water, use this as evidence that their home is “damp”, and then put it away in a cupboard. There is no point buying a dehumidifier and not using it. — Telegraph.
