Spring maintenance: "Check it out" to prevent damage

When it comes to preventing the hassle and expense of leaky or broken home appliances, the best tool isn’t in your garage. It’s you!

Keeping an eye out for signs of wear and tear helps ensure your home’s appliances – especially flood-prone washing machines, ice makers, dishwashers, and even sinks and toilets – don’t turn your floor into an indoor pool. And the best part? You don’t need to be a DIY wizard. You just need a few minutes to "check it out!"

When you love prevention, it makes sense to add “maintenance" to your spring-cleaning routine. Over the next few weeks, watch for helpful, doable tips for spring maintenance inside and outside your home, starting with taking a reeeally good look at your appliances.  

Check it out! 

“If only I had noticed… .” Those are some of the saddest words we hear from homeowners who've suffered damage to their homes. Spring maintenance, starting with preventive inspections, can help you avoid that sting of regret:  

1. Inspect your water heater for leaks, rust, and sediment build-up. Water heaters, it seems, age in dog years. Depending on the model, you can expect eight to 12 years of reliable use. That means a lot of us own old water heaters that could be a disaster waiting to happen. Or, maybe worse, they’ve already sprung slow, tough-to-spot drips that, over time, will rot subflooring and lead to hefty repair bills (a maintenance issue that standard homeowners policies sold in the United States usually can't cover).  
    
   The trouble often starts when sediment builds up in the tank, corroding its anode rod and leaving the tank vulnerable to damage. 
    
   What to look for: If your water doesn't get as hot as it used to, you notice a metallic taste in your water, or you see rust spots showing up at the bottom of your water heater, or moisture in its drip pan, your water heater could be failing.  
    
   What to do: Schedule annual professional service (or if you’re comfortable and willing, DIY), in which the technician will flush your tank to remove sediment. 
   
   Having seen so many failed water heaters, some PEMCO Claims adjusters proactively replace theirs every 10 years.  
    

2. Check water-supply lines on appliances. Burst or leaking appliance water-supply lines are a top cause of residential water damage. As one customer found out when her dishwasher valve went rogue, an under-sink leak can rack up thousands of dollars in damage in just minutes! 
    
   What to look for: Inspect ice maker, dishwasher, sink, and toilet supply lines for bulges, cracks, or signs of leaks. Next, see if your clothes washer still has the original plastic or rubber hoses that came with it.    
    
   What to do: For less than the price of a large delivery pizza, you can replace weak plastic or rubber lines with much stronger steel mesh hoses. Take care when moving your refrigerator, since it’s easy to push the refrigerator too far back and crimp the line. And to truly satisfy your love of prevention, place water leak detectors around all water-using appliances. Watch PEMCO’s Chief Claims Officer Calvin Strong as he visits with Evening Magazine’s Jim Dever to show him how leak detectors work. (Bonus: A leak sensor might qualify you for a Protective Device Discount on your PEMCO policy!)
     

3. Test your sump pump if you have one.  Typically installed in a “pit” in homes with basements, a sump pump automatically sucks up excess water from rain or snowmelt. It harmlessly discharges the water away from your house – unless the power’s out and the pump’s backup battery is dead (as one member learned), it’s clogged with debris, or some part of the pump has gone bad.  
    
   What to look for: Once a year, check for debris that may have fallen into the sump pit and test the pump to make sure it will kick on when needed. Also, check when you last replaced the backup battery (recommendations vary by model). 
    
   What to do: Consider scheduling annual professional service. If you want to DIY (here’s a how-to from This Old House), make sure you disconnect the power source before removing the pump to clean and service it.  
    

4. Avert a furnace breakdown. Your furnace is a friendly workhorse that just seems to steadily do its job without your help. That is, until you roll out of bed one morning and your feet hit the ice-cold floor! 
    
   What to look for: Your furnace may need love if you notice your energy bills have jumped significantly compared to the same period last year (and your habits or rates haven’t changed) or it’s making weird noises; cycling on and off more than it used to; or showing signs of rust, corrosion, cracks, or soot. Also, take note if your home’s air quality seems stuffy or the temperature varies among rooms.  
    
   What to do: Change your furnace filter at least once a season (ideally monthly during the heating season). If you own an older home or have pets, you may need to change it more often. You can sign up for automatic furnace filter deliveries (a great reminder it’s time for a change) or set a filter-change appointment on your phone.  
    
   Whether you rely on a gas or electric furnace, it needs annual professional preventive maintenance. Besides possibly heading off a breakdown, furnace professionals also check for signs of damage or gas leaks. Consider scheduling it for spring, as you tackle the rest of your spring cleaning and maintenance.

We’re all in on prevention because we’re all in on you    

Do you feel a passion for prevention, too? We’ve got you, PNW! Watch for more tips coming this spring on how to improve your storage game, ensure your roof and gutters stay spotless, and stop your yard from turning into an unintentional wetland when spring's inevitable showers make their debut.

And if you just can’t wait? Check out the PEMCO Blog any time. It’s loaded with articles to help you prevent the preventable.