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A small glimpse of my life at Aloha!

My Story

Don't Panic...You Know What To Do.

2/28/2014

 
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Damage to your home from a broken or faulty waterline can be one of the most costly and disheartening experiences you can face as a homeowner.  Even more shocking is how quickly damage can occur if you’re not prepared to quickly deal with the crisis. The good news is that until a plumber arrives to your rescue, you can take some simple actions to minimize costly water damage. The key is to...KEEP A COOL HEAD AND DON’T PANIC! With some basic knowledge, you can know what to do in the event you experience a plumbing emergency. 

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First, here's how to shut the water off to the individual fixtures in your home. Toilets, sinks, washing machines, etc. have their own valves that can be closed while allowing water to continue flowing to the rest of your home. This valve is usually located under or behind the fixture and can be closed by turning it in a clockwise direction. So, if you discover a water leak and it is located between this valve and your sink, toilet or other fixture, you can stop the leak by closing this valve.  This should stop the leak allowing you to call for help.

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Sometimes when trying to shut off a valve to a individual fixture it does not close completely due to corrosion or lack of use.  Or maybe you discover your leak is in a location that does not have a shut off valve. What now? DON'T PANIC, HERE'S WHAT YOU DO!
This situation calls for completely shutting off all the water entering your home.  This shut off valve is generally located on an exterior wall about a foot or two off the ground. This is the entry point where water moves through the main valve from the street into your home.  When this valve is closed, water can no longer flow. This doesn’t require any special tools, just being familiar with the type of handle you have and which direction closes the valve. You should practice this to become familiar with how it works in the event you need to use it in an emergency. Turning this valve off is SAFE and will not damage any appliances or fixtures in your home. (When you close this valve, some water will still be present in the waterline in your home and will take about 20 - 30 seconds to drain before it stops flowing completely.)

Hopefully you will never experience a situation where you need to shut your water off due to a leak, but if you do you now are prepared!.

Near Disaster Avoided!

2/15/2014

1 Comment

 
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While conducting a routine home inspection of a newly acquired home watch property, I discovered and prevented a potentially disastrous situation.

During the inspection
I spotted a small puddle of water in the master bath, right below the water line leading to the toilet. I quickly located the source, a leaking fill valve in the tank.  The puddle was small (about 2" by 2”), but I was concerned because it was collecting against the wall.  I needed to check to see if water had seeped under the wall and into the adjoining closet. Sure enough, after pulling back the shirts that were tightly-packed on a low-hanging closet bar, I discovered that the wall and carpeting were damp and had very early stages of MOLD growth.

Even though the puddle seemed small and contained, the slope of the floor caused the water to flow away from the toilet and under the baseboard where it was absorbed by the carpet and drywall.  The combination of the tightly-packed clothing (restricting air flow), the steady supply of moisture and the warm room temperature, the perfect environment for mold was created. Fortunately for this homeowner, this story had a happy ending. The leak was discovered before causing substantial damage! Another Home Watch success story!

                    CAN YOU IMAGINE THE DAMAGE IF THE LEAK HAD GONE UNNOTICED
                                        FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS?


          If that were the case, this story, would have had a very different and expensive ending.
  That's why hiring a Home Watch Company is such a small price to pay for so much peace of mind.


Here are three quick tips we can take away from this Home Watch success story.

  • When leaving your home for an extended period of time, shut off the water to your home. If for some reason you have to leave it on, have someone check your house frequently.
  • When storing clothing in your closets, spread your clothing out to permit air ventilation throughout the entire closet.  If for any reason there is moisture buildup, this will help prevent mildew or mold from having a more favorable environment to grow.
  • And the most important tip, use a Home Watch Service to monitor your home to help prevent expensive repairs and provide peace of mind while you're away.


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    Bill Medred is the founder and owner of Aloha Home Watch Services, LLC

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