Know Where These Items Are in Your Home

There are many, many things you learn when you purchase your first home.  Most of them you learn the hard way, and that will almost always cost you money and may just be plain embarassing!

I suggest knowing these  Top 5 items that may save you time and money.

“1.  Water Shut-offs – There are several in almost every home, but the main one is at the water meter.  Sometimes it requires a special wrench to turn it off, so make sure you have that tool and keep it handy!  There are also shut-offs inside your home or crawl space, and often there is more than one!  Make sure you know where they are and whether or not they cut-off service to the whole house or just an outdoor spigot.  And remember to shut-off and drain those outdoor spigots in the winter!

 2.  Electrical Disconnects – Know where your circuit breaker box is located and familiarize yourself with the main nreaker.  It is typically the largest switch at the top of the box.  It will cut power off to every other breaker and everything electric in your home.  If you ever have an electrical fire, after you call 911, you should try to get to your circuit breaker box and cut off the power.  If you can’t, there is usually a cut-off outside at the meter that the Fire Dept. will use to cut off the power.

3.  HVAC System Switch – Have you ever gone into your attic or basement and seen a light switch that wouldn’t turn a light on/off?  That’s because it’s NOT a light switch!  If it’s within a couple of feet of your HVAC unit, it’s the switch that turns off your HVAC unit.  That’s an embarassing trade call!

4.  How to Light a Pilot - Your water heater may have one, your furnace may have one, your stove may even have one.  Do you know which of these appliances are electric and which are gas?  You need to be able to tell if the pilot is lit, and if not how to light it safely.  Those 12? long fireplace matches are very handy for this!

5.  Your Chimney Flue, is it Open or Closed? – They sell cute little brass signs for this purpose.  If you’ve ever started a fire with the flue closed, or if you’ve ever experienced a cold breeze coming from the direction of the fireplace in the winter, you may want to invest in one of these signs.”

When you are buying your first home it is easy to forget these simple items but I promise they are important and will save you money and embarrassment in the future.  These are items we make sure that you know about so that after closing your future experience is better.

Thanks Eileen Smith for the information.