Guest Post - 4 Extremely Common Threats to Your Home Plumbing You Need to Know

Even modern plumbing systems can become damaged at any time, and seemingly minor problems could quickly become expensive catastrophes. Here is a quick glimpse at a few of the most common plumbing threats that homeowners run into and simple steps that you can take to deal with them.

Hard Water 

If your home's water is hard, then you might find yourself struggling with quite a few plumbing problems over the years. Hard water is going to reduce the lifespan of your appliances, clog pipes, and damage faucets. Investing in a high-quality water softener for your home is the best way to deal with hard water, and those devices often last for decades when they are properly maintained. 

A Clogged Sewage Line 

Clogged sewage lines are incredibly common, and they can result in overwhelming problems if they aren't unclogged right away. The most common signs of a clogged sewage line include multiple slow drains throughout the home, dying grass, and a lingering sewage smell. To get rid of a clog that deep in the system, you will need to contact an experienced plumbing contractor who has access to specialty tools that can tunnel their way through your plumbing system. 

Slow Leaks 

This is one issue that almost every family will have to deal with at least a few times over the years. A slow leak usually doesn't seem like a major problem, but losing a few drops of water every minute could end up wasting hundreds of gallons of water per year. When slow leaks are caught early on, they can often be fixed with some basic tools and supplies. For a quicker leak or a leak that is difficult to access, you must work with a professional plumber. 

An Unmaintained Water Heater 

Many homeowners don't realize that their water heaters need regular maintenance, and an unmaintained water heater can cause major damage to a plumbing system. In addition to visually inspecting the water heater a few times a year, it will also need to be flushed once every few months. Luckily, flushing a water heater is a relatively simple task that requires nothing more than a basic garden hose and a few minutes of your time. 

Taking care of minor plumbing issues can usually be done by a homeowner as long as they are careful, but serious damage should always be left to professional contractors. Improperly fixing any type of plumbing problem could quickly result in a massive amount of water damage. 

Author Bio:

Meghan Belnap / Blogger, Researcher and Freelance Writer
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.

How to Know That It's Time to Repair or Maintain Your Garage Door

Garage doors are an important part of your home's function. However, because you only interact with them on your way to or from the house, you aren't likely to spend a lot of time thinking about maintenance. Here's how to quickly tell if it's time to call a repair professional to check out your garage door.

Slow Opening, Closing, and Responding

One of the first signs that something is wrong with your garage door is that it starts taking too long to open or close. Whether the door is rolling slowly up the tracks or the signal between the remote and the sensor isn't going through as quickly as you need it too, a slow garage door is almost always in need of repair. Don't bother taking a look yourself, as this problem is often electrical. Instead, call a professional to take a look before the issue gets any worse.

One or More Uneven Door Sections

Most garage doors come in two to three sections. If one of these sections start to sag, it can mean anything from a broken spring to a warped internal component. Sagging isn't always immediately obvious, which is why most garage door repair professionals recommend a manual leveling check at least once a year. This is done by manually operating the door and seeing if it will hold its level midway along the track. Only a professional can perform this test, so make sure to call yours for a yearly tune-up.

Obviously Damaged Door Tracks

One of the most immediate signs that something is wrong with your garage door is that part of the door is not properly aligned with the tracks. Sometimes, this is because the tracks are bent; otherwise, it's because the door is misshapen. Never try to realign either of these elements on your own, as you could cause invariable damage to the door. However, if you call a repair professional before the door has had time to seriously collapse, you may be able to get the damage fixed without needing to replace the entire door.

In general, if your garage door is making noise, working poorly, or causing a noticeable impact on your energy bill, you should call a repair professional to take a look. Yearly maintenance can also prevent small problems from turning into serious and expensive types of damage. Form a relationship with your favorite repair company, and make sure to call them often to keep your garage door in perfect shape.

How to Puppy-Proof Your House

When you adopt a new puppy or even a grown dog, puppy-proofing your house is essential. Puppies can get into things, even if they’re being supervised. You’d be surprised by how fast a puppy can hide behind the couch and chew on electrical cords. 

Because puppies are often small, they can often fit into places and see things that we wouldn’t necessarily consider. This is one reason why puppy-proofing is important. You may not know that there is a candy wrapper under your couch, but they absolutely will. Adult dogs can get into things as well when they are in a new home, even though they aren’t technically puppies. You should “puppy proof” your house for them as well. 

There are many things to consider when making your home safe for a small puppy. We’ll ensure you don’t forget anything important in this article. 

1. Secure Your Trash

The trash can is full of potentially dangerous items for your dog, but it is also the home of interesting smells and delicious food. It is often extremely interesting to puppies and dogs, so it is important to get it secured. You should invest in a larger trash can if you don’t already have one, as this will prevent your dog from knocking the can over. If possible, consider putting your trash can into a cabinet or similar, secure location. 

Dogs can swallow poisonous items in the trash can, eat something inedible, or even suffocate due to the trash bag itself. Securing your trash is essential, especially for food-loving breeds such as Goldendoodles.

2. Cover Cords

Teething puppies often chew on just about anything they can find, including cords. This can cause accidental shocks, which can lead to burns in your dog’s mouth or worse. Luckily, there are cord covers available today that can block your pet’s access to these dangerous items. Move the cords you can and cover those that you can’t. 

Furthermore, you should provide your dog with plenty of chew toys to ensure that they have an appropriate outlet for their need to chew. 

3. Put Up Dangerous Food Items

Most people know that dogs can’t have chocolate. But did you know that grapes, raisins, sugarless gum, and other human foods are also poisonous to dogs? Tree nuts (excluding peanuts, which are not tree nuts) are another common poison for dogs. Be sure you brush up on what human foods are poisonous for dogs and carefully put these items somewhere out of reach. 

Be sure others in your household know that these items are not safe as well, just in case they’re tempted to give in to your dog’s begging.  While you’re at it, also consider poisonous houseplants, which are strangely common. Check that all your houseplants are okay for pets and move potentially dangerous ones out of your pet’s reach. Watch for falling leaves and such as well. 

4. Put Away Medication

Be sure that all your medication is put up somewhere that your dog cannot get it. Secure cabinets that are above the ground are perfect for this purpose. Be sure to do the same with supplements and similar items, as these can be dangerous if your dog consumes them. Many canines like the smell of certain medications, but human-grade medicine can often cause overdosing in dogs. 

It is also a good idea to store your dog’s medication somewhere separate from yours to lower the chance of getting them mixed up. 

You should also move anything containing Xylitol. This ingredient is common in sugar-free gums, medications, hand cream, and similar products. It is extremely poisonous to dogs. 

5. Provide Them with a Safe Space

You should provide your canine with a safe space that is absolutely puppy-proof. The best spots are usually crates or playpens. You will not be able to watch your dog constantly. These spaces will keep them safe and give them the opportunity to play when you can’t keep a close eye on them. You should not let your puppy roam the house until they get older and understand the house rules.

6. Secure Dangerous Chemicals

Many people have all sorts of chemicals in their homes that can be dangerous to dogs. For instance, cleaners, detergents, glues, and pest chemicals can all be seriously harmful to puppies. These should be put up somewhere safe to prevent your puppy from accidentally getting into them. Remember that puppies love to chew, so they may not actually be interested in what’s in the bottle. However, if they take a liking to the lid, they can easily chew it off and become exposed to whatever is inside. Safety caps cannot withstand puppy teeth, so don’t rely on them. 

Put all of these items out of reach and somewhere safe to prevent your canine from accessing them. 

7. Keep Height in Mind

Someday, your puppy will be able to scale the couch. However, that day may not be when they are very small. Tall furniture is fall-risk to puppies. It may seem very small to us, but puppies are very small. They don’t need to fall very far to become injured. It is best to keep your puppy on the ground until they are old enough to jump on and off the couch by themselves. The same goes for any large piece of furniture. 

You may simply have to sit on the floor to pet and play with your puppy.

Don’t let children carry around the puppy either, as accidental drops can cause serious injuries. Children should remain seated while holding the puppy. 

8. Consider Batteries

Batteries are not safe for dogs in the least, but they are plentiful in most homes. Consider what items in your house have batteries, including toys, remote controls, key fobs, and other devices. Put these up where dogs cannot chew on them. Many of these devices are not chew-proof, and the battery can easily be punctured by your pet’s teeth, which can cause serious problems. 

Everything Else

You’ll likely find other things in your home that need to be put out of your puppy’s reach as well. The important thing is to supervise your puppy when they are out of their completely safe area. This will allow you to spot dangerous situations before they happen. 

Guest Post - Summer Hang: How to Make Your Backyard the Hangout Spot This Season

Summer is almost here, and vaccinations are on the rise. If you are like the rest of America, you're getting ready to set aside social distancing and put the social back into social animals. You scramble to the back door to scope out the old hangout spot, and you are astonished to find it in total disrepair! Winter wasn’t kind to your backyard.

So, how do you turn your backyard into the premier post-COVID hangout spot? This post will go over some tips for making your backyard the envy of your friends and family! 

Clean Your Home’s Exterior

If you want to impress guests, you should take a walk around the exterior of your house. Take note of any mold, vines, or damage to exterior siding or stucco. Usually, you can remove mold and dirt by using a power washer with a strong outdoor detergent. 

However, if your home has damaged stucco, then a power washer can worsen the problem by chipping away at the cracks. You may need to contact a stucco remediation contractor to fix your issue if you see exposed brick or other structural materials.

If you see vines or other types of plant growth on your home’s exterior, check the affected area for damage to your siding or stucco. Usually, you can remove vines by hand without damaging your home’s exterior. 

Landscaping DIY

The demand for landscaping and outdoor services is on the rise, but the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a skilled labor shortage. This means the cost of landscape services is generally higher. There are a few DIY landscaping tricks you can employ to get that professional landscape look on a pandemic budget.

Choose an Outdoor Focal Point

You want to plan your landscaping so that visitors are drawn naturally toward some sort of focal point. This focal point can be a fire pit, a porch, a pool, a garden, or some other centerpiece.

Create a Path and Accents

Using old stones or bricks, which can be purchased in bulk or found cheap, try to create a logical path connecting this focal point to a driveway or door. Using the same stones or bricks, line other features, such as bushes and flowerbeds, with similar accents, so that there is consistency to the characteristics of your backyard. 

Directional Lighting Makes all the Difference

Another way to draw people towards your focal point is to use directional lighting. By lighting up bushes and other features along a path, you can draw attention to the focal point at the path's end. At your focal point, whatever that may be, make sure there is ample lighting so visitors can see well and move about safely at night. 

Solar lights, outdoor LED string lights, weatherproof lanterns, and other creative lighting options can help you direct people safely and aesthetically throughout your outdoor space. By highlighting outdoor features from a consistent angle, you can create a feeling of depth and space, even if space is limited.

For Furnishings: Have a Theme and Stick to It

When thinking about furnishing your backyard space, you should have a guiding aesthetic theme or principle. The principle can be anything, but there should be a consistency in how it's implemented. Your theme could be anything from unpainted wood to modern minimalist furniture.

Your theme can go beyond the type of furniture and cover furnishing concepts like mismatched furniture, kitschy antique furniture, or stark uniformity. The point is to have a unifying theme or aesthetic idea behind why you have what you have.

Make Your Backyard the Envy of the Neighborhood!

Using this article as a guide, you can turn your backyard into the place everyone wants to hang out when the weather is nice this summer. Consider the cleanliness of your home’s exterior. Also, take into account how landscaping and lighting play a role in the perception of your backyard space. Then, decide on some sort of stylistic theme or principle when furnishing and decorating your outdoor space. 

Finally, send out the invites and show off your hard work!
About the Author

Jennifer Bell is a freelance writer, home designer, blogger, dog-enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey.