Your home is your most valuable asset. That means it needs to be maintained and protected from breakdowns that occur when you least expect them. You need to clean kitchen appliances after every use. You need to make certain your roof hasn’t sprung any leaks. You also need to keep your HVAC systems maintained by a professional service provider on an annual basis. Here are easy ways to protect your home appliances and systems from unexpected failure.
How Best to Protect Your Home Appliances and Systems from Unexpected Failure
But routine maintenance is not enough. Says Cinch Home Services, the National Association of Realtors states there is a 60 percent chance that at least one of your home’s appliances or systems will unexpectedly fail in any given year. The average cost for the repair? Around $900.
If you factor in how long you wish to stay at your present home, how long the systems and appliance were there prior to your moving in, along with a little Murphy’s Law sprinkled on top, and you will come to realize that the cost of running your home can add up rapidly.
This is where a home warranty can come in handy. For just a few dollars per month, you can cover the costs of expensive repairs and replacements. If you’d like to see more about Cinch, you can check out Cinch home services reviews here.
But in the meantime, what are some of the steps you can take to make sure your home appliances and systems are protected from unexpected failure? According to a new report by The Cornwall Seeker, at base, your home is important since it provides a physical space for people to feel safe and live their lives comfortably along with their entire family. The home is where you build memories by raising a family, and entertaining guests. In essence, your home has both physical and emotional value.
This means taking good care of your home is of primary importance. Your systems and appliances are considered an essential part of your normal everyday routine. When they suddenly fail due to everyday wear and tear, it’s a major inconvenience not to mention, a strain on your wallet since appliances and systems are expensive to fix.
This is why it’s essential to take the right precautions to protect your systems and appliances from sudden failure and breakdown. Here are some of those ways.
Invest in a Home Warranty
Your first step when purchasing a home that already comes with systems and appliances which have outlived their manufacturer’s warranty, is to invest in home warranty. This brand of warranty is said to cover most anything from the quality of the appliance and systems in use, to their performance under normal, everyday usage.
There are said to be some cases when a home warranty will cover the costs of future replacement and repairs. It all depends on the plan you choose and how much you are willing to pay on a monthly basis.
That said, how much can you expect to pay for a home warranty? No definitive answer exists for this question since every homeowner has different wants and needs. But you can be sure that the average warranty on home systems and appliances will cost between one hundred to a few thousand dollars per year, again depending on the plan you create with your warranty provider.
But the cost of a home warranty also depends on the store, the brand, and the type of appliance or system that was originally purchased. It also depends on the length of the warranty. While some warranties will cover labor and parts, others might only cover parts and you are responsible for the labor portion of the bill. Naturally, you will need to go over the fine print of your warranty before signing it.
Always Follow Manufacturer’s Instructions
Says The Cornwall Seeker, it’s of vital importance that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for both your systems and appliances. This will help with avoiding any potential or future problems that might occur down the road if you decide to use the system or appliance in a way it wasn’t intended. For instance, it might not be a great idea to dry your wet, lug sole, steel-toe work boots in the dryer.
Have your Appliances and Systems Regularly Serviced
Regular servicing and maintenance of your appliances and systems is a must. Full stop. This will not only ensure that they are in proper working order, regular service checks might be required in your contract with your home warranty company. Once again, refer to the fine print or simply call the warranty company and ask them what’s required of you on your end.
Clean Your Systems and Appliances
You should get cleaning. In other words, you need to clean your appliances after every use to prevent their components from getting clogged with dried food and other materials like lint. Systems should be cleaned to get rid of accumulating dust, dirt, and grime.
A variety of cleaning products exist that are engineered for cleaning systems and appliances. However, you need to read the labels on the cleaning products carefully to make certain you are utilizing the right cleaning solution for the job.
If you’re purchasing the cleaning products at local big box hardware store, don’t hesitate to ask the helper on staff about the product or products you intend to use. The wrong product can actually do damage to your appliance or system and more than likely, a home warranty won’t cover it.
Inspections
Make sure you inspect your systems and appliances on a regular basis, even if they appear to be fine working order. You never know the future problem you might spot with the naked eye, like some rust building up on an exterior HVAC unit.
Educate Yourself on Repairs (Use YouTube)
All you need to do to educate yourself on the types and methods of repair for your systems and appliances is to open your laptop and go to YouTube. Many different types of repairs will be required for your home appliances. Some of these will be easy or simple fixes you can do yourself. Just find out how by typing the repair you need into the YouTube search engine.
In fact, a few of the most common types of repairs required for home appliances are as follows:
Replacement of worn-out parts: As time goes on, your appliances will become worn out from everyday use. The parts will eventually need to be replaced.
Electrical issues: Kitchen and other appliances that use electricity can at times undergo electrical issues which range from their circuitry to loose wiring. You need to call in a professional to fix electrical issues to avoid a potential fire.
Leak Repair: Leaks are an all too common problem when it comes to HVAC systems, dishwashers, washing machines, and more. While they are said to be a relatively easy fix, it’s likely you will need to bring in a professional to do the job. Your home warranty will cover the cost.
Adjusting you settings: in many instances, systems and appliances aren’t working correctly because you either didn’t set the settings correctly, or you played with the settings that were already programmed by a professional. If the latter is the case, you will need to bring the professional back in to reprogram your systems for you.