Avoiding Frozen Pipes in Frigid Temperatures

Avoiding Frozen Pipes in Frigid Temperatures

Indiana is, once again, experiencing a longstanding arctic blast that has crushed low temperature records. Just existing in subzero temperatures can be miserable. Add the mess of frozen and/or burst pipes; it can be enough to make you want to pack up and fly south! Everything we’ve learned in school says water starts freezing at 32°, but researchers say that may not be the case with pipes. Tests of residential water systems subjected to winter temperatures demonstrated that the onset of freezing occurred when the outside temperature fell to 20 degrees or below. However, other factors can cause the pipes to freeze at temperatures above 20°. These include pipes exposed to windy, cold air which flows in due to a crack in an outside wall or lack of...

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Save Money by Changing Your Furnace Filter

video via youtube   Replacing your furnace or air conditioner’s filter on a regular basis can help to improve the efficiency and lifespan of your homes heating and cooling equipment while helping to reduce energy costs. Save Money Saving Energy host Ryan talks with Jay Stoa, LES Energy Services Specialist, about how to check your filter, when to change it and how to correctly install a new replacement filter.    

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What Exactly Is A Real Estate Appraisal?

Most people know that an appraisal is part of the home buying process.  Do you actually know what the appraisal consist of?  The official definition of an appraisal is “the process of valuing real property. The value usually sought is the property’s Market Value.  Appraisals are needed because real estate transactions occur very infrequently. Not only that, but every property is different from the next, a factor that doesn’t affect assets like corporate stock.  The appraiser usually provides a written report on this value to his or her client. These reports are used as the basis for mortgage loans, for settling estates and divorces, for tax matters, and so on. Sometimes the appraisal report is used by both parties to set the sale price of...

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Fall Home Maintenance Tips – Keeping Warm/Doors & Windows

We will be passing on a series of tips to help you transition your home and yard to the fall season. We will cover the following in a series of blog posts:   ~  Home Exterior  ~  Keeping Warm/Doors and Windows  ~   ~  Gardens  ~  Lawn Care  ~  Attic Pest Control  ~ ~  Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors  ~ In our last article, we covered “Your Home’s Exterior” in our last post. Now let’s talk about how to keep warm this fall in your home.   Keeping Warm Have your wood-burning fireplace inspected, cleaned and repaired to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.   Wrap water pipes that run along exterior walls with heating tape. It will save energy and prevent them from freezing.   Clean and replace...

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Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home

Spring has sprung! Most people deep clean their homes this time of year. After months of winter weather conditions and your home being sealed tight, spring is a welcome reprieve! It brings fresh air, warmer temps and new grass and flowers to our yards! If you are like many others, you are probably gearing up for your annual spring cleaning of your home or apartment. Following are some tips to help make the process a bit smoother: Before you start the cleaning: Set aside at least a week for a thorough spring cleaning. Work from one end of your house to the other. No need to cram the whole thing into one weekend. That’s enough to stress anyone out! Plan on one room a day. Plan some easy meals for the days you will spend cleaning.  Consider using your slow...

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Fall Home Maintenance Tips – Attic Pest Control & Smoke Detectors

This is the last article in a series of tips to help you transition your home and yard to the fall season. So far, we have covered the following in a series of blog posts:   ~  Home Exterior  ~  Keeping Warm/Doors and Windows  ~   ~  Gardens  ~  Lawn Care  ~  Attic Pest Control  ~ ~  Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors  ~ We have covered “Your Home’s Exterior”, “Keeping Warm/Doors and Windows” and “Maintaining Your Gardens & Lawn Care This Fall”. Lastly, let’s talk about attic pest control and carbon monoxide/smoke detectors.   Attic Pest Control   Pests love attics because they are full of nice warm insulation for nesting, and they offer easy access to the rest of the house. With gable...

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