Your Home Maintenance Checklist

Faucets and bathroom fixtures

Buying a newly-built A&S home means everything looks new and works properly and efficiently.  There are some very simple steps, if followed on a regular basis, that can go a far way in ensuring items such as your faucets, tubs and toilets operate properly and hassle free.

Keeping your faucets sparkling is easy and requires minimal effort.

• We suggest only exterior cleaning for faucets.  
• Before you start, test all cleaning products in an inconspicuous area.
• Rinse the area completely with water immediately after applying the product.
• Only use a soft, dampened sponge or cloth.

Bathtubs require very little maintenance. It is important to ensure that the surrounding areas are kept dry to prevent any pooling of water resulting in water damage. Below are a few tips for maintaining showers and tubs.

• If the tiles surrounding your bathtub appear to be coming apart, then a solution would be to use a tube of caulking to reseal the cracks. Properly maintaining those tiles protects the surface underneath from water damage.
• Your bathrooms are equipped with a Heat Recovery & Ventilation System (HRV) which should be turned on during baths and showers to reduce the humidity levels in the bathroom. The HRV system is equipped with a timer which can be set for 20, 40 or 60 minutes.  It is recommended that the timer be set for a time period equivalent to the duration of your bath/shower plus approximately 20 minutes, which will ensure that the humidity levels are minimized.

Toilets, like tubs, also require very little maintenance. However, they can be responsible for a large portion of your home’s water usage.  A few toilet maintenance pointers are listed below.

• When cleaning, be sure to only use porcelain-safe household cleaners on your toilet.
• If your toilet is running, check the shut-off float in the tank.  If it has lifted too high in the tank, it can prevent the valve from shutting off completely.  To fix, gently bend the rod down until it stops the water at the correct level. The float should be free and not rub the side of the tank or any other parts. Also, check the chain on the flush handle is attached in the correct position and length.

These easy steps mentioned above, if followed on a regular basis, can keep you from future headaches and wasted money for plumbing related items in your A&S home.