Tips to Prevent Home Repair Hazards
Tip to Prevent Attic Hazards
Many attics do not have floors; just ceiling joists with the ceiling attached below the joist. Walking on the joists can become a balancing act. This is a falling hazard. If a worker makes one wrong step while trying to make home repairs, a leg may crash through the ceiling below. Sometimes, the worker that falls sustains painful injuries as well. A good tip is to put a few sheets of plywood in the attic to help prevent this hazard. Do not worry about nailing the plywood down at first. The plywood provides a steady platform from which workers can do repairs.
Tip to Prevent Electrical Hazards
A bright flash inside the home, if not a lightening strike, might be an indication of another home repair hazard. A worker did not cut the electric power at its source, usually the home’s fuse box, before he began an electrical repair. If the electric fuse worked correctly, it cut the power off automatically when the power surge took place. Under the best circumstances, the worker did not get hurt. The only tip is to cut the electric power at its source before allowing a worker to do an electrical repair.
Tip to Prevent a Water Leak Hazard
If a water pipe busts in the home, this tip is to find the closest cut-off to the pipe and shut it off immediately. Sometimes the closest cut-off to a leak is a water main cut-off. However, sometimes it is a valve just under the sink a worker is repairing or below a toilet bowl, above a water heater, or behind a washing machine. Running and looking for the water main cut-off sometimes wastes time. Water leaks inside the home can cause some major damage to your home’s interior. So cut off these leaks the fastest way possible. Always remember though, hot water heaters are a burn hazard, so approach these appliances with caution. Know where the water main cut-off is (usually where the water meter is) and how to cut off all the water to the home.
Tips to Handle an Outside Water Hazard
A swampy area in the yard where a worker has been digging or an unusual increase in the home’s monthly water bill is usually an indication of a water leak. This hazard sometimes takes place during a landscaping project, a repair, or a tree root grows into a water pipe. To repair the broken pipe, you must cut the water off at the main cut-off. First tip – leave the faucets on inside the home in order to drain the main line. This helps clear the broken pipe area of water faster so the worker can begin repairs. Second tip – understand that once the repair is complete and the worker cuts the water back on the water may be dirty at first. Run water through the faucets to clear the lines inside the home. Also, run an empty washing machine until the water runs clean. This prevents dirty water from ruining clothes, if there happens to be a problem.
Tips to Prevent Natural Gas Hazards
Many houses have gas heat, gas water heaters, and gas dryers. At one time natural gas was much less expensive than electricity. First tip – know the smell of your natural gas to help prevent all gas hazards. The gas is actually odorless, but utility companies add odor for safety reasons. Most gas appliances in homes now have automatic shut-offs. The gas stops flowing if the pilot light goes out. Second tip, if appliances in the home do not have automatic shut-offs they should be upgraded with those that do have automatic shut-offs. This prevents pilot lights from accidentally going out and your home filling up with gas fumes. Important third tip, if at any time, inside or outside the home, a person thinks they smell gas, the person should call their utility company. Fourth tip – know where gas lines are located so you can notify workers of their location and prevent the hazard of broken gas lines. Fifth tip – Know where the gas main cut-off is (usually where the gas meter is also located) and how to cut off all the gas to the home.
Tips to Prevent Oil and Latex Paint Hazards
Yes, we know the clich�© that oil and water do not mix. The hazards of mixing oil-based and water-based paints are no clich�©. This is not a terribly dangerous hazard, but it is an irritating and often costly one for many homeowners. Latex paints are water-based, but often look like they could be oil-based. Painting oil-based paint on top of water-based paint usually causes the former to peel easily. It is usually ok to paint latex over oil. Be very wary of how you paint the exterior of an old home. Even latex over oil can be such a disaster on an old home that it actually ruins the siding as it peels. Better yet, the best tip may be trying to paint oil on oil and latex on latex to prevent most hazards of this type in your home. (Also, check the link below)
Special Old Paint Hazard
Remember that old oil-based paints had lead in the paint. Tip – never use any painted item inside the home if you are not sure about its lead content.
Huber, Jeanne. “Why Is My Paint Peeling?” This Old House Homeowner Know How. Exteriors 1-4. 27 Feb 2007 .
