Greetings, Moms and Dads!!
I'm Charlene and my husband and I have owned a home inspection business for about two years now. We have seen some very interesting things, but what I wanted to share with you all in this series is some little things you can do every day to make your home more comfortable, more efficient, and most importantly, safer for you and your little ones. These are little five minute (or less!) tips, tricks, and tasks that won't take up much of your day, but will have a big impact on you and you're home.
The first thing that we see a lot of is people leaving their hoses attached to the spigots (or hose bibs) outside of their home.
Leaving these hoses attached can cause bacteria to build up in the hose, as they will have some standing water in them after you turn off the water. As the hose heats up during the day and cools down at night, over the course of weeks, months or years, this bacteria can leach into the pipe and contaminate the water inside your home.
This, at least, will lead to your water tasting a little funny and at worst make some or all of the people in your house sick.
The solution? Take that hose off of the spigot, make sure the water is drained out of it, and store it off of the ground when not in use. If you already notice some discoloration or funky taste in your water, the quickest solution is to:
1) Turn on each tap in your house, one at a time and leave them running for a minute or so. This should flush out most of the bacteria that has gotten into your pipes. It is important to have the water very hot, to sterilize the pipe, but also run the cold water for a little while as well.
2) Remove and thoroughly clean all the faucet filters (that's the little screen where the water comes out). The best way to to this is to soak them in some vinegar for an hour or so, then rinse them off with some very salty warm water. If necessary, take a toothbrush (one you will definitely be throwing away after this) and brush off any little flecks of stuff that have accumulated on the filter. Once clean, just pop them back on and you are ready to go!
If the discoloration or bad tasting water persists, then it's time to call our old friend, the plumber.
More on selecting the right contractor (plumber, electrician, etc..) next time.
If you. are buying or selling a home and need a home inspection in the Greater Los Angeles County Area, feel free to call us at (626) 399-8359 and schedule your inspection.
Until then, have a wonderful day, everyone!!!
Charlene
