5 Things Every Home Owner Should Know

The sad reality is, most home owners don't have the first clue about how things work or where they are located in their home. While some intricacies are best left to the professionals you rely on for service, some simple items are easy to learn and should be common knowledge for all home owners. Knowing these things can save you money, improve the efficiency of your home or even save you from a disaster. The following 5 items should be filed under “general home knowledge” for everyone who owns a home.

5. The Electrical Panel

The panel in your home is often located away from high traffic areas; sometimes in a basement corner, the cold cellar, a closet or even the garage. Wherever it is, find it and become familiar with the basics. Although you should not be expected to understand how to wire up a panel and connect breakers, you should know what the breakers are, what each of them control and how to turn them on and off. You will have at least one main panel in your home and in some cases a sub-panel or “pony panel”. You will typically have two main switches at the top which shut off power intake to the home, and then multiple breakers underneath which control different areas in your house. There are a couple different situations in which you would need to access your electrical panel. If you need to change an outlet or fixture you will need to shut off the power so you don’t get shocked, if you overload a particular circuit and “trip the breaker” then you will need to be able to diagnose the issue and reset the breaker (a very simple task). For anything more advanced, you should probably contact an electrician for professional and safe help. Electricity is nothing to fool around with.

4. Gas shut-off valves

Natural gas can provide many uses within a home. It can power your stove, BBQ, fireplace, furnace and hot water heater. It can also become a serious danger if a problem should arise. This is not meant to scare you, but rather to inform you. Knowing how to shut off the gas supply in the event of a leak can save your property and maybe even lives, all by turning a simple valve. You should know the exact location of your main gas shut-off and all subsequent shut-off valves to certain appliances throughout the house. The main supply will typically be right by the meter which is usually outside. Get yourself a visual of it and familiarize yourself with it so in case of an emergency, you do not have to panic and can shut it off right away. The shut-off valves for specific appliances should be located on the gas line right before the appliance. For example, the gas line into your hot water tank should be right above your tank and you will see the valve right before the appliance.

3. Furnace On/Off and Filter

Another very simple lesson that can prove very useful. Most people know that their furnace is controlled by the thermostat, but many home owners would not be able to tell you how to turn the unit on or off. Most furnaces will have a light switch in the furnace room hanging down from the ceiling, this will turn the unit on/off. You should also know where to locate your furnace filter and how to remove/change it yourself. This is an immensely simple task that should be done every 3 months at minimum and more frequently in the winter. Your furnace filter cleans the air that circulates through your home and that your family breathes in. It can help clean the air of dust and other allergens. Paying someone to change it can add up over the years; learn what type of filter your furnace takes by removing the old one and looking or enter the model and make into google. It is a good idea to keep a little sheet by your furnace with the dates of when you change the filter so you can keep track. Pro tip: put a reminder in your phone.

2. Property Lines and Lot Size

This may seem like something you may never need or use, and that may be true. But it is definitely something you should at least be familiar with. You can get this information from your city hall if you don’t already have it. They have your drawings on file and for a small fee (of course) you are able to get copies of the drawings which will contain this information. You should know your lot size, where your property starts and finishes, where your foundation is situated and it is just overall a good idea to have those drawings on hand for various reasons. In the future you may want to do renovations or some outdoor projects that require you to know where your property line is, or maybe your neighbour is planting some trees and goes a couple feet over the line on to your property. Good stuff to know.

1. Water shut-off

Definitely information you should know and maybe the most common issue that arises within a home. Water leaks can happen easily and knowing how to shut off the water right away can save you a lot of damage and money. Know where your main water shut-off is and how to access/use it and you should also be familiar with all the shut-offs throughout the house. The toilets should all have their own, each faucet should have one and each appliance should also have their own valve. If there is not a dedicated shutoff for each, you should look into having them installed. It is a pretty low cost job and if you are a DIY’er, you can do it yourself pretty easily. If something springs a leak, you can easily shut off the supply of water to that one item without having to close the water to your whole house. Or if you are going away on vacation, shut the water to avoid the risk of flooding. Simple knowledge to acquire and very useful. Also, have your main water shut-off checked out, either on your own or by a plumber. If it is partially ceased up or is leaking (which is common in older homes), then you should consider changing it before you need immediate access to it.

Anything else you can think of that should be tip of the tongue for home owners? Share it with us. Hope you enjoyed the post.