THE LAST 2 WEEKS HAVE BEEN MAINTENANCE WORLD FOR ME - LOL

[chief38]

I live in a 3 year old home and although nothing has broken, there is still plenty of maintenance in even a new home. Many homeowners are unaware of just how much when you live in a warm climate State.

I have two ac units, one for the main house and one for the 3 car garage which also serves as my workshop. They must be opened up, thoroughly cleaned and have their drip lines completely flushed. Remember, in a State like Florida, they run 10 1/2 -11 months a year! That is equivalent to 3 or 4 ac seasons up North. The house ac unit (a 4 1/2 ton Lenox) is a relatively easy unit to service and pretty much straight forward. The Mini Split ac unit in the garage is another story! When doing a major service on the unit, (complete disassembly) the fan wheel must be removed for cleaning and that is quite a task! On my particular brand there are no video's on YouTube, no instructions in the manual and when I called the company they told me to hire a Pro and they don't give technical advise or info out to Joe Public. NOPE- I do my own thank you, as I feel I do a better, more thorough job, but that is another story. Anyway I figured it all out took care of both of those units this week.

Last week I did my annual servicing of our Rinnai tankless water heater. Every year they have to be flushed out and cleaned. That isn't a big deal, just another thing on the list. Then I also serviced my water filtration set up. It is a whole house unit that requires very little servicing but the pre-filter and gasket had to be changed.

I also changed ALL the (back-up) batteries in all our smoke, CO, heat and motion detectors. Again, no big deal but there are a lot of batteries to change! These are all hardwired and the batteries are just for back up.

Next on the agenda was to change the 22K Generac whole house generator battery. Here in FL if you get 3 years out of it you are considered to be on borrowed time. While it was technically still good and reading 13.5V, I'd rather replace it with a fresh battery and not have to worry about it dying in the upcoming rainy season here in a few months.

I also upgraded my home video camera system and had to add a Wi-Fi extender devise for more assured signal strength. Programming it was a bit of an ordeal not because it is inherently difficult, but my wi-fi system was never set up properly by our HOA's tech guy when we moved in - well, it is now.

Detailed both our cars this week, power washed the lanai screens, the patio pavers and did all our windows - inside and out. Now I have to go to the fabric store with Mrs.Chief38 to find fabric to make a valance for over the 12 foot sliding door out to the Lanai. That's probably the hardest task of all!! LOL!! Wish me luck Fellas!

In between doing all my own stuff I fixed my neighbors tankless hot water heater as it was throwing a code 11 which means the burner was not igniting. I had to take the whole gizmo apart to remove the burner and clean out spider webs. I also removed the carbon from the spark ignitor. All is fine with that and they can now have hot showers once again. Two days later I had to flush another neighbor's ac drip line from accumulated bacteria - ac unit automatically shut off. Oh - let's not forget a jump start on a friends Audi and the flat I fixed on my wife's friends car.

I'm seriously not complaining and I am more than happy, willing and able to do all this stuff, it just came all in 2 weeks! I thank God that I am still healthy enough, willing and able to help people out. Today I have another kitchen knife set to sharpen when I get back from shopping with the Mrs. At least I'll get paid for that!

OK - time to jump into the shower and face the new day's chores.

 

[CalifEd]

Gads, I need a nap just reading about all the things you did.

 

[ACORN]

Gads, I need a nap just reading about all the things you did.

CRIMINY! I agree.
Sit down, relax and have a beer.
You’ve earned it.

 

[StrawHat]

All in a days work! Similar to living in the country. Everyday a new list of “must dos” and each day different.

Kevin

 

[The Big D]

Any chance…

…you can come visit my house, chief38?

Live in Maryland but in South Carolina for six weeks. Know I have lots to do in the way of Spring prep and housework chores upon my return.

Good on ya, chief38.

Be safe.

 

[jeffrefrig]

My lovely young Mrs. Refrige ran potato peels down the disposal the other day, and just coming of that stupid operation last week I'm really going to have to psyche myself up to run the snake down. The drain lines under the sink are PVC that go into copper. Remove the trap and I can have the drain down by the stack cleared in no time. I know it's going to be hurting me tonight after I do this. Darn it!!!

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Just thing how much more free time you would have and $$ you would save iffen ya lived in a tent or Teepee.

homeowner here too.....

 

[TX-Dennis]

I'm in the process of buying a new construction small home in San Antonio for my son to live in. Did a pre closing walk through yesterday, and the builder's guy said to flush the drain line with two cups of water every time you change the HVAC filter to keep it from clogging. I never flush mine; just shop vac it whenever it clogs. Maybe I need to start doing that here.

Filter is in the attic which I found odd. I had an attic mounted unit in a previous home, but the filter was in the intake vent in the hallway. This one you have to go into the attic to change. At least it's a 4 inch filter, so it doesn't need to be changed every month. They claim 6-9 months.

Checked all the plumbing to make sure all works and no leaks. The Rinnai in the garage is interesting. I've only ever had tanks, so it's new to me.

We created one heck of a punchlist - mostly paint and caulk, but a few more serious issues. I hope they're able to correct it all in a week. Closing is scheduled for next Tuesday, and I'd hate to see it get delayed.

Nice thing about new homes - it's already set up for fiber internet connection, and prewired with CAT 6. There's a 240 outlet in the garage for EV charging. He pointed out that dryer connections are now 4 conductor and GFCI controlled outlets whereas the older ones are 3 conductor and non GFCI. I would have bought the wrong pigtail, so that's helpful.

I'm buying the home, but my son is paying for HOA, utilities, insurance, and property tax while he lives there. I don't like the idea of an HOA, but this one is reasonably priced. It maintains the community pool, playground, and "green space." If / when he moves out I'll sell it to recoup my investment. The money was sitting in a CD earning 4.3%. The income I don't need, so I reckon it's a fair tradeoff. The whole thing was my wife's idea, but it seemed reasonable to me, so here we are. I'm thinking if he gets married to his girlfriend and they want to live there it can be a wedding gift for them.

 

[CalifEd]

The income I don't need, so I reckon it's a fair tradeoff. The whole thing was my wife's idea, but it seemed reasonable to me, so here we are. I'm thinking if he gets married to his girlfriend and they want to live there it can be a wedding gift for them.

If you think you might make a gift of the house, talk with a Financial Advisor and/or CPA/Tax Attorney.
Maybe set up some kind of Trust so the kids don't get hit with gift taxes or such.
Plan ahead - deny the Tax Man.

 

[TX-Dennis]

If you think you might make a gift of the house, talk with a Financial Advisor and/or CPA/Tax Attorney.
Maybe set up some kind of Trust so the kids don't get hit with gift taxes or such.
Plan ahead - deny the Tax Man.

Good thinking, and something I hadn't considered. It would definitely cost them a chunk if I did that.

 

[chief38]

I'm in the process of buying a new construction small home in San Antonio for my son to live in. Did a pre closing walk through yesterday, and the builder's guy said to flush the drain line with two cups of water every time you change the HVAC filter to keep it from clogging. I never flush mine; just shop vac it whenever it clogs. Maybe I need to start doing that here.

Filter is in the attic which I found odd. I had an attic mounted unit in a previous home, but the filter was in the intake vent in the hallway. This one you have to go into the attic to change. At least it's a 4 inch filter, so it doesn't need to be changed every month. They claim 6-9 months.

Checked all the plumbing to make sure all works and no leaks. The Rinnai in the garage is interesting. I've only ever had tanks, so it's new to me.

We created one heck of a punchlist - mostly paint and caulk, but a few more serious issues. I hope they're able to correct it all in a week. Closing is scheduled for next Tuesday, and I'd hate to see it get delayed.

Nice thing about new homes - it's already set up for fiber internet connection, and prewired with CAT 6. There's a 240 outlet in the garage for EV charging. He pointed out that dryer connections are now 4 conductor and GFCI controlled outlets whereas the older ones are 3 conductor and non GFCI. I would have bought the wrong pigtail, so that's helpful.

I'm buying the home, but my son is paying for HOA, utilities, insurance, and property tax while he lives there. I don't like the idea of an HOA, but this one is reasonably priced. It maintains the community pool, playground, and "green space." If / when he moves out I'll sell it to recoup my investment. The money was sitting in a CD earning 4.3%. The income I don't need, so I reckon it's a fair tradeoff. The whole thing was my wife's idea, but it seemed reasonable to me, so here we are. I'm thinking if he gets married to his girlfriend and they want to live there it can be a wedding gift for them.

HOA's are something I did not want to deal with when I was younger. As I got older I saw some of the benefits to older people. All our landscaping, irrigation, cable TV and Internet, maintenance, garbage pick up, mosquito spraying, an incredible amenities center with two huge heated pools, a full gym, pickle ball, tennis and basketball courts, roads, etc. are taken care of. We also have a 5 star private restaurant ! Yes, we pay for these things in the HOA fees but we pay for them as a group of 1,165 homes and we get much much better pricing. For what I pay in HOA fees we get much more for than I could never get as an individual. For example, we pay just over $100 / month for a very very comprehensive cable TV package with high speed internet and 4 digital cable boxes. In my old home up north I paid over $300 for an equivalent package! There are also downsides to HOA's but as I got older I got less defiant and adapted a bit.

Good luck in your new home!

 

[LVSteve]

HOA owning your Internet sounds like the best excuse for running a VPN I've ever heard.

 

[ameridaddy]

Just thing how much more free time you would have and $$ you would save iffen ya lived in a tent or Teepee.

homeowner here too.....

And think of how you and your missus would stink, sweat or shiver depending on the weather.

 

[Narragansett]

I live in a 3 year old home and although nothing has broken, there is still plenty of maintenance in even a new home. Many homeowners are unaware of just how much when you live in a warm climate State.

I have two ac units, one for the main house and one for the 3 car garage which also serves as my workshop. They must be opened up, thoroughly cleaned and have their drip lines completely flushed. Remember, in a State like Florida, they run 10 1/2 -11 months a year! That is equivalent to 3 or 4 ac seasons up North. The house ac unit (a 4 1/2 ton Lenox) is a relatively easy unit to service and pretty much straight forward. The Mini Split ac unit in the garage is another story! When doing a major service on the unit, (complete disassembly) the fan wheel must be removed for cleaning and that is quite a task! On my particular brand there are no video's on YouTube, no instructions in the manual and when I called the company they told me to hire a Pro and they don't give technical advise or info out to Joe Public. NOPE- I do my own thank you, as I feel I do a better, more thorough job, but that is another story. Anyway I figured it all out took care of both of those units this week.

Last week I did my annual servicing of our Rinnai tankless water heater. Every year they have to be flushed out and cleaned. That isn't a big deal, just another thing on the list. Then I also serviced my water filtration set up. It is a whole house unit that requires very little servicing but the pre-filter and gasket had to be changed.

I also changed ALL the (back-up) batteries in all our smoke, CO, heat and motion detectors. Again, no big deal but there are a lot of batteries to change! These are all hardwired and the batteries are just for back up.

Next on the agenda was to change the 22K Generac whole house generator battery. Here in FL if you get 3 years out of it you are considered to be on borrowed time. While it was technically still good and reading 13.5V, I'd rather replace it with a fresh battery and not have to worry about it dying in the upcoming rainy season here in a few months.

I also upgraded my home video camera system and had to add a Wi-Fi extender devise for more assured signal strength. Programming it was a bit of an ordeal not because it is inherently difficult, but my wi-fi system was never set up properly by our HOA's tech guy when we moved in - well, it is now.

Detailed both our cars this week, power washed the lanai screens, the patio pavers and did all our windows - inside and out. Now I have to go to the fabric store with Mrs.Chief38 to find fabric to make a valance for over the 12 foot sliding door out to the Lanai. That's probably the hardest task of all!! LOL!! Wish me luck Fellas!

In between doing all my own stuff I fixed my neighbors tankless hot water heater as it was throwing a code 11 which means the burner was not igniting. I had to take the whole gizmo apart to remove the burner and clean out spider webs. I also removed the carbon from the spark ignitor. All is fine with that and they can now have hot showers once again. Two days later I had to flush another neighbor's ac drip line from accumulated bacteria - ac unit automatically shut off. Oh - let's not forget a jump start on a friends Audi and the flat I fixed on my wife's friends car.

I'm seriously not complaining and I am more than happy, willing and able to do all this stuff, it just came all in 2 weeks! I thank God that I am still healthy enough, willing and able to help people out. Today I have another kitchen knife set to sharpen when I get back from shopping with the Mrs. At least I'll get paid for that!

OK - time to jump into the shower and face the new day's chores.

Reading this made the backs of my legs sweat.

 

[chief38]

HOA owning your Internet sounds like the best excuse for running a VPN I've ever heard.

Our HOA does not own, operate or monitor our internet. All our HOA does is negotiate with the cable companies for the best package and price. Because we have 1,165 homes in our development we have bargaining power. You know, the more you buy the better the price! That said, I also have and use a VPN.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

HOA's are something I did not want to deal with when I was younger. As I got older I saw some of the benefits to older people. All our landscaping, irrigation, cable TV and Internet, maintenance, garbage pick up, mosquito spraying, an incredible amenities center with two huge heated pools, a full gym, pickle ball, tennis and basketball courts, roads, etc. are taken care of. We also have a 5 star private restaurant ! Yes, we pay for these things in the HOA fees but we pay for them as a group of 1,165 homes and we get much much better pricing. For what I pay in HOA fees we get much more for than I could never get as an individual. For example, we pay just over $100 / month for a very very comprehensive cable TV package with high speed internet and 4 digital cable boxes. In my old home up north I paid over $300 for an equivalent package! There are also downsides to HOA's but as I got older I got less defiant and adapted a bit.

Good luck in your new home!

Sounds nice.........But......Ya can't go and git ya John Deere or shoot of the porch.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I'm really happy ya'lls beehive living makes ya happy.......Happiness is everything. I have friends that live condo's and housing projects that love it.


Personally I 'd go nuts being close to so many people.

 

[LVSteve]

I'm really happy ya'lls beehive living makes ya happy.......Happiness is everything. I have friends that live condo's and housing projects that love it.


Personally I 'd go nuts being close to so many people.

Used to work with a guy who was raised up near Elko, NV. Not long after he started I asked him what he made of Vegas. His reply has stayed with me.

"I'm still not sure. At first I found it freaky that I could see my neighbors. Then I realized what was really freaky was that in about ten steps or so, I could touch their home."