Don't worry if the weird habits and distractions at home are driving you crazy. There are simple solutions that we can implement. Let's be honest: even brand-new houses can have their share of annoying quirks and spooky noises. You didn't think anything of it when you first bought the house, but now you're starting to wonder. Is there anything to be concerned about, or are these just minor issues?
My toilet bowl suddenly started making funny noises last week. Each time I flushed, it just kept going and going. Aside from when I jiggled the handle, it was misbehaving. After a few days, I realized that this was ridiculous and had to end. Repairing it only required a few minutes and a simple remedy, which was a blessing. Fortunately, every house has its own peculiarities, and most of them may be easily remedied.
Furthermore, if you are a resident of an older home or apartment, you are well aware of the peculiarities of your dwelling. You can find determination in the face of anything, be it boiling hot water from the kitchen sink or the hissing of ancient radiators that sound possessed. Despite the fact that many of our house's peculiarities are lovable, others can drive us absolutely bonkers.
They are universal; you will face them wherever you go, and you should be prepared to deal with them. In the following paragraphs, you will learn the causes of various annoying household habits and the simple solutions available to you.
There is probably nothing spooky going on if your house has been plagued by blinking lights. This is thankfully an easy electrical issue to fix. In the event that electrical connections become dangerously loose, power might jump into gaps. It's as unsettling as a room full of flickering lights, in fact. In the jargon of the experts, this is called "arcing," which can cause fires. The lights going out when you turn on an appliance could be the result of an overloaded circuit.
If the issue persists, you'll need to hire an electrician, of course. When compared to the cost of bringing your home back to its pre-fire condition, the expense of replacing a single circuit or an entire electrical panel is negligible. Furthermore, there are a number of potential causes for your flickering lights. This can occur for a number of different reasons, including but not limited to: a defective fixture switch, an overloaded circuit, a dangling lightbulb, or an overload.
Lighting problems are best left to the experts, so don't try to fix them yourself. However, even if you consider yourself a master of home repair, it is still recommended that you seek the assistance of professionals when dealing with electrical issues. It's best to err on the side of caution when dealing with strange habits at home that could have a major impact on something as important as this.
Most cases of peeling exterior paint can be traced back to moisture buildup. However, this is probably due to a hot bathroom or water seepage from faulty gutters. If you act soon after discovering a problem, you may be able to keep your siding rather than paying the high cost of replacement.
As such, what steps should you take now? If you want to stop this from happening again, you need to dry up the area first. Once you've scraped off the flaking paint, you may prime and reapply a fresh coat. Also, if you're relatively handy, you won't have to pay somebody to accomplish this.
In particular, if you wait too long, the siding will corrode away. Painting and fixing the entire house might easily cost over $10,000! If the problem stems from excessive moisture in the bathroom, for instance, installing a new ventilation fan equipped with a humidity-sensing switch (for about $250) might do the trick. If you stay on top of paint peeling issues, oddities like this around the house won't have to depress you.
Because of their insatiable hunger for wood, termites and carpenter ants are usually to blame. Try tapping on a wall with your ear up close to the surface to pick up a conversation. An insect rustling sound could be termites. The crinkling sound that carpenter ants make is reminiscent of cellophane.
As a solution, you should get in touch with a pest control service. There is a pricing rang of $65-$100 for an inspection.
Obviously, there are a number of potential origins for odd noises around the house. Squirrels, raccoons, and bats are just some of the possible critters that have taken up residence in your walls. Or, even worse, you can get an insect infestation! In such a circumstance, one should always immediately contact a reliable pest control service.
Never disregard unusual noises; instead, get in touch with experts. If you'd rather tackle the issue on your own, when you've located it, be careful to either capture the pests or seal up the area with steel wool, metal sheeting, or caulk. Such oddities in the home carry the potential for health problems.
A running toilet tank may be both annoying and expensive. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 1,500 gallons of water every month. Also, this can cause your water bill to rise. Thus, you should take care of the problem immediately. A can of WD40 went a long way toward fixing the issue I was having. (There are so many things that WD40 can cure!) We sprayed the handle, and it seemed to do the trick. So, while it's possible this won't help you, give it a shot anyhow.
In addition, if the flapper isn't resting properly and water is leaking out of the flush valve, you may need to untangle or loosen the chain. The tube of the float ball might twist, so making sure it is straight is important. If the flapper and valve in the toilet tank don't work, you'll need to replace them (a job that costs about $10 if you do it yourself, more for a dual flush valve that saves water). Such oddities in the home are thankfully easy to fix.
Eventually, every house develops a squeak or two. The noise they make can be disturbing if we don't fix them. However, the primary source of these issues is the natural expansion and contraction of the building materials we utilize. Temperature and humidity swings can also play havoc with your ears, causing you to hear some really peculiar noises.
Some of these distracting noises can be easily remedied, but others cannot. After all, there's not much you can do about the creaking and moaning in older houses and apartments. But if you want to try something different, you can dust talcum powder over the seams between the flooring. Then, spray some WD40 on whatever is making the noise, as it has a miraculous effect on a wide variety of mechanical problems.
No one likes living in a house that smells, and luckily, we know just how to get rid of unpleasant scents permanently. Mildew is not only unpleasant to look at, but it can also pose health risks. This horrible creature likes to hang out in basements. Mold typically thrives in warm, damp environments where condensation can collect on cold objects.
Mold and mildew can be avoided by keeping surfaces as dry as possible. Use a high-quality bladeless house fan, for instance, to keep the air moving and discourage condensation. This hOmeLabs 3,000 Sq Ft Energy Star Dehumidifier for Large Rooms and Basements is worth looking into if a fan isn't doing the trick. You can tell it's popular with buyers because it has over 41 thousand positive ratings. To maintain the heat in the house, insulation is a must.
This is due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas-producing bacteria (the scientific name for rotten-egg smell). The issue may lie with your water heater or drain. The smell is probably coming from your water heater. The bacteria have already entered your drain if this is not the case.
The good news is that the fungus can be removed using a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, and a bottle of that solution costs less than a dollar. After waiting 20 minutes, you can use baking soda to neutralize the odor. Having a plumber clean your water heater is another option. If both your hot and cold water have an unpleasant odor, you should call your water company.
When iron or copper leaks from your pipes, the water in your home might take on a metallic flavor. Additionally, if you detect a chlorine flavor in your water supply, it's possible that you have either overdosed on disinfection or that the proper quantity reacts with organic material (like bacteria) in your plumbing system.
Get in touch with your water company if you see any unusually high amounts of chlorine or metals. Your well water or municipal water supply can be tested. Even if the chlorine taste goes away after a few minutes of running the water, you may want to flush your system or contact a plumber if only one of your faucets has high chlorine levels.
If your tap water still tastes terrible after using a water purifier, you might want to consider spending between $150 and $200 on a new system. Additionally, the solution may be cleaned with a high-quality activated carbon filter, which can absorb and eliminate germs, heavy metals, and other pollutants. At last, some odoriferous, reviving fruit and vegetables!
A water hammer occurs when the hydraulic shock of your water supply slams and jerks your pipes against one another. When you turn off the water, it may also crash against the wooden studs in your walls and floors. If you have trouble sleeping because of the constant noise, it might have a negative impact on your health.
Fortunately, the pipes can be insulated to eliminate or significantly minimize the noise. As an additional measure, you might try lowering water pressure directly at the meter. A water hammer arrestor is another option for quieting an otherwise disruptive household idiosyncrasy.
If you're having trouble with the annoying characteristics of your home, we hope the advice provided here may be of use.