Top 8 Home Repair Skills Every Homeowner Should Have

When you own your own home instead of renting, every repair is your responsibility. This is because you’re the one building equity in the home and who will benefit in the long run from any improvement that you make. You could pay a professional to do every repair in your home, but that could cost a lot of money. Ideally, the homeowner should take on the smaller jobs and then save hiring a professional for the bigger, more complicated ones.

The following are the top home repair skills that every homeowner should learn.

Skill #1

How to Shut off the Water in Your Home

If there’s a leak in your home, you’ll need to be able to shut off the water to your entire home in a hurry. This may also be needed for certain plumbing repairs. Knowing where the main water valve is in your house could help to save a lot of money on water damage. This valve will be located at the place in your home where the water comes in from the outside. It may be in the basement, the garage, or even in a crawl space.

Skill #2

How to Shut off the Gas in Your Home

If your home uses gas for anything, whether it’s for the stove or the water heater, you’ll need to know how to turn it off. This is because a gas leak could be dangerous or even fatal to the people living in your home. Just like your water valve, the gas valve is located near where the gas enters the home.

Skill #3

How to Replace Your HVAC Filters

Any air conditioning and heating unit is going to have filters that will need to be replaced eventually. You’ll not only need to know where to replace the filters, but how to get them out and what kind of filter you’ll need to buy as a replacement.

Skill #4

How to Clean Your Gutters

Gutters need to be cleaned out at least twice a year, maybe more if you have trees very close to your home that drop leaves onto your roof. If you let your gutters get clogged, they could overflow and water could end up leaking into your home.

Skill #5

How to Reset Your Circuit Breaker

If you use too much electricity at once, your home should automatically shut off the power to that section of the building. This is a safety feature to prevent you from overheating your wiring or causing an electrical fire. However, to get the power to turn back on, you’ll need to reset the circuit breaker, which is usually in the basement, a closet, or the garage.

Skill #6

How to Fix a Toilet That’s Running

Many toilet problems are easily fixed by a homeowner. If you can hear the water in your toilet continually running, take the back off the toilet tank. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with all of the different pieces inside and how they work together to flush your toilet. One of the parts may be loose or broken and you might need to replace it.

Skill #7

How to Maintain Your Hot Water Heater

Sediment can build up in the bottom of your hot water heater. This can decrease the lifespan of your water heater over time if you don’t clean it out. It’s also a good idea to know how what temperature you prefer for your water. The manufacturer’s setting might be higher than you actually need and turning it down could help you save some money.

Skill #8

How to Unclog a Drain

Another skill that homeowners should have is unclogging a drain. This includes sink, toilet, and tub or shower drains. Any of these can get clogged and most small clogs are easily fixed by a homeowner. You can start with a plunger, but you may need to use a snake if the plunger doesn’t fix the problem.