What house maintenance thing did you do recently?

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Dottie57
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Dottie57 »

URSnshn wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:43 pm Found out that some insect bait I'd used, in my area, can be tossed and are not hazardous to the environment. It took a few days sleuthing to find the right person to weigh in on the issue - so now I can toss the remnants away - delighted!
Thank you for being so tenacious.
hershey102d
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by hershey102d »

Dug a sump pump pit in our crawl space as step one of an encapsulation project (high humidity). Slow work digging clay in a confined space but oddly satisfying nevertheless.
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quantAndHold
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by quantAndHold »

Replaced a broken pipe on the sprinkler system.

How did it get broken? Funny you should ask…

We’re having a new front sidewalk poured, and the guys came yesterday to jackhammer up the old one. Apparently they did a bit of pickaxing too, because when the sprinklers came on this morning, we had two geysers shooting out of the dirt where the sidewalk used to be. When we investigated, we found a pipe with two nice, tidy holes, the size and shape of the pointy end of a pickaxe.

New sidewalk tomorrow…
Lalamimi
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Lalamimi »

Cleaned house for DH's upcoming 70th birthday party (saved about $200 per cost to clean in area). Having exterior of house painted (too high to climb up) at 70. But we painted the gutters, downspouts and trim on the detached patio/garage. Trimmed wisteria off gate entry to paint ourselves (contractor wanted $385). DH put together 2 Anirondack chairs we purchased on sale from Northern Tools. Will stain soon. Also put together outdoor bench bought on sale from Overstock. Released the Monarch butterfly that eclosed this morning from my small habitat. Waiting on 3 more!
sevenseas
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by sevenseas »

Recently (all within the last month):

1. Removed a snap trap with a dead mouse from the crawl space, and replaced with a fresh trap.
2. Arranged with my lawn guy for fall clean up/gutter cleaning later this autumn.
3. Had the driveway resealed.
4. Have been over-seeding some patches of thin lawn by hand. Next year I will aerate and over-seed the entire lawn.
5. Fertilized the lawn with an organic product (Ecoscraps).
6. Stained a couple of deck boards that my handyman had replaced earlier in the summer.
7. Had the boiler serviced (annual maintenance).
8. Had the generator serviced (annual maintenance).
9. Had the pellet stove serviced (annual maintenance) including chimney cleaning.

It literally never ends. Thankfully, I love being a homeowner, and am blessed to have the resources to hire out the jobs that I can't manage myself! Did I mention that my school tax bill is due in a week...
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tetractys
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by tetractys »

Today we worked in the yard doing various things. We now have 4 grocery bags of tomatoes to process later. I started grading the back yard and will probably finish it later. It was quit uneven due to a mudslide that came through several years ago from a neighbor who had the bright idea of filling over a culvert. We want to get this done before we plant a tree back there. This will also guide the stream better when it gets high.
Jeep4Life
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Jeep4Life »

Continued effort to cut down 30+ year old giant bird of paradise. Similar to bird of paradise, but flowers are all white not orange. The thing had grown huge, 17 trunks over 20 feet high. As of today, 17 stumps with none taller than 3 feet. A little more work to get it all down to ground level, going back to work after I send this message to get a little more done
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Sandtrap
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Sandtrap »

Finished a two week project to mow and weedeater our 200 yard street front then shape the drainage swale, about 30 feet wide with the tractor, then rake and level and clean up. Also clean n mow the end street cul de sac which we also care for.
Onward to next physical therapy session……
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AllMostThere
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by AllMostThere »

DW wants me to cut back the wild growth (nuisance new sprout elms and catalpa's) in flower beds and along fence line in one part of the backyard. Couple weeks ago it was too hot, and recently it's been decent weather, but it's been raining nearly non-stop. If I wait much longer it will be too cold and maybe snowing. :twisted:
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likegarden
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by likegarden »

I mowed lawn in front, 18 years old grandson did back, will pay him $45 at end of year for that, every week. He will like those extra $$$ when he starts college next year.
smalliebigs
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by smalliebigs »

1st coat of Behr cabinet paint on my kitchen cabinets
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firebirdparts
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by firebirdparts »

Putting up a stairway rail. I'm not very fancy with them. I need to work on that.
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WS1
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by WS1 »

This thread is a nice bit of inspiration. Just moved in to my first house and I’m kind of paralyzed by the lists of want to do, should do, and need to do.
sport
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by sport »

I lubricated all the locks in the outside doors. I used graphite lock lubricant. Don't use oil, grease, or WD40 on locks. It can gum up the works.
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The Man with the Axe
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by The Man with the Axe »

Enjoyed a cup of coffee, watched a football game, went for a long hike, cooked a nice meal for the family, then sat down to read Bogleheads.

(We sold our big house a few years ago and moved to a condo. This thread illustrates why we love our condo. No maintenance!)
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AerialWombat
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by AerialWombat »

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egrets
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by egrets »

F150HD wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:33 pm spent most of Saturday up in a huge tree cutting a monster branch that broke in a storm the day before.

Cut Saturday, cleaned up Sunday, need to burn this weekend, a nice Fall fire it will make.

Always find the tree/branch removal threads on this forum interesting. Never seems cheap to have a tree removed.
You could instead use pieces of the branch to make a brushpile for wildlife in some remoteish area of your yard.
egrets
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by egrets »

firebirdparts wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 9:56 pm Putting up a stairway rail. I'm not very fancy with them. I need to work on that.
Pictures? I need to do that or hire it out. A lot of my house stuff as been on pause because of pandemic concerns. Now that my state is way vaccinated I feel safer hiring folks for inside work.
mancich
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by mancich »

Upcoming this weekend:
Clean off the deck railing (white Trex: I spray them with a cleaner and use a scrubby sponge to get off the summer's pollen, etc before winter)
Aerate the lawn
Clean out the garage
GW208
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by GW208 »

Getting ready for cold weather.

Replaced the gas valve on our wall furnace as it had become temper mental last winter and would occasionally not shut down the furnace.
Annual maintenance tomorrow on our other heater.
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Harry Livermore
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Harry Livermore »

I did a fall fertilize/ overseed and spot seeded some patches on the lawn. The usual Saturday lawn mow/ leaf blow, but also the "twice a season" cutting of the tall grass that I let grown down by the street (we are in a very woodsy area so it looks fine)
Work on the flooded basement repair continues. Behind a stud wall, a previous owner had removed a single masonry block, for no apparent reason, rather sloppily. I chiseled down a block to fit and mortared it in place. I also removed and inspected/ cleaned some downspouts, but I don't think that was the source of the water in the basement. Just 10 inches of rain in 6 hours courtesy of Ida.
I also sprayed on some Jomax roof cleaner/ bleach mixture onto the flat roof above may office over the garage. Scrubbed with a soft-bristle brush to remove the lichen that grows due to the tall oak tree above.
Then my son and I went over to my mothers' house, which the adult kids and I had painted over the summer. We did some touch-up, replaced her flag holders and plant hangers, and I dry-fitted a new chimney cap (I have to re-do the mortared crown before I install it for real)
I also replaced the battery tray and one motor mount on my Generac generator.
Now, my work week begins!
Cheers
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Harry Livermore
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Harry Livermore »

sport wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:53 pm I lubricated all the locks in the outside doors. I used graphite lock lubricant. Don't use oil, grease, or WD40 on locks. It can gum up the works.
+1
Cheers
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TxAg
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by TxAg »

Caught two mice in my snap traps...they had been infiltrating my compost pile. Also hand (spot) watered the yard.
iamlucky13
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by iamlucky13 »

sport wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:53 pm I lubricated all the locks in the outside doors. I used graphite lock lubricant. Don't use oil, grease, or WD40 on locks. It can gum up the works.
I got caught with a stuck lock one cold day, and after finally getting it open, tried teflon bike lube because that's what I had on hand. I haven't had to do anything more with the lock in 2-3 years, but your post reminded me: I intended to follow up by getting graphite lock lubricant and pre-emptively applying it to my other locks, but forgot.
grok87
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by grok87 »

replaced a rotten deck board on my patio. i have to say the star drill bit was worth it
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z91
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by z91 »

Did some shopping today, we are working with a subcon on re-doing our master bath and looked at some vanity cabinets. Prices are somewhat back down to pre-Covid, but hit delays with deliveries. What usually is in stock is out on a freight truck and I'll have to wait another week.
freight_train
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by freight_train »

I'm in the middle of replacing a whole bunch of can lights that have 4-pin fluorescent bulbs with LED retrofits. Slight rewiring required but well worth it. I'm very tired of replacing those awful bulbs at 10 bucks a pop!
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Tubes
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Tubes »

Being retired, sometimes I am guilty of finding something to do. :D

Currently I'm working on patching some drywall on a ceiling where I previously had to fix some leaks.
jebmke
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by jebmke »

Today I watched someone else over-seed my back yard. :P
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minesweep
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by minesweep »

sport wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 10:53 pm I lubricated all the locks in the outside doors. I used graphite lock lubricant. Don't use oil, grease, or WD40 on locks. It can gum up the works.
Didn't know there was a lock lubricant. Used WD-40 a couple of weeks ago.

Found this today.
WD-40 has been commercially available for consumer use since the late 1950’s, and it has found many uses around the home. It will, indeed lubricate a lock, and also inhibit corrosion (or help remove it), but the main drawback of WD-40 for lock lubrication is that it is a petroleum based product that leaves an oily residue.
The nearby Lowe's carries the no.1 & 3 rated: What Are the Best Lock Lubricants
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UpperNwGuy
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by UpperNwGuy »

I filled out an online form advising my building maintenance guys that they need to replace the washers in my bathroom sink. You would never know that I have a daughter who works in Home Depot's Atlanta headquarters.
sport
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

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Stoic9
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Stoic9 »

Sealed deck
Stoic9
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Stoic9 »

I never should have read this post, just added 7 new projects to my ToDo list.
andypanda
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by andypanda »

I sprayed my stepson's front porch railings with black gloss lacquer. He and his wife work and have a 2-year-old and a 6-year old.

In late July I took an angle grinder to the railings to deal with, oh, 70 years of rust. They've owned it a few years. After the grinding, wire brushing and the sanding sponges, I treated it all with Ospho/phosphoric acid to neutralize the rust and turn it into iron phosphate iirc. Then I sprayed them with a couple of coats of Rustoleum Professional red primer. That required working in the shade to keep the metal under 90*F on a day with <85% humidity. An old patio umbrella took care of most of the shade and some large cardboard finished the setup. That and lots of sheet plastic stuck to the brick around the front door with gorilla tape and blue tape. Had to tape off the tile porch and steps too. Lots of set up for an hour or so of spraying.

(Nobody asked me. DO THE METAL WORK FIRST, not the pretty new tile. Too late when I heard about it from my wife.)

I had to wait until today to spray the lacquer because it requires metal and air under 90*F AND humidity under 65%.

This method was taught to me years ago by a custom railing company owner when I owned my 1916 house. He even gave me a bag of flap disks for my grinder to get me started after he removed the railings, sandblasted them, welded new legs on and core drilled the front steps before he reinstalled them.

I'm too old for this nonsense, but boy it sure looks good when it's finished and it lasts for a decade or three. My old railings are into their second decade and look like new.
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z91
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by z91 »

Happy Saturday. Harvested some fruit from the trees and cleaned out the dryer duct. Can't believe how much dust was built up! 😯
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A440
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by A440 »

Applied gallon of FlexSeal liquid to my low pitch shed roof to cover the roll roofing that had begun to leak. It was an expensive experiment, but so far no leaks.
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neilpilot
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by neilpilot »

A440 wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:08 am Applied gallon of FlexSeal liquid to my low pitch shed roof to cover the roll roofing that had begun to leak. It was an expensive experiment, but so far no leaks.
I'm sure you didn't apply FlexSeal during a rain event.

Since the topic is maintenance you've done today, you're "so far no leaks" statement is therefore likely meaningless. This is day one of it's application. Give it some time.
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A440
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by A440 »

Fair enough. I applied it a couple days before the remnants of hurricane Ida came through and it didn't leak.
Sorry, I don't check the forum every day, so my post was a bit delayed. Nonetheless, I hope it was helpful for other members considering using the product.
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YeahBuddy
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by YeahBuddy »

Love these threads as it gets me thinking about what needs to be done around the house.

Yesterday:
Mowed lawn
Helped neighbor (who helps me in return, leading to better maintenance)

I had plans to string trim and use the leaf blower to clean up debris, then seed the lawn but I had to coach the kids games.


Of note - I've never drained the hot water heater! It's 8 years old. I asked my plumber and he said don't touch it, could cause more harm than good at this point. And it has a lifetime warranty. I'll have to call HTP tomorrow to clarify!
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Tubes
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Tubes »

RobLyons wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:45 am Of note - I've never drained the hot water heater! It's 8 years old. I asked my plumber and he said don't touch it, could cause more harm than good at this point. And it has a lifetime warranty. I'll have to call HTP tomorrow to clarify!
I share your plumber's opinion. Either do the maintenance on a regular basis, or don't do it if you lapsed more than 5 years.

If you are on well water, there's a good chance your drain won't even work due to thick sediment and not draining it for such a long time.
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Michael Patrick
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Michael Patrick »

I replaced a light switch without electrocuting myself or burning down the house. And most importantly, with only one trip to the hardware store!

"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
YeahBuddy
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by YeahBuddy »

Tubes wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:49 am
RobLyons wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:45 am Of note - I've never drained the hot water heater! It's 8 years old. I asked my plumber and he said don't touch it, could cause more harm than good at this point. And it has a lifetime warranty. I'll have to call HTP tomorrow to clarify!
I share your plumber's opinion. Either do the maintenance on a regular basis, or don't do it if you lapsed more than 5 years.

If you are on well water, there's a good chance your drain won't even work due to thick sediment and not draining it for such a long time.

Would you replace it early just to avoid problems? I see some build up around an outlet valve and around the base. Last thing I want is to go without hot water in the cold New England winter... Thanks
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Mr. Rumples
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Making a runnel for drainage, but not really up to physically doing some of the trenching for a 25' run. I bought one of these at Lowe's this morning to see if it will do what I want. If so, I'll buy more for the runnel:

https://www.amazon.com/InvisaFlow-7400- ... er&sr=8-49

I am taking out all of the underground drainage from the gutters; this is the last segment, but it presents some challenges. If it works, I can line the outside with bricks (of which I have hundreds of old bricks) and then fill the interior with # 4 or #5 gravel.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
andypanda
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by andypanda »

Graphite is a good lock lube, but messy.

WD40 is a terrible thing to put in a lock. Don't believe me, google it.

"Why is WD40 bad for locks?
But this multi-faceted product has limitations – it should never be used to lubricate locks! The main reason for this is that WD40 is not a true lubricant; it is a water and oil displacing solvent."
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Tubes
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do today?

Post by Tubes »

RobLyons wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 8:24 am
Tubes wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:49 am
RobLyons wrote: Sun Oct 03, 2021 6:45 am Of note - I've never drained the hot water heater! It's 8 years old. I asked my plumber and he said don't touch it, could cause more harm than good at this point. And it has a lifetime warranty. I'll have to call HTP tomorrow to clarify!
I share your plumber's opinion. Either do the maintenance on a regular basis, or don't do it if you lapsed more than 5 years.

If you are on well water, there's a good chance your drain won't even work due to thick sediment and not draining it for such a long time.

Would you replace it early just to avoid problems? I see some build up around an outlet valve and around the base. Last thing I want is to go without hot water in the cold New England winter... Thanks
EDIT: I just read you have weeping leaks. Ignore my advice below which was based on a clean tank. My suggestion now would be to take your time and get a quote or two and replace it. It is not an emergency. But it is time to consider replacement.

... Original based on no weep leaks....
At 8 years? No. Just watch it, which also means listening to it. A lot of excessive sediment could cause churning and overturning while heating, which makes some noise. Watch for rust, watch for weeping leaks, etc. Replace if that happens. The whole draining process is more for efficiency and possibly to help with longevity of the bottom heating area (on a gas heater) so that the heat doesn't have to transfer through the sediment. But on my gas W/H, the failures I've gotten are farther up, usually on a seam near the top. Draining a never drained older heater has the potential to tear away chunks of sediment which then become hot-spots on future usage, which I why a bunch of plumbers (including my dad) say to leave it alone, based on their experience.

As for ultimate longevity, "they say" 8 to 10 years is good. I call baloney on that. 15 years is a good number to shoot for. Plenty of people get way beyond that. EDIT: in your case, what "they say" may be spot on!!! I'm eating a bit of my hat. :oops:
Random Poster
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do recently?

Post by Random Poster »

A three, going on four, day maintenance task for me:

Tried to turn off my underground irrigation system for winter. But upon opening the lid on the 9” tall pipe that houses the shutoff valve, I discover that it is full of water. Hmm.

Manage to suck most of the water out, then I try to turn the shutoff valve off, and when I turn the valve to the right (clockwise) as far as it will go, the water still keeps rising up the pipe. Hmm.

Spend the next day monitoring the situation and notice that the water keeps coming up, but it doesn’t overflow the pipe. Stupid me, I decide to make sure that I turned the valve off correctly so I turn it back on and then turn it all the way over again. Now the water is rising out of the pipe a lot faster, and starts to overflow the pipe. Hmm.

After about 2 hours of that (and me baling the water out of the pipe with a turkey baster), I realize that it is time to get some help and get the local water authority to shut off the water main (as the irrigation system is connected to it and not to the house main shutoff).

Spend last night and a few hours this morning digging out all of the dirt (well, mud) to get down to the irrigation shutoff valve and associated plumbing. Plumber comes by a few hours later and discovers that the brass valve casing somehow cracked. Not the valve stem, not the valve itself, but the actual brass casing. Says he’s never seen that before. Neither have I, but I’ve never owned a house before either and done any maintenance stuff on it.

Plumber ends up cutting out the pipe with the shutoff valve in it, putting a metal stopper (threaded end, with a square head that sticks out of it) on the pipe that feeds from the water main to the irrigation system, and says that he will be back tomorrow to reinstall a new shutoff valve and replace the pipe that was cut out.

Honestly, I’m happy if he doesn’t show back up, because as it is now I don’t have any leaks, my house water is turned back on, and I don’t have to worry about turning the irrigation system back on in the spring or winterizing it again next fall. But even if he does show up tomorrow, after he fixes everything, I’m seriously thinking about never turning the irrigation system on again and just watering by hand using a hose connected to the hosebib.

So what house maintenance thing did I do today?

1) Discover that my underground irrigation system is a mess and wonder why anyone thinks that they are a good idea, especially in places where you have to winterize them.

2) Did a lot of digging, got my hands dirty, got to watch a plumber do his thing, and learn a few things and realize that I should buy a few more wrenches and pipe cutting tools.
Most experiences are better imagined.
Mr. Rumples
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do recently?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Got a four month old kitten, lots of banging around while she explores and runs around crazy. Found the drain cover to the shower (I had not screwed it down) out, exposing the gunk so I cleaned it out.
"History is the memory of time, the life of the dead and the happiness of the living." Captain John Smith 1580-1631
furiouschads
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do recently?

Post by furiouschads »

A few years ago I fell off a ladder while cleaning out the gutters on an autumn Sunday afternoon. There was a little moisture underfoot and I slipped.

I shattered the ball of my left shoulder. If I had landed slightly differently I would not be typing this message.

Titanium ball replacement, multiple surgeries, lots of physical therapy. All covered by my HMO. But I made a few changes.

1) bought term life insurance.
2) noticed that well-run trades tie off ladders or have spotters.
3) pay for some labor that I have done myself in the past.

Be careful out there.
Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly. --Charles Addams. #613 in 2022 BH prediction contest. #42 in 2023. Not that I am keeping track.
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z91
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Re: What house maintenance thing did you do recently?

Post by z91 »

Cleaned out the shower heads. We don't have hard water, but after 3 years of never cleaning it the nozzles were basically caked on. Nice to see streams of water actually come out again :sharebeer
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