Month: September 2011

Attention to Hot Water Heaters Now Keeps You from Being Left in the Cold Later

A little preventative hot water heater maintenance can save thousands in costly repairs.

On a 115-degree summer day in Phoenix, your hot water supply may be the last thing on your mind. Heck, some Valley residents might have trouble getting anything but warm water out of their taps at this time of year. It may be true that Phoenix water heaters don’t have a very difficult job in the summer, but that doesn’t mean you should take yours for granted. Now’s the time to schedule a water heater inspection, before cooler weather finally returns to the Valley. Having an adequate hot water supply will seem a lot more important on those occasional winter nights when even Phoenix has freeze warnings!

As any Phoenix handyman or plumber knows, the abundant minerals in our water can wreak havoc with water-related appliances. Warm or hot water especially can carry a lot of dissolved calcium. This may be evident around your water heater’s hot water outflow pipe, where you may notice a white, chalky buildup. Inside your water heater, it may be even worse. Minerals deposits on the heating elements can reduce your heater’s efficiency and leave you with a much lower supply of hot water than you should be getting. Having these deposits cleaned off will help you get the most for your energy dollar. Heating elements can also go bad, and having your two-element heater running on just one element will reduce your hot water supply even more drastically. Heating elements should be tested and replaced if necessary.

Even if your water heater is functioning well, it may simply not have the capacity to generate an adequate amount of hot water for your household. If your family has grown, you obviously will require more hot water for bathing, washing and laundry. Moving up to a higher-capacity water heater is the only solution, and now is a great time to make the change. By getting your hot water heater installation done at the end of summer, you’ll beat the rush and never be left in the cold.

For water heater services and installation, including energy-saving solar water heater systems, contact The Happy Handyman at 480-216-2750 or toll-free at 888-922-9918.

Closet Remodeling Offers More Storage, Greater Efficiency

Adding drawers, shelves, rods and more to your closet can tranform your dishelved closet into an organized space.
Adding drawers, shelves, rods and more to your closet can transform your dishelved closet into an organized space.

In many Valley households, the approach of fall triggers a frenzy of action comparable to spring cleaning in other climates. When the mercury finally shows signs of backing off after another long, hot Arizona summer, Phoenix residents seem to be energized by the promise of cooler weather as much as Northerners are by the sight of melting snow. Deep cleaning, tackling home repairs and organizing storage spaces are all on the agenda. Summer things are put in storage, while fall wear and school clothes for the kids come out.

After much sorting, rearranging and repacking, many people come to the conclusion that their closets simply aren’t big enough to hold all that stuff. Often the real problem, however, is that most closets just were never built in a way that uses the space most efficiently. With the high cost of adding storage space to a house or renting an off-site storage unit, closet remodeling can be one of the easiest, cost-effective home improvement projects.

A skilled carpenter or cabinetmaker can assess your storage needs with you and install just the right combinations of added shelves, drawers, racks, rods and hooks to customize your cookie-cutter closets into ones that suit your life exactly. Another option to consider, as long as you’re having your closets rebuilt, is to have cedar closet linings installed in them. Cedar panels or planks give closets a wonderful, natural scent and are resistant to both mildew and insects such as moths and silverfish.

Remodeled closets have immediate benefits to the homeowner. Daily living is more efficient and less frustrating when you stop wasting valuable time hunting for buried items, re-ironing wrinkled clothes, etc. In addition, other areas of your home will be beautified as more of the unsightly clutter scattered about can now be stored out of sight in your revamped closet. Down the road, if you’re ever looking to sell your house, potential buyers will be impressed by the additional storage space your house offers over those with run-of-the-mill closets.

The Happy Handyman can work with you to remodel your closet into an orderly, organized storage space for your clothes, shoes and accessories. We install closet linings, too! Call us for a free quote at 888-922-9918 or 480-216-2750.