Why You Should Worry About Cleaning Your Gutters

And How to Do It Right the First Time

This past week has had a lot of rain for Plano and the surrounding areas. We’re not sick of it quite yet, but our homes might be. All of that water comes with lots of leaves and twigs hitting our roofs and being washed into the gutters. Which was fine. Up until it started leaking in your poor blogger’s kitchen. We learned a fair bit about our gutters this week and what they do for our homes. We’re sharing with you so you can avoid the same fate of having your kitchen flooded, at least if it’s due to clogged gutters. 

Possible Damage

So what does it really matter? As long as some of the water is coming out of the gutters and downspouts you're all good, right? Not quite. There is a lot of damage that can be done from your gutters being clogged or otherwise not functioning properly.

Roof Damage

If your gutters are clogged the water can end up pooling and sitting on your roof. There the water is going to get under your shingles and your roof can end up rotting, cracking, and leaking. All of those damaged areas are going to continue growing and becoming worse with each new rain.

Increased Chance of Ice Dams

When we talked about water pooling on the roof and in the gutters themselves, we didn't talk about winter. During the cold months, like this past February, that water will turn into ice dams. Large heavy chunks of ice that can rip the gutters off your roof, if you're lucky. If you're not lucky they can begin damaging your roof, depending on the size of the pool to begin with.

Foundation Damage

If a storm happens during winter sitting water can begin to cause expansions and cracks in your foundation as it freezes and melts. As the water pools and sits on the ground, it leaches into the concrete of your foundation.

Basement Flooding

Heading inside to your basement, if you're lucky enough to have one in Texas, water is still a problem. Once water starts getting into your basement it opens up all sorts of problems. It can leak in through your foundation or through the void spaces between walls.  That water can spread and result in gas leaks or electrical shocks.

Fire Hazard

When water spreads through your basement, or the walls in your house, it can end up coming in contact with wires. If there is a fuse as part of the system, then you’ll be dealing with a short circuit and a blown fuse. If however there isn’t a fuse, the water can heat up to the point of causing an electrical fire.  

Shifts and Cracks in Driveway & Sidewalk 

Just like with your foundation, water can pool on top of or under your driveway and sidewalk. With time the ground underneath can be eroded. Or the water can freeze, causing shifts and cracks.

Ruined Landscaping

You spend a lot of time and money making your yard look the way you want. A blocked gutter or downspout, is going to cut new channels through the ground following the path of least resistance. This means you'll end up with plants that are getting too much water, plants that have had their beds destroyed, and all sorts of pests moving in.

All of these are problems that can, do, and have happened to people all over the Plano area.

Signs To Look For

Now you know why you should care. The question is what are you looking for? To inspect your gutters, we advise waiting until a few days after it's rained. This way if you decide to start cleaning that same day you aren't going to be dealing with wet heavy debris. That’s not always possible though as sometimes it’s a storm happening that brings the problem to your attention. 

Visible overflow during heavy rains

clogged gutter overflowing with rain

Of course if you are in the middle of a rain storm while reading this, you might look outside and see visible overflow from your roof. This is more than just a few drops here and there from hitting the edge of the gutters and dripping down. This is having a curtain of water at the edge of your gutters because the water isn't being diverted.

Unexplained water in basement

During or after a storm you might find unexpected pools of water in your basement. This means that the water is seeping in through your foundation either through pre-existing cracks or ones that have been created.

Water inside the home

You might also have water on your first or second floors. This would be where you have water coming down from the gutters and running right down the siding of your home. You're siding isn't meant to withstand constant rain running against it. The water gets under the siding and into the void between the walls and begins to eat away at your drywall.

Paint damage or rust

On  a sunny day start by looking at the inside and outside of the gutters by eye. Look for spots where the paint is damaged or there's bare metal that has rusted. The paint on your gutters is formulated to be water resistant. If it's chipping or has rusted, it means there is, or has been, water sitting for an extended period of time.

Pools of water and mold

Gutter with mold, rust and pulling away from the roof

One of the most obvious things you'll see is going to be areas where water has pooled in the gutters and is still there even after things have been dry for a day or so. Or you might see mold buildup even if it's been dry for several weeks, you know that water has been standing in that area.

Sagging or collapsing gutters

Sagging-Gutter pulling away from the roof and tipping over.

Spots where the gutters are pulling away from the fascia boards or flat out collapsing are glaring signs that something is wrong. The fascia boards are the wooden supports that the gutters attach to on your roof. if the gutters are pulling away at those it means water has begun to eat away at them and they can no longer sustain the weight of the clogged up gutters.

How To Clean Your Gutters

You've decided that you want to clean your gutters and prevent all of this mess? Great! We'll  walk you through the process and if at the end of it you decide it's too much, that's fine we advocate hiring a professional.

Avoid doing it right after rain

Much like looking for the signs of gutter damage, if at all possible you want to clean your gutters after it's been dry for several days. It's much easier to remove leaves and twigs and whatever else has clogged them when it's dry rather than when it's heavy and wet and compacted.

At least twice a year

Ideally you want to clean your gutters twice a year. Once in spring to get them ready for the heavy spring and summer rains. And once in fall to clean up the damage from those rains. The exception to this is if you have pine trees close to your house at any point. Since pine trees shed throughout the year you should look at cleaning your gutters every 3 months.

Spread a tarp under the ladder to protect your lawn and also to catch all of the gunk 

This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you lay out the tarp ahead of time, he'll catch everything rather than having to clean it up afterwards when you're already tired.

Practice ladder safety

If you're not comfortable going up on a ladder, please don't. Hire a professional or even have a family member that is comfortable with ladders. Otherwise, the basic rules of ladder safety apply. Make sure you have it fully open and on level ground.

Use two pairs of gloves. One rubber and one working pair.

The idea here is that the rubber pair will keep your hands and arms from getting wet or terribly dirty while the working pair keeps you from getting cut up.

Begin cleaning debris near the downspout and work backwards

A trowel is a handy addition for leaning out your gutters.

Now that we've covered safety matters let's tackle the gutters. Start at the downspout and work your way backwards a long till the end points. You can use a trowel, your hands, or a gutter scoop if you happen to have one. You want to get out anything that doesn't belong. Sticks leaves random ribbons bits of stray balloons, and whatever else the wind might have brought you.

Remove and clean downspout strainer

Once you have the gutters clean, go back and clean out the downspout strainer.

Testing Time

Now it's time for your first test. Starting at the end turn on your hose with a spray nozzle and use that to rinse out any dirt, aiming for the downspout. Make sure not to be spraying up under your shingles or else you'll be adding to the problems.

Cleaning the Downspout

Hopefully your water will flow towards the downspout and out without any obstruction. If however you see that the amount of water coming out of the downspout is not the same as what you're putting out with the hose you need to move on to cleaning that out.

Start at the bottom and feed your hose up into the downspout turn on the hose on full power. Hopefully this will dislodge anything that's in there. If not you can grab a plumber's snake and attack it from the top. After each cycle of hoes and snake, try flushing the system again. Eventually this process will break up whatever is in your downspout allowing it to flush out.

Inventive Methods

These are a few ways people have found to clean their gutters that are at least interesting, if not necessarily recommended by us. 

A leaf blower with a narrow nozzle attachment

A wet/dry vac 

A Power washer 

Gutters serve an important purpose for our homes. They help keep our grooves from breaking down under the weight of water. Why not take a few minutes on a sunny day to make sure that they're in working order.

If you have any horror stories from cleaning, repairing, or maybe not doing that for your gutters let us hear them over on our Facebook page or in the comments down below. 

If it's the inside of your home that's giving you trouble, maybe one of your kitchen appliances, or your dryer, give us a call. Even when we cover other areas of the home, we're still the best appliance rescue service in the Plano area. We want to keep your appliances in tip top shape. You can get hold of us by phone at ((214) 599-0055) or on our website.

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How The Appliance Shortage Got Here, And Where We Go Next

With vaccines being rolled out every day and mask restrictions being relaxed, many people think things are going back to normal. However, the appliance industry is showing that the effects of COVID-19 are going to  be felt for far longer than people anticipate. There is a massive appliance shortage not just here in Texas, but across the country.  So, how did it start, where is it going, and what can you do about it? 

Realistically, this shortage started almost right away in March of 2020 when we were beginning mass shutdowns across the country. It began in China where factories had to close for 6-8 weeks, which meant there was no stainless steel in production.  From there, the manufacturing plants for appliances in China, Mexico and the U.S. were either closed or had restrictions on how many people were allowed in. This meant that not only were the appliances delayed now, but so were the parts for those appliances. 

There were also businesses closing left and right, as  well as layoffs that swept the nation. So, people aren’t going to be shopping as much thanks to quarantine and shelter in place orders. With both of these factors going into play many of the manufacturers thought it was reasonable to scale back production. Stores felt the same and so they reduced their orders. 

Now let’s zoom in a bit, and take a look at the average person. As we were told to shelter in place, we needed ways to keep busy. So we looked around our homes and decided we wanted to bake sourdough bread. Or learn how to make new and exciting meals (that normally we’d get from takeout...) Some of us decided if we couldn’t go on vacation, we’d renovate our kitchens instead. Or others just had the bad luck of having their appliances break with all of the extra use from the family being home all day every day. 

All of this combined together meant a lot of time in our kitchens and the need for more appliances, or new appliances, or repairing our appliances. 

Then there’s a second angle to supply increase, the housing market. Even as COVID-19 happened, people were looking at buying new homes thanks to the Federal Reserve putting interest rates at 0%.  New homes were also still being built, and those come standard with a full appliance set of a microwave, dishwasher, oven, refrigerator and washer and dryer. So all of those homes still needed their slated appliances. 

All of this came together to create our current situation. Appliance backlogs of six months or more for specific brands and models. And let’s not even talk about being able to get the color you want.  

Several manufacturers are quoted as saying that they are ‘ramping up production’ or ‘being resourceful to meet demands.’ That isn’t showing in the market just yet though. Despite encouraging messages from Whirlpool, Electrolux and LG, we still have backorders of at least 6 months. 

So what to do? How do you, our loyal readers and clients, deal with this not six months from now, but right now? We know you have appliances that are still breaking, or ones you’re hoping to replace.  For the latter, we advise being flexible. Place an order as early as you can.  Know that the size you need is more important than specifics of the brand and model. If you can find a fridge that fits what you need and isn’t a sacrifice  on price, jump on it. 

If on the other hand your appliance has broken, we appreciate your patience. We are still working as hard as we can to take care of our clients throughout Dallas and the surrounding area. Know however that the manufacturing companies are backed up on parts as they are on the full appliances, with those full appliances taking precedence. Unfortunately for all of us, companies are focusing on the greatest profit margin they can attain right now, which means their higher tier models.  We understand your frustrations, and we hate it just as much. 

However! There are things you can do, other than just being the patient people we know and care about. 

Keep things clean and spaced properly. We’ve got several articles talking about how to make sure your fridge, freezer and dryer can breathe properly. 

If you aren’t sure, don’t put something through your dishwasher, washer or dryer. 

 Take preventative measures. If you think something is off with one of your appliances, give us a call. We do maintenance calls, and right now “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” for you, your time and your wallet.  

So while we aren’t sure about when things will change for the better, we can tell you that we will be here. We’re here to keep your homes running, whether you live in Coppell or Garland, Dallas or McKinney, we at Appliance Rescue Service are here for you. 

If you need to set a maintenance appointment, or something in your kitchen has broken, give us a call. You can reach us at ((214) 599-0055), our website, or via our Facebook page. 

We can only hope that our stores and showrooms will one day go back to showing appliances this way and having sales like this.

Lightening the Load of Moving

Tips and Tricks to Make Changing Houses Easier

Whether you’re moving down the street, three states over, or to a new country, moving is a PAIN. We know it, you know it, and the moving companies know it. There are a few tricks that can make your life easier though. 

Make a checklist for before, during and after the move. 

This should be based on how you’re going to do things. What order do you want to get things done? The people over at moving.com have a fantastic checklist that breaks things down from 8 weeks prior all the way through your first month after. 

Start at least 3, if not 6 months before the move and go through everything. 

If you haven’t used it, if you can’t use it, or if you don’t care about it, donate it! Why waste time and energy moving it if you don’t need it or won’t use it? Better to get rid of it now! 

Yes, we do mean everything. From clothes, linens and toys, to books, appliances and furniture, there’s always someone out there that could use it. (We would say sell it via something similar to NextDoor but a) they’re not sponsoring us and b) selling stuff takes more time that you may or may not have!) Check out your local goodwill, habitat for humanity and your library to see what they can take and if they  can’t make other suggestions in your area. 

Make a moving folder, or binder. 

This should be both a physical file and a digital one. This way, even if you don’t have signal or battery, you still have access to all of the papers you need. This should include all of the following: 

New addresses

Rental or purchasing papers

Utilities - when you called, who you talked to, the dates for things being turned off and on at your different residences. As well as receipts. 

Any receipts from purchases you’ve made for moving and packing materials. 

Agreements with movers, or truck rental dates and receipts.  

If you keep hold of it, if anything goes wrong, you’ll have the answers to hand. This should stay with you at all times before and during the move. We suggest making sure you know where it is for at least a year afterwards as well, just to be safe. 

Invest in supplies ahead of time. 

The last thing you want while packing boxes or loading the truck is to have to run to the store. 

So stock up ahead of time on these things. 

Boxes

Tape - both colored and packing

Bandages

Paper towels

Garbage bags

Box cutters

Paper plates 

Furniture pads or covers 

Create a floor plan and color code it. 

If you already know where you’re going, that’s great! Grab a couple of copies of the floor plan and some varieties of duck tape. We suggest either bold primary colors, or wild patterns, a different variety of tape for each room.  

Now, every box that goes into a specific room in your new home should have a strip or square of tape on it that matches the room it's going to. This way as you’re unloading the truck it’s easy to say exactly where something goes without having to stop and think about it. 

You can also use a number system to organize your boxes. 

Using a notebook or a document on your phone, you can keep a breakdown of what each box contains. This makes things more organized when you’re unpacking. You can go through the list and pull only the boxes you need at a given time to unpack. 

Pack ahead of time, as far ahead as possible.  

Even if you haven’t found /exactly/ when you’re moving yet, and you just have a general time frame, the sooner you start packing, the sooner you’ll be done.  It also means you’ll have less to stress about as the date comes closer. 

Two places to start are out of season clothes/linens and items you won’t miss.  

Book early 

Moving services, rental trucks, professional movers, all book well ahead of time. The earlier you can book, the better. 

Pack and clearly label your LIFO box. 

Wondering what LIFO means? Last In, First Out. This is the box or suitcase that stays with you during the move , and should content all the things you’re going to need for the first day in your new place, or during a moving trip. 

A change of clothes for everyone, a toothbrush, must have stuffed animals, medications, paperwork, etc. 

When it comes to packing, there are a few rules to run through.  

Size should be inverse to weight. 

Use small boxes for heavier objects like books. 

This means that the boxes will a) be less likely to break open during transit and b) be easier to move. 

Use larger boxes for lighter things like pillows, bedding and the like. 

Put the heaviest things on bottom and don’t leave spaces.

If you don’t have enough for a box, or you feel it’s already heavy enough, use clothing, towels, bubble wrap or packing paper to fill the excess space. Not only does this keep things from shifting too much, but by going from heaviest to lightest, things are less likely to be damaged en route. 

Tape the way professional movers do. 

Use a couple of pieces across the top and bottom seams of the box. Then wrap all the way around the edges of the box, again top and bottom. This strengthens the edges where the most stress is. 

Be extra careful when packing your kitchen. 

We suggest watching videos like this one to learn how to pack plates. This one for packing cups, glasses and stemware. This one for packing pots and pans. And for everything else in your kitchen, we have this post from our archives. 

Know how to pack your TVs or Computer monitors. 

Plasma TVs and monitors require special boxes for shipping due to how wretchedly delicate they are. If you don’t have the original box and foam it came with, you’ll need to hunt down one of those special boxes. Whatever you do, don’t just wrap them in furniture quilts or lay them flat or you’ll be shopping for a new one once you get unpacked. 

How do you go about planning for a move? Do you have tips and tricks that we missed out on? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook! We’d love to get a conversation going to help out more people. 

Whether you’ve been in Coppell and the surrounding area for years, or you’ve just moved in, Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Whether you need someone to take a look at a dishwasher that won’t drain, or a  fridge that isn’t working, we’ve got you covered. Or if you just want someone to take a look at all of your appliances to let you know how to keep them maintained, we can do that too. You can get hold of us at ((214) 599-0055) or by visiting our website. 

How to Beat the… Freeze?

 Or How to Stay Warm Even When The Power is Out

 In the wake of the massive power outages across 10 states, we’re having to look at things we don’t normally. “How do you keep warm” is not a question Texans typically have to deal with. While we can hope that it won’t be necessary, we also believe that it’s better to be safe than sorry. That’s why we’re tackling 5 things you can do to prep your home for another deep freeze and how to stay warm during one. 

• Seal window and door leaks 

Start off by going around your home and examining every door and window closely. Look at the seals closely. Keep a running list as you go, splitting them into two different categories. One list is for where the seals just need touching up. The second is for if the window or door needs replacement rather than repair. The first is if there are gaps or tears in the caulking or weather-stripping. If the caulk is dried or flaking, or if the weather-stripping is in poor condition, you can fix that. If however the wood around the window is rotted or allowing moisture in, that’s when you need to replace it. The upside to this is that the tighter a seal is on your doors and windows, less air is going to leak in that way. 

Another good idea during winter is to swap out your curtains. Try swapping them out for something heavier, or for blackout curtains. When the weather is nice, you can pull them back to let light in. At night, or when it’s particularly cold out, you can close them to keep more of the heat inside. 

• Get a Generator

This one we advise doing, but not until spring, or fall. Reason being is that during the height of winter and summer is when most people think to get them, and that is when prices will be at their highest. So, if you can, wait until then to get one and keep it in reserve. You can buy a small battery pack one, to just power a heater and your handheld devices. However, we suggest also buying one that’s large enough to also power your refrigerator and a portable heater. You don’t want to buy one after the power is already out, when you’re working by flashlight and might skip a step or miss something. It’s all too easy for mistakes to be made and people do die due to carbon monoxide poisoning related to generators. 

What if though you haven’t had the time to prep as so many of us didn’t prior to Winter Storm Uri? The power’s out and you’re looking for answers now. 

• Stay in a southern facing room

Start by relocating. Figure out which room of your home faces south. That’s going to be the room that gets the most sun during the day, even if the sun isn’t out too much. Something is better than nothing.  Drag everything you’ll need into this room. Mattresses, blankets, pillows, entertainment, bring all of that here. From now until you get power back, this is your base camp. If you  have multiple people in your home, and the room is tiny, you can spread out to a second room, but we advise keeping everyone in one room if you can. 

• Use a fireplace or another heat source

The exception to the above is if you have a room with a fireplace or a portable propane heater. Make sure that you use one which is rated specifically for indoor use and that you’re following all safety instructions. You’ll also want to ensure that you have functioning carbon monoxide sensors on all floors of the home. 

• Camp out indoors

If you have a tent and sleeping bags? Set them up inside the room you’re staying in. It might sound strange, but they are meant to keep heat in and will be especially useful at night when the temperatures drop even lower.  For clothing, you might be tempted to bundle on the thickest clothes you have, don’t. Instead, opt for multiple thin layers with a thick sweater on top. You want to be warm enough to be comfortable, but not enough to sweat. 

Some Don’ts

• Don’t keep your oven running 24/7. Not only is it not meant to do that, but it can produce heat unevenly causing damage to the unit over time, or produce carbon monoxide. 

• Don’t run a generator inside your home, unless it is meant for that. They do produce carbon monoxide which again, we want to avoid. 

• Keep a generator at least 20 feet from your home while it’s running.

While we hope you won’t need these tips, we do also hope that you found them helpful. Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook. 

If on the other hand you found this page because one of your appliances is busted, we can still help! Whether you’re needing a refrigerator fixed, or your ice maker descaled, we can help. Appliance Rescue Service aims to be the best in Addison and the surrounding areas, and that means taking the best care of you, our clients. 

You can call us at (214) 599-0055  or make an appointment on our website. We’re here to keep your home running smoothly. 

Fire Dangers : What Are You Looking For?

Electrical Fires and How You Can Work To Prevent Them

Did you know that electrical fires are one of the top causes of the over 24,000 fires reported every year? October is Fire Safety and Awareness Month and we at Appliance Rescue Services wanted to do our part to keep you and your families safe. We'll dig in by talking about what are some of the most common causes, how to prevent them, and gear you should have in your home.

Fires: The Facts

Out of the 24,000 plus fires every year, Texas is one of the three leading the nation in fire deaths according to the US Fire Administration. The other two are California and New York. We will point out that these are fires caused from within the home rather than outside sources such as wildfires. Appliances are the number four cause of electrical fires within the home. 

Some of the top causes for electrical fires are wiring, overheating, and improper use of power cords. 

The wiring is the one that is the most clear cut. If cords are frayed,, exposed, or otherwise damaged the possibility of sparking and causing fires is a logical possibility. Some examples are inside of an appliance such as your oven or your dryer,or inside of an outlet that hasn't been properly grounded. 

When it comes to our homes, every year we add more electrical items. Naturally they require more power but we don't always have the number of outlets that we need for our new toys. So instead we might hook extension cord into extension cord and overheat the wiring by drawing too much power through it all. That can cause the internal wires to melt and allow the outer casing to deteriorate which can then cause fires.

Fires: Prevention

So how do you go about preventing these? For the first one, going over cables regularly is a good idea. You should also have your appliances checked out, in addition to the outlets that they hook into. 

It's also a good idea to clean out your dryer every 6 months to get rid of all the built-up lint. (Note that we're not talking about the lint-catch there. We're talking about the outtake duct. Your lint-catch should be cleaned out after every load.) 

Another thing to keep an eye on is if lights start to flicker. This could mean that the wiring from the switch to the light is damaged in some way. If your outlets have an odd smell when running you might look into how they're doing.  As for not having enough outlets; we suggest either having an electrician install new ones or carefully moving items around the room to make best use of the outlets you do have. Hooking extension cord into extension cord is never a good idea. 

Fires: The Gear

Now that we've covered the scary stuff, and the boring stuff, let's get into how to deal with fires. 

In this case the old adage a good offense is the best defense holds true. Your best bet when it comes to fires is to have tools and systems in place well before a fire ever breaks out.

When it comes to a fire it's not just the smoke and heat that are an issue but also carbon monoxide.

Installing dual sensors for both carbon monoxide and smoke is a first and basic step. You should test the batteries monthly and replace them yearly to ensure they stay in working order. The great thing about modern dual sensors is that many of them will be part of a system that you can have send information either to your local fire department or to your home monitor system.

You should also consider a home fire sprinkler system spread throughout your house. 

They can extinguish a fire if it's a small one . They can prevent it from spreading to other areas of the home. And most importantly they can decrease the chance that smoke and deadly gases will reach your family. 

If you're like many of our clients in the Frisco and McKinney areas then you probably have a two-story home. Every bedroom should be equipped with a fire escape ladder. This way in the event of a fire on the first floor you still have a way to get out. The good news is that these are collapsible and easily put away.

Having a fire blanket or two such as in your kitchen or in your garage is a good idea. These are useful for minor fires such as in the kitchen. they can also be wrapped around someone if their clothes have caught on fire.

Fire extinguishers are also something to have scattered throughout your home. You can get training from either your local fire department or a manufacturer. They'll walk you through both the PASS system as well as a few tips for before you use one.

P- pull the pin

A- aim at the base of the fire

S -squeeze the handle slowly and evenly

S- sweep from side to side

Some basic tips:

  Ensure that it's properly charged. This should be something you check once a month along with testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Make sure that your back is to an exit before using, you want to make sure that you can get out.

Make sure that everyone either is leaving or has left the house before using the fire extinguisher.

Even with all of this we know that we plan to start a fire in our backyards as the nights get cooler. Fire and electricity  are  like many things we've discussed, a tool to make our lives easier. So as we turn up the heat as temperatures get cooler, remember the boundaries of these tools. Keep your home and family safe and be aware of the way you use electricity. 

If you have any tips that you think we missed or tools that you'd like to recommend for fighting a fire please let us know over on our Facebook. And if you think that there might be an issue with one of your appliances you can always call us or go to our website to set up a maintenance appointment.