What To Check Before Calling A Pro

By admin on June 21st, 2010

What To Check Before Calling A Pro


There are times when everyone needs a little help around the old home place, but before you call in a specialist for home repairs, there are a few common things that you might check.

These things happen more often than you might expect, so don’t feel bad if it happens to you.

  1. If the air conditioner is not spreading cool air to some rooms in your home, and other rooms are cool, before you call the air conditioning company for a repair, check the vents to make sure that they are open.
  2. Electric problems with appliances. If the toaster isn’t toasting, or the blender isn’t blending, please check to see that it is plugged in. This can be embarrassing, but don’t feel bad if it has happened to you. I have known mechanical and electrical engineers who have done the same thing! If it has an electrical plug attached, check to see if it is plugged in.
  3. If you check your appliance, and it is plugged in, check the breaker. This can sometimes solve the problem without discarding the appliance, and also alert you to other potential problems that might need a service person.
  4. The same is true for electric problems involving lighting. If it is a lamp, check to be sure that it is plugged in, that the breaker is on, and that the bulb is still good. If it is another lighting type, check the bulb, and check the breaker.
  5. In general, if something electrical is not working checking breakers is a good first step.
  6. If you have water on the kitchen floor which appears to be slowly building into a larger puddle, and there are no apparent leaks under the sink, check under the toe kick for dropped ice cubes. This has happened on more than one occasion, and be a little embarrassing for the home owner or renter when the plumber arrives.

Everything on the list has resulted in several service calls, so I know that they are pretty common. In general, you should check all the simple things first, and avoid the expense of an unnecessary service call.

We will be adding more to the list as they come up. If you have some of your own, feel free to share them in the comment section.

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