There are many people who grew up fixing their own cars and maintaining their own homes. Then there are those like myself that lived in apartments for many years when I was young and didn't know how to fix much of anything. And I sell homes to many people like this who have either had landlords taking care of things or may need to hire someone to come help with most projects around the house. Either way, you'll want to know where these things are and what they do!!
1. Sprinkler shut off valve.
This may likely be underground or at least covered in dirt or grass. If not, it will be around 8"- 12" of a circle or oval cover you should be able to lift off. You'll need to know where this is to shut off the water from going into any of your sprinkler lines if one breaks, you need to reroute them or redo your yard for any reason.
2. Main Water shut off valve
Again, this is something you'll want to know where it is. If a pipe in your home bursts, this may be your best friend. This could be in your garage, or maybe outside your home.
3. GFCI reset
Most women have had the experience of blow-drying their hair and the electrical outlet shutting it off mid-dry. Many times, you can use the button on the outlet to reset it. This is also used around places in your home where there is water near the outlet to protect from electrical issues near that water source. Some homes have these outlets GFCI capable but there is no button on them yet they can still trip. This could mean that all the outlets are wired to one main outlet that you'll have to locate and be able to reset through that trip button on it. Good to ask your inspector or electrician if this is the case and know where that is...they can be tricky to find sometimes.
4. Electrical panel/box
This can either be outside on the wall of your house or maybe in the garage although I've seen some inside the home especially if add-ons were done. There also may be a "sub-panel" if your home is older and needed more power with the many plug-in items we have today. You'll want to know where these are.
5. Sink and toilet water shut off valve.
Many people like to turn these off if they are leaving their homes empty for a while. But you really want to know where these are and how to shut them off if a toilet starts to overflow or something around your sink starts to leak or burst.
6. Dryer Vent Exit
Many house fires start because of these. So this is something you really need to pay attention to. If your vent is short and straight between walls, you can likely clean it yourself. But if it is longer and curves in the walls, you can hire someone to clean it for you. They can sometimes look like a wide pipe hole on the outer wall of your home or sometimes they have a cover like the one in this photo.
7. Window bars release pull
Having bars on your windows is common in many areas and especially in the city. Not all of these have a release but they should and if you have a fire in your home, you'll need to know how to get these open quickly so find where yours is today and how to open it. Because these can be in many places and have different levers and pulls and even foot pedals that open them, I don't have a good photo to represent these release levers but please find the one in your home if you have bars.
8. Garage Door release
This one is easy to find and use. It is typically a string with a red handle tied to the end. When you pull on it is releases your garage door from the automated lift system allowing you to manually open/close your garage. While most people don't ever have to use this, it is good to know how to use it in case your electricity shuts off or your electrical opener breaks so you can get your door open or shut.
9. Sewer Cleanout
This is another one where you will want to know where it is and how to use it! It is usually located outside your home in the front yard area (although I've seen some townhomes where this is in the garage floor). Sewer backups in homes happen more often than you think and can cause more damage than expected. They happen due to items being flushed in toliets that are not toliet paper. Also sewer lines can collapse, break or have root intrutions. If you ever hear/see bubbling in your toilets, shower drains or sink drains, this could be a sign that your main line is backing up. Call a plumber! But also find your clean out and remove the cap right away. They twist off and sometimes can break if they have been exposed to weather for too long but better to get it off and replace it than to deal with sewer backing up into your home.
If you are buying a home, this is a good oportunity to find out where these are located. But if you already own your home and need to find these, start asking your plumber and electrician and write down where they are and how they work.
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