IF YOU think you are the world’s worst homeowner, you are way ahead if you only change your fur- nace filter every month like clock- work. In nearly four out of every five houses examined by inspectors, the furnace filters need replacing. You might find that surprising, but inspection experts don’t. Most people don’t think of their homes as mechanical devices. In other words, we tend to take better care of our automobiles than our houses. And that could be a costly mistake. Simple, inexpensive mainte- nance chores that are ignored teday often lead to major expensive main- tenance headaches tomorrow. And if problems aren’t discovered until you're ready to trade in the old homestead, they could take a big bite out of your profits. —° Take furnace filters, for exam- ple. You can spend $5 or $10 on a permanent filter, or you can buy cheap throwaways for about $1. But if you don’t buy either one — and use them — you may have to spend thousands. Accumulated dust and debris on the furnace and filter require the motor and fan to work harder to pull the air through the filter. And the harder they must work, the shorter their life expectancies. Over the long haul, you might have to fork over several hundred dollars to replace the fan and motor. Or you might have to come up with $2,000 to $3,000 to replace the entire furnace. Some of the conditions most often neglected by homeowners are listed below. Filthy filters topped the list. They need to be replaced in 80% of houses inspected. Here are the other nine. Note that most involve water, the No. 1 culprit when it comes to the deteri- oration of a property. Water behind walls In three out of four houses looked at, the caulking between the tub and surrounding wall is either deteriorated or missing altogether. ff not corrected, this condition will allow water to migrate behind the walls, promoting dry rot and mildew. Eventually, the wall will fail. Removal of tile walls can run as high as $5,000. Doors and windows Inoperable, improperly fitted or non-weatherstripped windows and doors are discovered in 60% of the houses that are 20 or more years old. Windows and doors that don’t open and close properly can be life © threatening if they are needed as an escape route. If they are loose and improperly sealed, they allow conditioned air to escape, creating climate control problems. This not only drives up your monthly heating and cooling bills, it forces your furnace and air conditioner to run overtime to attain the desired temperature, shortening their life span signifi- cantly. Leaky plumbing Leaking water supply valves under sinks and faucets, found in one of every two houses, cause the floor (or wall if the faucet also is leaking) to deteriorate. If neglected, it could cost any- where from $200 to $1,000 to repair the damage, depending on how fong the leak has been ignored. Even when some owners are aware of this problem, the typical solution is duct tape and a bucket. Overgrowth Ivy growing up the side of your house is beautiful, but terribly dam- aging. So are trees that hang over your roof. Yet, both conditions are found in two out of every five houses examined. Retained water in vegetation contributes to accelerated deteriora- tion and rot: Ivy’s root system is so strong that it can move mortar or get behind siding and pop it out, and leaves deposited on a roof are a breeding ground for degeneration. Depending on the extent of growth, you may have to re-roof ur te-side your house at a cost of sev- eral thousand dollars. At best, your toof's life expectancy will be reduced by 20%. Poor grading About a third of the houses looked at have grading problems. Even if the lot was graded properly when the house was built — it should slope away from the struc- ture — the grade can shift over time. The cause is usually heavy rain and erosion from over watering shrubs placed to close to the house. But sometimes the ground simply settles. If the ground within 10 feet of the house slopes toward the house, water will pond adjacent to the building. This can be eliminated by a few wheelbarrows of dirt and some spade work. But if water is allowed to remain over a period of time, it will migrate under the structure and weaken the foundation. Clogged gutters A third of all houses also have gutters and downspouts clogged by roof debris or dead vegetation. This will allow water to back up on the roof, causing not only the roof to deteriorate more quickly, but also erosion that leads to a negative grade at the foundation. Broken exhaust fans The exhaust fan in bathrooms without windows is either discon- nected or inoperable in one out of every three houses inspected. This will atlow condensation to accumulate, causing moisture ¢dam- age. Eventually, the walls and flooring can rot out completely. Worn-out caulking Fifteen percent of the houses examined have either worn out caulking or none at all, Deteriorated or missing caulking on exterior walls where dissimilar materials meet can allow water to intrude into wall cavities, where it will cause the framing to rot. Caulking wears out. It shrinks, cracks, blisters and hardens. If it's not checked and, when necessary, replaced, you may end up replacing sill plates, interior studs and fram- ing at a cost of several thousand doilars. Blocked attic vents Many homeowners following good advice from utility companies add new or additional insulation in the attic, and in many cases block oy aa Ieee @ NX: Fy tens Ag 4PM the necessary attic ventilation pas- sages. The purpose of ventilation is to prevent an excessive build up of winter frost and moisture condensa- tion and in the summer attic venti- lation will help to keep the house cooler. 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