These home repairs are just too risky to put off !

If you’re like most homeowners here in Fresno, the state of your home is probably pretty far down your to-do list at the start of this year. You’re more likely concerned with work, getting your kids to school, and preparing to file taxes. While you can place most of your home’s maintenance and upkeep needs on the proverbial back-burner—at least for a little while—you also need to be watching for critical issues, ready to take action. After all, a roof leak doesn’t care about how busy you are!

In this article, we’ll review several of the most critical home repairs and why, when faced with them, you need to drop everything and immediately take action.

Leaking pipes and sewer line problems

This may sound obvious, but it needs to be said: your Fresno home’s plumbing problems will not fix themselves. If you have a leak or a clog, you’re not going to wake up one morning and find that it has been magically resolved. In fact, quite the opposite: every minute you wait to fix a leak or plumbing problem, the worse the water damage gets. Don’t procrastinate on your home’s plumbing problems!

Here in Fresno, our team deals with a wide variety of plumbing issues. This includes a large number of sewer line clogs and leaks every month. There are few things that threaten your home more than a sewer line clog. When this happens, wastewater from your home has nowhere to go—except back up. The resulting mess can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

The most common sign of a sewer line clog is all of the drains and toilets in your home clogging simultaneously. If you notice this happening, do not wait another second. Turn off the water supply and call a plumber. Act decisively, and you might just avoid a catastrophic sewer backup!

Roof damage

We’re fortunate to have relatively mild weather here in the Central Valley. In fact, we’re kind of famous for it! We don’t have to worry about the problems caused by snow and ice every winter. However, that doesn’t mean our roofs are impervious to damage. Don’t let our beautiful spring weather lull you into a false sense of complacency: if you don’t address roof issues immediately, you’ll end up paying for it the next time it rains.

If your home has a shingle roof, take a good look at it. Are there any missing shingles? Are any of the shingles curling or visibly deteriorating? If so, you’ll want to get a roofer out for a closer inspection. The same thing goes for tile. Fallen tiles or cracked roof tiles mean that moisture and UV damage is affecting the underlayment—the last line of defense for your roof.

Cooling and heating issues

You may not want to hear this, but summer will be here before you know it. Is your air conditioner ready for what’s ahead?

Let’s look at one common AC problem here in Fresno: short-cycling. Essentially, it works like this: your air conditioner starts up, runs for only a short while, and then shuts itself off. This cycle repeats itself, over-and-over again. Short cycling puts strain on the system, wastes energy, and results in inconsistent comfort.

Unfortunately, many homeowners tend to ignore this problem until—eventually—the air conditioner completely stops working. At that point, you’re forced to address the problem. However, by noticing short-cycling problems early and calling in an expert, you’re more likely to avoid a complete breakdown and months of higher utility bills.

The same rule-of-thumb applies to any strange noises you’re hearing or performance issues you’re feeling. Trust your gut: if something doesn’t feel right about your air conditioner, you should have a technician out to take a closer look.

Take action

No homeowner is perfect. There will be repairs and problems that catch you off-guard—that’s part of being a homeowner. But, by both investing in preventative maintenance and being decisive in dealing with critical issues, you can prevent a lot of potential home headache.

For a full breakdown of all the critical issues discussed above—as well as several others, like electrical issues—take a look at this new infographic.

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Jason Farris

Head YES man at FresYes.com

I grew up in Fresno. Relaxed in its calm breezes, listened with my dad to the crack of the bat at little league baseball games when I was a kid and now take my son to do the same at minor league games. I broadened my mind at its schools (I went to high school right here at San Joaquin Memorial, and to college at Fresno State!) I love that if I drive for two hours in one direction, I can be in the mountains. For two hours in another, luxuriating on a California beach. I can enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere of San Francisco or Los Angeles, but still be able to come home to relaxation, calm, and quiet.

I love where I live, and I also love what I do. I'm lucky to be able to work in a profession in which I get to build relationships; one that has me meeting new people each and every day and helping them to build new lives in my beloved city. I'm lucky enough to work in a profession in which I can marry cutting-edge technologies and marketing techniques to good, old-fashioned, nose-to-the-grindstone work. I am lucky enough to work in a profession that allows me to work as an advocate for my clients; to use every tool at my disposal to get a job done well for them, and with as little stress and expense as possible.

I love my city. I love my job. One inspires my excellence for the other.

Fresno? I say FresYES