James Carey & Morris Carey 
Home Maintenance For Dummies 

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to properly maintaining your home

Your home requires regular maintenance to operate safely and efficiently. The expert advice in this second edition of Home Maintenance For Dummies can help you save literally thousands of dollars each year by showing you how to perform home maintenance yourself!

This new edition provides the latest tips on how to tune up your home and make repairs to every room of the house, from basement to attic. By combining step-by-step instructions and expert information, this practical guide gives you the skills to tackle everything from furnace tune-ups to leaky roofs. You’ll also learn how to conduct routine inspections, keep major appliances running efficiently, and increase energy efficiency.

* Shows how to keep your home in tip-top shape, preserve its value, and avoid costly repairs

* Covers all rooms of the house, in addition to the roof, foundation, and exterior

* Explains how to keep all home systems and major appliances running smoothly

* Includes a seasonal maintenance schedule

* Provides the latest green maintenance options to help lower your utility bills

James Carey and Morris Carey have a radio show, a newspaper column, and a Web site, all called On the House, and appear regularly on CBS News Saturday Morning. They are also the authors of Home Remodeling For Dummies

If you’ve always wanted to tackle home repairs like a pro, Home Maintenance For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your ideal resource!

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1

Part I: Home Maintenance and You 7

Chapter 1: Home Maintenance: What It Is and Why It Matters 9

Chapter 2: Getting to Know Your House and Its Systems 17

Chapter 3: Putting Together Your Home Maintenance Plan 31

Part II: The Energy Envelope 49

Chapter 4: Foundation and Floor Frame Fundamentals 51

Chapter 5: Roofing and Siding 77

Chapter 6: Windows, Exterior Doors, and Insulation 99

Part III: Key Systems: Plumbing and HVAC 123

Chapter 7: Plumbing, Part I: Pipes, Water Heaters, Water Softeners, and More 125

Chapter 8: Plumbing, Part II: Fixtures 149

Chapter 9: Plumbing, Part III: Sewer and Septic Systems 171

Chapter 10: Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning Systems 185

Part IV: Inside Home Sweet Home 207

Chapter 11: Walls and Ceilings 209

Chapter 12: Floors and Interior Doors 229

Chapter 13: Cabinets and Countertops 249

Chapter 14: Appliances 267

Chapter 15: Don’t Get Burned: Fireplaces 287

Chapter 16: Maintaining Your Home-Safety Systems 299

Part V: Out in the Great Wide Open 313

Chapter 17: Walkways, Patios, and Driveways 315

Chapter 18: Decks, Fences, and Retaining Walls 335

Chapter 19: And Then There Was Rust 347

Part VI: The Part of Tens 355

Chapter 20: Ten Cleaning Solutions You Can Make at Home 357

Chapter 21: Ten Maintenance Skills You Need 363

Index 371

Über den Autor

James Carey and Morris Carey Jr. share their 55+ years of experience as award-winning, licensed contractors with millions of people nationwide through a weekly radio program and syndicated newspaper column, both titled On The House. They also appear regularly on CBS News Saturday Morning.