What are the Difference between Home Insurance and Home Warranties?

It is very easy to confuse home insurance and home warranty. As a matter of fact, very few people actually know the difference between the two. Most think they are the same, which is not true at all. Home insurance and home warranties are two completely different things that perform different functions. We'll begin by stating the difference in just one line, and then move on to details about both of these policies. A home insurance is a policy that covers the house as a whole and its belongings against natural disasters like fires, floods and earthquakes. A home warranty is a contract that offers repairs and replacements to the things in the house that are covered under the home insurance policy. However, the warranty is applicable only for belongings that are spoiled over time as a result of regular usage, which the home insurance does not cover. Thus you could call a home warranty a subset of a home insurance policy. Another thing to be remembered is that while a home insurance plan is a policy, a home warranty is not. It is a contract.

So how important are home warranty policies? And do you need them? Well, the answer is yes, they are quite important, and yes, you do need them. While we do not mean that your house will be the victim of a flood or a fire, the important thing here is to think of what you can do if something does happen. You cannot claim insurance if you are not covered in the first place. Like the adage goes, "prevention is better than cure", and "better safe than sorry", it is indeed a good idea to be covered than to worry about what to do after losing your house and/or belongings. Remember that these policies are being taken "just in case", so you don't have to struggle later. Of course, chances are very well that nothing will happen to your house and you won't even have to use the insurance or warranty, but it does not harm to have them.

So what kinds of cases are we actually speaking about here? To give you a clear understanding, let us look at a few examples of what a home insurance and a home warranty covers. Suppose your house is damaged by a flood or fire or an earthquake, the home insurance covers this. If you are burgled, it is covered by home insurance. If you are cooking and something spills over and causes a fire that damages your walls, not to worry, the home insurance has it covered. So these are the kinds of stuff the home insurance covers. Now suppose your refrigerator suddenly stops working, in which case the home warranty comes to your rescue. Same with the oven, the dishwasher, the central AC, the furnace and other similar things. So basically, any appliance that has stopped working because of normal usage is covered by the home warranty. It is thus important to remember the difference between the two, and go for the one that you feel is more important.

Appliance Maintenance Tips

Appliance maintenance tips include most kinds and models of home appliances such as the refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and other electrical appliances. Most appliance guidelines involve cleaning. Keeping appliance hygienic, both inner and outer, can create huge difference in their appearance and functioning. A properly maintained appliance can appear shiny for many years but it involves thorough care.

Your household appliances denote a considerable investment. Most of the appliances are expensive to purchase and requires a lot of cash to use them every day to wash clothes, cook or keeping your house warm. Below are appliances maintenance tips to help you keep your appliances in good condition and serve you perfectly for many years.

Keeping your unit clean is one of the most basic appliance maintenance instructions. It is recommended to carry our regular cleaning to remove dirt, dust and soot from surfaces. For instance, if you permit the shelves and inner of a refrigerator to get soiled with foodstuff and debris, these parts may become stained forever. If you fail to clean the gasket of your refrigerator, the seal might fail to keep interior air cool. If you permit a washing machine to get soiled and dusty, you will observe that your clothing emerge from the washing machine partly cleaned.

Scrub stovetop drip bowls. Take drip bowls out from under your burner components and pre-soak them in a detergent. After 10 minutes wash and replace. Always remember to scrub drip bowls instantly after spills. In case spills burn inside the bowls, you may be required to replace them.

Make sure your air conditioner filter is always clean. Clogged or dusty filters limit air flow, reducing energy effectiveness and also the appliance's lifespan. It is recommended to clean filters after 2 to 4 weeks. When cleaning the filter, make sure you remove the front panel of the unit. In case a reusable filter is fitted, vacuum it to eliminate as much dirt as you can. Disposable filters can easily be replaced.

Appliances that utilize electricity require regular maintenance to make sure that they perform safely. Examine cords for loosened or visible wires. Observe the prongs carefully. In case you observe fraying, melting or burning do not plug in the appliance since it can be a fire peril. You need to repair the appliance or dispose it off to prevent the danger of fire. Electrical maintenance is crucial for monetary and safety concerns.

Repair rusty disk holder tines. Rust can result in damage to your dishes and silverware. To solve this problem, buy a tine fixing kit and apply a sealant to adhere the repairing tips over any rusty or damaged tines. Let the dish rank dry for about one day before running the dishwasher.

Make sure your oven door has a fitting seal. An oven lacking a suitable seal can waste more than 20% of its heat. This results in food taking long to cook or cooks inconsistently. To observe the seal state, open the oven door and find the rubber near the perimeter of the door. Touch to observe if it's broken or deformed and close the door to check for any leaks, replace the seal if needed.

The Best Home Appliance Repair Tips

There are many professional technicians or dealers that are able to help you repair your home appliances, such as microwaves, air conditioners, washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, and many more. In some cases, those home appliances may have some problems. Most people tend to call the professional technicians or the authorized dealers when they find some problems in their home appliances. In fact, you do not need any technicians to repair your home appliances if you know how to repair them and fix the problems. In this article, there are some home appliances repair tips that can help you in learning how to fix and repair your home appliances without having to call the professional technicians.

1. Check the warranty

Most home appliances come with a year warranty. It means that the manufacturers guarantee that their products have the best quality. If there are some problems in their products after being used in less than a year, they will fix and repair your home appliances for free. You do not have to pay anything when you find that the warranty is still valid for your home appliances. That is the main reason why you need to check the warranty when you have problems in your home appliances. Investing in a home warranty may also be a good idea to cover future appliance breakdowns.

2. Check the main factor why the home appliances break down

If the home appliances are not covered with the warranty or warranty is not valid anymore, you need to repair or fix your your appliances by yourself. The first thing that you want to do before repairing your house appliances is that you have to check all main factors causing the home appliances break down. Try to find the broken parts in your home appliances. Check if you need to replace any parts of the broken home appliances.

3. Turn off all electricity

Your safety is a vital factor that you need to consider when repairing your home appliances. You should turn off all electricity connected to the broken appliances. You can switch off all of your appliances. Make sure that all of them are unplugged from the electricity. This step is very important in the whole process in repairing home appliances. Make sure that you turn off all electricity before repairing your home appliances. This is considered as the most important tips for repairing home appliances. Failing to follow this important tips can result in fatal condition.

4. Check the appliances in a room with good lighting system

It is important to check your appliances in a room with a good lighting system. You are able to see the parts of the home appliances clearly in this room. Open the appliances and check all parts included in the home appliances to make sure that there is no problem inside the home appliances. If you find any problems inside the appliances, you should fix and repair those appliances as soon as possible.

Those are some basic home appliances repair tips that can help you repair and fix your home appliances easily. By following those tips, you do not have to hire any professional engineers to fix your appliances. It means that you are able to save thousand dollars to pay the professional mechanics to repair your home appliances.

Home Appliances: Reliability vs. Cost vs. Efficiency

Most people understand the importance of their fridge, washing machine, vacuum cleaner and other home appliance. While shopping, people are more interested in the price and appearance of a household appliance. They rarely give a thought to other important things to consider when shopping. If you want to get the best out of your household appliances, you will need to pay keen attention to how its reliability compares to cost and to efficiency. The last thing you want is to have something that breaks down fast, consumes household resources and does very little. Here is a breakdown of the three issues that affect the value of your home appliance i.e. efficiency, cost or reliability. Use them to make wise replacement decisions.


Efficiency

Every appliance that you add to your home will consume energy and you will have to pay the associated bill or stay without the service. Think about all the electricity that you will use to power your refrigerator, tumble dryer, TV, oven and the rest of the appliances. For one item, the energy cost might appear negligible but when you combine the total consumption of a fully furnished house, the energy consumption becomes significant. It is wise to go for appliances that have the highest energy star rating because this translates to lower running costs.

The ability of an appliance to go on standby mode or switch off when not in use is an important quality of its efficiency. It might seem expensive to replace an appliance that offers no power regulatory options but in most cases, this is the best thing to do. You do not want to pay for resources like electricity, water, oil used when you are away from home.

Cost

Choosing between cost and efficiency is a close call. The affordability of some home appliances allows you to spare some money and pay your bills. Manufactures and retailers strike out most benefits out of appliances so that they can reduce their retail prices. In many cases, they offer buyers a limited warranty, no after sale service, and ask the buyer to meet the transportation costs from the dealer. The price tag might show that the appliance is affordable but when it breaks down you will have no other option but to pay for a new one, or new parts. You can decide to pay a high initial purchase price and get a guarantee of service.

Reliability

How well an appliance serves you is a measure of its reliability. Once you pick a home appliance, you expect it to work when you need it to work. In addition, you expect a certain threshold of service based on what you paid for it. If in any way the appliance fails to fulfill its purpose or performs poorly, you should fix or replace it. The non-tangible costs of missing an essential service carry more weight than the monetary costs. If your fridge malfunctions, it might let your food go bad and lead to grave consequences on the health of your family. Similarly, a jammed tumble dryer can burn your shirt and make you miss an interview.

The right home appliance is not necessarily the best looking or the cheapest. Several factors as discussed above should influence your decision when evaluating the value of appliances. Anyone looking to have value for their money should use the home appliances' reliability, or cost or efficiency as yardsticks of determining whether it is a good choice. When you neglect this condition, you might end up with a shiny piece that works terribly.

How To Find the Most Energy Efficient Kitchen Appliances

When you are looking to buy kitchen appliances, you must not only look for appliances at the lowest possible rates. It is important that you buy items carefully and sensibly. You should not just look at the purchase price, but also think about the expenses associated with having those appliances in your kitchen. What this means is that you need to be sure of how much it would cost you to run and maintain them for the rest of their operating life. Not to mention the repair costs, if needed. In this article you would be able to know how you can find the most energy efficient kitchen appliances.

It true about many manufacturers in all around the world that they place indicators for letting consumers know about the energy efficiency ratings of the appliances. This is particularly true for freezers, dishwashers, and refrigerators. This is one of the most important factors that you should consider when buying these items. Compare their ratings or numbers to be able to choose the most energy efficient kitchen appliance for your home use. By having such energy efficient appliances in your kitchen, you would manage to save great money on your electric bills and lower the future costs. Furthermore, it goes a long way to save the environment.

If you are looking through refrigerators, then the ones being listed as energy efficient would help you consume 20 percent less energy than those that do not come with energy star rating. You would be able to save a lot on energy bills and power costs if you go for a manual-defrost refrigerator. This is because automatic refrigerators consume more electric power. However, it is important for you to ensure that you defrost your refrigerator before the ice starts building up to more than half an inch. Moreover, it is suggested to buy refrigerator with as few accessories as practically possible. Try to avoid buying those that come with water dispensers and built-in ice makers. Though additional stuff may look elegant, they cost you a lot in terms of energy costs, probably much more than a usual refrigerator. This will also help you avoid unnecessary refrigerator maintenance.

When looking to buy a dishwasher, prefer to opt for one that comes with a "light wash" feature. The light wash allows you to use less amount of water. You should also look for a dishwasher that has air dry function, instead of choosing the one having heat dry function. This is because the one having air dry function consumes less power, as compared to its other counterpart. It has a circulation fan so that you do not need heat to dry your dishes.
Remember that you should never go after cheap appliances. Not only will they be unreliable, but cost you a lot in terms of energy bills and maintenance costs. Buying low priced appliances does not mean that you will have more worth for your money. Take all the expenses into consideration to be able to make an informed decision. Make sure to consider all the options before you buy any kitchen appliance.

Home Repair Tips

Use this guide to money-saving home repair tips

Home improvement can save you some money, especially if you work with a plan and according to budget. There are so many different things that you can do to take a discount on your energy bill and in other ways. Continue reading, and use this guide to money-saving home repair tips.

If you need to fix multiple areas of your home, take a few minutes and make a list. Include both the little things and the major renovations in your list. Rank them in order of priority and set up a ballpark budget for each. This will help you decide what to do next. Even if money is tight and you can't afford to do one of the large renovations, you still may be able to start working on some of the simple things.

It is always a helpful idea to replace your furnace filters. These make your furnaces run more efficiently in many different ways. It helps them catch particles in the air better, and it also makes the use of energy more efficient, saving you money.

You should always make sure you check your doors and windows to make sure they are up-to-date and not letting drafts in and out. This will cost you so much extra money when it comes to heating and cooling your home. Not to mention, you need to check the insulation inside your walls too. Many older homes don't have enough insulation, and you can fix this for cheaper nowadays.

There are shower heads that you can buy that actually save you on water usage. These are great because they are new and refreshing but also save you some money. They aesthetically enhance the look of your shower and bathroom, they are cheaper than you think, and they work just great.

If you are able to wrap your heater using insulation, this is a great idea to make your heater more energy efficient. In older homes, this is ideal, and you should always make sure it's thoroughly wrapped.

You should also make sure that you take the time to wrap your pipes as well. This is especially important during the winter. However, insulation around your pipes does more than just protecting the pipes from freezing and breaking in the cold weather.

Why don't you install new curtains or blinds? This is another great idea for saving you money on your energy bill. There are many great styles to choose from, and you're probably due for an upgrade anyway. Think about the windows in each room, and see how this fits into your plan.

Also, you should take a look at your appliances. If you have any that could use an upgrade, it's time to get energy star appliances. This will save you much money over time, plus new appliances will always look good in your home. Don't worry about having to pay for this all at once in order to save the money on your bill. Get good appliances that will last a lifetime, and buy them a little at a time. You can either purchase them on credit or buy them one at a time. This is the ideal way to get the new appliances into your home.

Home improvement projects that save you money and make your home look much better are the best kind. Remember the home repair tips you've found here, and get started with a home improvement plan in your home. It's time to make those changes that will put money back into your wallet.

Lower Home Appliance Repair Costs With a Home Warranty

A home appliance warranty assists people who are having trouble with the cost of maintaining appliances. The appliances could be old and prone to damage that arises from ordinary wear and tear. Although this kind of damage is an obvious risk for aged appliances, its timing remains unpredictable. No one wants the damage to occur when the manufacturer's warranty of the appliance has expired. In addition, the repair cost for old appliances is too exorbitant. That is why it is wise to see home appliance repair costs lowered with home warranty as it provides a similar cover to the manufacturer's warranty.

Home warranty covers your appliances even if they are past their manufacturer's validity for coverage. As an appliance owner, you do not need to meet the total cost of new parts and repair when an appliance covered by the warranty, breaks down. In most cases, only the technical service call payments will come directly from your pocket. The rest of the associated costs go through the warranty company to verify their admissibility and threshold against the warranty deductible limits.

If you have appliances that are more than four years old, consider getting a home appliance warranty as it lets you pay for future repair costs in form of premiums. Since you know that, the old appliances will eventually break down, start covering this risk and save a lot of money in the end.

Normally, to repair a broken appliance you will need new parts. Rarely do appliances work with modified parts. Technology keeps changing and it would not be surprising to find out that new parts are different from those you need to replace. In this case, you can look at repairs as a form of upgrade because they leave the appliance acting as new. If the old parts had a lifespan of three years, then the new ones will likely surpass that period because they are technologically superior. In case they use the same technology and materials as the worn out parts, you can still expect them to work perfectly for as long as their guarantee states.

Another scenario to experience home appliance repair costs lowered with home warranty happens when there is need to replace an appliance because its cost of repair is too high. Without warranty, there would be no way to avoid the replacement cost; however, the warranty reduces the amount of cash demanded upfront for repairs. It allows the items to get service repairs at costs that make repairing viable compared to replacement. Otherwise, owners would have to forfeit the repair and go for a new item, at an exorbitant price.

Most home appliances serve a daily need in homes. These needs can relate to heating, cooking, water provision or even laundry duties at home. The last desirable thing to happen in the home is for an appliance to break down and cost too much to repair. Coming up with a lump sum repair payment could be difficult. A way around the problem is to have your home appliance repair costs lowered with home warranty.