An Owner’s Manual for your House

 Posted by at 6:20 pm  Helpful Tips
Mar 152012
 

Build Your Owner’s Manual Today!

   The plane is being tugged back to the gate now because the pilot noted a warning light after starting the number one engine.  Its 10:10 P.M. on the red eye from Atlanta to Philadelphia.  The only comfort in this scenario is that a manual exists detailing the procedures to follow when the warning light illuminates.  Manuals are handy tools in aviation and everywhere.  Most items purchased come with owner’s manuals.  The one purchase that over 50% of most people’s paycheck goes to each month for life doesn’t come with a manual.  Where is the owner manual for homes, offices, or apartments?  These major purchases simply do not come with manuals.  Whether the tenants are owners or renters makes no difference, a manual would is often needed and would be helpful to everyone.

Making matters worse, homes, offices, and apartments do not have warning lights, like our airplane example above, letting occupants know when something is not working efficiently, is leaking, has a defect that will cause damage, or may result in injury or even death.  Homes, apartments and offices are actually lacking the most basic information such as preventive maintenance schedules with recommended action.  People read the manuals on their vehicles to learn the basics of what to do to keep it operating a peak efficiencies.  It is always nice to have when something does not work and a little research on the maintenance procedures can save money that would otherwise be spent on a mechanic.  Building occupants are left to deal with their most costly possessions whether owning or renting on their own armed with nothing to help guide them through the rigors of operating their spaces.
Dave Risha, the owner of Toltek Services, LLC located atwww.maintenanceguru.com offers a one-of-a-kind program that allows everyone to create their personal owner’s manual based on a cafeteria approach to assembling the manual.  Geographic location, climate, and building styles are accounted for in the program making it universal for people from coast to coast and border to border.  There are basic items that everyone should have in their manual such as plumbing and safety items.  Then there are the specialty items such as specific appliances, types of heating and cooling systems, specific kinds of doors, pumps, pools, and similar items found around homes, apartments, and offices that can be selected by the each to create personal and customized manuals.
In addition, the Maintenance Guru has included a vacation checklist designed to lower utility and maintenance requirements during extended absences, ladder safety checklists designed to reduce injuries and deaths, lawn equipment, and even vehicle information.

There is also a section dedicated to heavy commercial buildings that provide detailed owner’s manual type information on industrial equipment.
The secret to building a customized owner’s manual is identifying needed items, printing them and inserting them into a binder for use each month.  The information is always available to be used as a reference and training guide to lower operating costs, reduce maintenance needs, and extending the life of the building and everything in it.
Users report savings in utility and maintenance costs by up to 30% each month.  The results can be remarkable and are dependent on each person’s experience and willingness to implement the inspections and maintenance recommended.