Home Maintenance & Plumbing
The quiet work that keeps a home healthy: circuits that are not near their limit, plumbing sized right — a water heater that matches your household, pipes that hold what you think they hold — and an attic holding the R it should. The seasonal planner, four calculators — electrical load, plumbing (water heater sizing and pipe volume), attic insulation — and their field guides are all here now.
Calculators for This Category
- Electrical Service Load Home Maintenance NEC Article 220, both methods: square footage and nameplates in, calculated amps out — demand factors, EV charger at 125%, suggested service size.
- Water Heater Sizing Home Maintenance Peak-hour worksheet to First Hour Rating for tanks; true GPM at winter temperature rise for tankless, electric service impact included.
- Attic Insulation Home Maintenance Climate zone and existing depth in, the R-value gap out: settled inches, cubic feet and bags to blow, or batt layers and packages to buy.
- Pipe Volume Home Maintenance Material and nominal size in, the true bore out: gallons held, water weight, the hot-water wait time and flow velocity.
- Rainwater Collection Home Maintenance Roof footprint and rainfall in — litres per millimetre, per event and per year out.
Practical Guides
- NEC Article 220 Service Load, Explained Home Maintenance Standard vs Optional Method, demand factors, when 100A is enough and when you need 200A or 320A — with a worked example for a 2,400 sq ft home.
- Water Heater Sizing: Tank vs Tankless Home Maintenance First Hour Rating for tank heaters, GPM at temperature rise for tankless, and how to pick between them for households of 1–6 people.
- Attic Insulation: How Much You Need Home Maintenance R-values that add, climate-zone targets, reading what’s already up there — and the arithmetic that turns a gap into inches and bags.
- Pipe Volume: How Much Water Your Pipes Hold Home Maintenance The nominal-size trap, real bore tables, gallons per 100 feet — and the wait-time arithmetic that explains a slow shower.
- What Size Wire Do I Need? Maintenance Ampacity, the 80% rule and voltage drop — 14 AWG to service entrance, with a worked garage feeder.
- Drain-Waste-Vent: Slope, Traps and Vents Maintenance The geometry behind every drain: slope, trap arms, fixture units and the vents that keep traps sealed.
- Rainwater Collection: Roof Yield and Tanks Roof yield, efficiency losses, first-flush diverters and honest tank sizing.
Most home emergencies are measurement problems that were visible for years: a circuit near its limit, a water heater sized wrong, gutters that overflow two rooms away from the damp. The electrical load, water heater, insulation and pipe volume calculators are all here — formulas documented, assumptions stated, plain English throughout.
A Sensible Seasonal Rhythm
| When | Worth doing |
|---|---|
| Spring | Check gutters and downspouts clear; inspect caulk and grout in wet rooms; test sump pump |
| Summer | Wash siding; check deck fasteners; inspect roof from the ground with binoculars |
| Autumn | Service heating; mulch beds after first frost; reverse ceiling fans |
| Winter | Check attic ventilation and insulation coverage; watch for indoor condensation on windows |
General guidance only — electrical and plumbing work may require a licensed tradesperson and permits in your area.