DIY & maintenance tips

Practical, mid-South-specific advice for keeping a house healthy between projects — what to check, what is normal, and when a job stops being a weekend job.

• Flushing your water heater, and when to stop and call someone

  Sediment builds up in any tank over the years. Twenty minutes once a year keeps it efficient and tells you early when it is wearing out.

• Getting a system through a Memphis summer

  Two small habits — filters and the condensate drain — prevent most of the emergency calls that come in during the first hot week.

• Where your roof water goes, and why it matters more than you think

  Gutters are not really about the gutters. They are about keeping several thousand gallons a year away from your foundation.

• What to check after a mid-South storm — from the ground

  Spring storm season does most of its damage where you cannot see it. Here is how to assess a roof without getting on it.

• Preparing for a hard freeze in a climate that does not expect one

  Mid-South freezes do outsized damage because houses here are not built for sustained cold. An hour of preparation prevents most of it.

• Watching a slab through a dry summer

  Foundations here move with the moisture in the soil. Knowing what is normal, and what is not, saves a great deal of worry and occasionally a great deal of money.