Notes on home maintenance
Writing on home upkeep, breaker panels, and keeping the record of a house somewhere the whole household can reach it. By Jay Wilson, who builds Tobi.
How long does a roof last?
How long an asphalt shingle roof usually lasts, and how to check from the ground and the attic whether yours is ready to be replaced.
How to fix drafty windows before winter
How to find where a window draft is really coming from, and how to pick the fix that matches what you found.
Should you turn off the water when you go on vacation?
Yes, shut the main water valve off for any trip longer than a weekend, and here is how to do it without causing a different problem in the house.
What does a furnace tune-up include?
A tune-up is an inspection, not a repair. What belongs on the checklist, what an AC visit adds, and how to spot an upsell before you say yes.
When to replace a furnace instead of repairing it
Stop running a furnace a tech calls unsafe. Everything else comes down to age, the cost of this repair, and how often it has already broken.
How to tell if a contractor quote is fair
A fair contractor quote is written, lists the work, and lands close to other quotes for the same job. What to compare, the red flags, and where to keep it.
How often to replace your refrigerator water filter
Replace your refrigerator water filter every six months, or sooner if the water slows. What the light tracks, and how to remember the right cartridge.
How often to clean your dishwasher filter
Clean your dishwasher filter about once a month, or every two weeks if you run it daily. Signs it is overdue, and how to remember the rinse.
How often to clean your gutters
Clean your gutters at least twice a year, usually in spring and fall. When trees mean more often, the signs you are overdue, and how to remember.
How often to flush your water heater
Flush your water heater once a year, or about every six months with hard water. Signs of sediment, when to call a plumber, and how to remember.
How often to test smoke alarms
Test every smoke alarm once a month and replace the alarm at 10 years. How to test one, and how to remember the monthly check.
How often to clean your dryer vent
Clean the dryer vent once a year and the lint screen every load, sooner if drying slows: the signs of a clog, and how to remember the yearly one.
How to share home maintenance with your partner
Share home maintenance with your partner so it does not live in one head: one list, reminders for both of you, and a record of who did what.
The home maintenance schedule that actually survives real life
A home maintenance schedule you can keep: the jobs that repeat, how often each comes up, what stays a one-off, and how a household shares it.
How to keep track of home contractors
What to record for every plumber, HVAC tech, and electrician, how to keep those notes, and how to find them again next time.
How often to change your furnace filter
How often to change a furnace filter by thickness, what makes one dirty faster, how to check and change it in a minute, and how to stop forgetting.
Electrical panel numbering explained: how breaker slots are numbered
Learn how breaker panel numbers work. See odd and even columns, tandem breakers, and double-pole breakers.
New homeowner checklist: what the previous owner never wrote down
A first-month checklist for a new house: the breaker panel, model numbers, service history, shutoffs, and the alarm dates nobody handed you.
Tobi is on the App Store
Tobi 1.0.0 is available on the App Store for iPhone. One shared record of your home: maintenance tasks, the breaker panel, and contractor history.
What does this breaker control? Mapping an unlabeled panel
Learn how to find out what each breaker controls in an unlabeled breaker box, map the circuits safely, and handle unknowns with a printable directory.
How to label your electrical panel the right way
Learn how to find out what every breaker controls, write circuit labels people can trust, and print a directory that fits your panel door.
What is Tobi? A home maintenance app your whole household shares
Tobi keeps one shared record of your home: the maintenance log, the electrical panel schedule, contractor history, and reminders everyone can see.
Home maintenance, finally shared.
Tobi gives your whole household one place for the maintenance log, electrical panel schedule, and upcoming tasks, with a full history of who did what and when.
