This is the time of year when practically everyone makes some kind of new year's resolution. You know the drill: quit smoking, lose weight, win the lottery, make peace with your brother-in-law. Of course, most of the time our efforts fail. In many cases, we probably weren't really determined to make good on the resolution -- we just thought it was something we ought to do.

Well here's an idea that we hope you'll take to heart. What if you made a few resolutions that were easy to do and which would actually save you time and money? Would you be interested? Of course you would! Here, then, are some recommended new year's resolutions related to home maintenance. Doing any one of these will save you money. Doing more than one will make you a rock star. Here goes:

Resolve to finally fix that faucet that has been leaking forever. Sure, it's a slow drip. But do you have any idea how much water you're paying for and wasting? Take action in 2017 and you'll have more money to spend on golf, Las Vegas, or meals out. Stop letting your money drip down the drain a dollar at a time. It's easy to fix a leaking faucet, but if you just don't want to mess with it, then call us. That's what we do for a living, and we're really good at it!

Resolve to tag your main water shutoff and to show everyone in your family where it is and how to turn the water off. This will take you about ten minutes, but if you ever have a bad leak or a burst pipe, you'll save yourself tremendous cost and aggravation. The key to success is to make sure everyone in the house knows what to do if a pipe bursts. Sure, you know what to do, but Murphy's law says that the problem will hit when you're not home. Then what?

Resolve to assess the quality of your current water heater. How old is it? How efficient is it? Do you ever run out of hot water? Does the tank make funny noises? If so, you may be nearing the end of the life of the tank. Now you can wait until the bottom rusts out and your basement floods with hot water, or...you can be proactive and take positive action to eliminate the risk of a hot water tank failure.

Replacing hot water tanks is a big part of our business. We can help you choose the best size and type for your home, based on your lifestyle and family size. In fact, there are many more options for you to choose from than you are aware of. Give us a call. We stock several major brands, and we'll make sure you get exactly the right tank to suit your needs.

Resolve to insulate any pipes that are exposed to cold. Crawl spaces and basements are often where pipes can freeze in the bitterly cold temperatures of a northern Ohio winter. Even shower drains can freeze if the outside wall isn't properly insulated. Pipe insulation can be bought at any hardware store, and putting it on is easy. Preventing a problem is always cheaper than paying to get it fixed. Make the decision to finally attend to those exposed pipes, and you'll sleep a whole lot better at night.

There you have it – four simple resolutions, any one of which will save you money! There are dozens of others, but we don't want to overwhelm you. Do some of these, and you'll be on your way to a problem-free 2017, at least as far as plumbing problems are concerned.

Remember, if you do have a plumbing problem, we're just a phone call away. We've got an army of qualified technicians on a dozen trucks servicing homes and businesses throughout northeast Ohio. We'll make your repairs quickly and affordably. That's our promise!

Call us for service 24 hours a day at 877-768-7239. When you call The Plumbing Source, you've made the right call!