One of the challenges of being a homeowner and running a household is that there are so many improvements and tweaks that we either add to our homes or figure out along the way, is that there comes a point when that one person who knows of those little things should be required to come up with a sort of an operating manual, just in case something happens, either to the person, or the home when that person is not around.
It could be as simple as that leaky faucet that needs to be closed a certain way in order to stop the leaking, or the proper sequence for turning on and connecting the emergency genset to the mains, or a reminder to turn on the perimeter lights when the sun goes down, or even just a reminder to feed the fish/pets.
In the case of my home, I have a water pump where the pressure switch won’t turn off or cut out when there is a low voltage situation, which has been pretty damn often, from 8pm to 11pm, in my area. If that happens for too long, there is a tendency for the pump to overheat and sustain major damage. The only way to stop the pump when that happens is to go out to the pump and manually tap a certain part of the pressure switch. As the one who is aware of the issue, I am always listening for the sound of the whine of the pump, just to see if it has been on for too long. However, the rest of my family are not as concerned with it, of course. So if I were to be gone for an extended period, I often wonder how long the pump will last.
I also have a DIY uninterrupted power supply with a grid and PV powered battery that provides reliable electricity to a few dedicated power outlets. This is good for keeping the lights and internet on during the many brownouts that we regularly experience, whether with CENECO or Negros Power, but having such a budget system has certain quirks that could also cause it to suddenly shut down, especially if a hair dryer was plugged into the wrong outlet. That’s another part of my home that would need an operating manual.
If that home UPS fails, then there is also the genset, which needs a certain startup, power transfer, and shutdown sequence. If only 1 person can operate it, then that could be another recipe for disaster.
There is also the home network system, which is mostly managed via an app on my phone. The people at home know how to power cycle it if something goes wrong, but if there are any other problems that couldn’t be solved by the simplest of tech solutions, there would be a major meltdown, especially since this involves the home internet.
Aside from that, we also have smart home devices that are great when they are working, but sometimes need intervention from those who installed them when problems crop up, which often happens after a power failure. This is because some of the more budget-tier smart devices sometimes need to be discovered and set up all over again after losing power. That should also have an operating manual.
I just noticed that listing them down, a lot of my home’s potential problems are caused by unreliable and poor quality power. Hopefully Negros Power’s 5-year plan will make my need for a home operating manual obsolete, but based on their early performance, where the brownouts have even become more frequent and are of longer duration than before, it would seem like that I have to work on what I’ve been putting off for years.
Aside from documenting the quirks of our homes, which only a few bother to deeply understand, but has the potential to affect everyone living under its roof, there is also the stewardship of the keys, apps, and passwords of everything that needs to be accessed securely for management to be continued. We need to keep in mind that if anything should happen to the keeper, there should be a system that allows someone else to take over.
While we are on the topic of these home management issues that need to be addressed the tech in our homes level up, let us not forget that aside from an operation manual, there is also the need for a service record that can tell future owners or fellow residents of what has been done in the past so they don’t end up doing the same things over and over again, spending unnecessarily in the process. Events like termite infestations, electrical wiring or water piping repairs or upgrades, and even home network upgrades would be easier to understand and troubleshoot if a record was available.
As technology makes our homes better, many of those conveniences also come with a price. Everything is always great when it’s working, but when something goes wrong, those who live there need to know how to fix it. That is something today’s homeowners have to keep in mind as we try out and implement new improvements that catch our fancy.*
