V Real Estate:The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday, Mar. 23, 1994 â€" 22 Maintenance tips for conscientious home owners "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of York." Richard IIHI, Shakespeare. Personally, what I long for is the sun of March to make gloriâ€" ous spring, and the sooner the better. What a winter! Frozen pipes and drains, condensation plaguing air tight houses while dry air split furniture joints and the skin of the inhabiâ€" tants of older homes. You would think it would be an ideal time for painting and wallâ€" papering, but the spirit is not willing to take the body up a ladder into the 80° temperaâ€" ture near the ceiling. Even at floor level in older homes where the air fairly crackles, you have the devil‘s own time painting with latex paints. They dryâ€"so quickly, you get visible lapovers as you move along the wall and try to blend the new paint in with what REALTY CORP 418â€"2 North Service Rd. E 842â€"7000 Each office independently owned and operated â€"you have just painted. If you are in an airtight house and you try wallpapering, the condensation of all the moisture released from the wet paper creates more problems. Looking on the bright side, you could wallpaper in an older house and paint in a new house. What other jobs can we do in these trouâ€" blesome times? I have a few that lack glamâ€" or because they are maintenance tasks, and there is little in the way of visible improveâ€" ment when you have finished. eS People will not ooh and ahh, marvelling at the transformation you have brought about, so you will have to accept the role of the obscure toiler who is not praised when the situation remains normal even though you may have averted a small tragedy. First on the list of pedestrian maintenance EILEEN GRAHAM Associate Broker chores: change the furnaceé filters, they probâ€" ably need it! If you are fed up with this rouâ€" tine that is essential for air quality and enerâ€" gy savings, why not look into alternatives. An electronic air cleaner will filter the air much more efficiently at an operating cost equal to burning a 40â€"watt bulb all day and an original outlay of about $600 if you have it installed, half that if you do it yourself. It works on the principle of magnetism where any tiny particles suspended in the air that escape the original screen are given an electrical charge which makes them attracted to a series of grounded plates inside the cleaner unit. These particles are held there until you release them with a rinsing in the dishwasher or the sink. Electronic air cleaners are a blessing for anyone with asthma or breathâ€" ing problems because microscopic particles PX as small as pollen can be removed from the air. A smaller benefit but by not means j insignificant is the fact that since there is no dust in the air, it can‘t settle on tables, drapâ€" ery, and knick knacks. It will probably be appreciated more in the summer than the winter when dust and pollen are at their worst. Another chore that goes unseen is the regular purging of the hot water tank. Residue made up of small particles of lime, calcium, and iron, settles to the bottom of the tank and interferes with the transfer of heat from the gas element at the bottom of the tank to the water. Tanks have a drain valve at the bottom that makes this task fairly rouâ€" tine, so do it at least once a year, more if you â€" have hard water. The valve has a threaded end so you can attach a garden hose to it for easy drainage or you can simply empty it with a bucket. While you are in the basement toiling away unnoticed, you might as well inspect the humidifier in the furnace. Once again, depending on the hardness of your water and theâ€"amount of time the furnace burns, there will be salt deposits building up. REALTY CORP 418â€"2 North Service Rd. E Assoc. Broker HALL OF FAME : celling, sep. formal d.r., Irg, sunshine kit. | fam. mm.â€"w/ | CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. C/air, maint. free ext, A must seel : CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. SHOWS TO PERFECTION Lovely 4 bdrm. in Glen Abbey. Cathedral with w/o to deck private yard. Mn. fir. fp, beautiful neutral decor and loads of upgrades! Sec. system, intercom, prof. landscaped front rear. A must to see! $489,500. CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. . ~OVER 2 ACRES Executive living in private wooded setâ€" ting. 3 bdr. bungalow, open concept, cathedral ceilings, skylights, 2 fp‘s, B/l appliances, hardwood floors, w/o to deck. Call now for an appt. to view. CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. PRIVACY PLUS Charming 4 level backsplit, Northeast Oakville, 4 bdrms., cozy fam. room with gas fp and w/o to patio and inground heated pool, fin. bsmt. with 6 person spa, master bdrm. has 4 pce ens., sec. system, c/vac, c/gir, mature well frteed lot. ... EAST OAKVILLE : Beautiful detached 4 bdrm. on quiet street. Lots of upgrades, solid mahogany doors, ceramics, top of line brdim, main fi. laundry, c/aiir, fireplace. Large lot. Easy access to QEW. CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. "LOW TRAFFIC" STRE Approx. lgo sq. ff? bdrm. Erelen Abbey. W/O from kitchen to fenced yard. Large principle rooms. Ensuite bath. Quiet court location. Call for details. CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. NEW LISTING â€" BRONTE Charming detached 4 bdrm. in lovely â€" Bronte. Updated upgraded. "turn of the century" home. Enclosed porch area across front, 10‘ ceilings in LR, DR, fam. Call to view! CAROLYN LOFQUIST 842â€"7000. WALK TO SCHOOLS Detached 3 bdrm. in exc. location. Close to schools, areng, liprary buses. Across from greenbelt, W/O from fam. to patio. En suite bath and dressing room, F/P,