Is It Time to Drain the Water Heater? There’s an App for That

Few homeowners would consider maintenance the fun part of owning a house. But you know what is fun? Playing with your iPhone. And a slew of apps designed to keep a home running smoothly aim to turn the chore into something of a game.

A home can seem like a mysterious structure, with large systems, pipes and wires that make little sense — and those are the ones that aren’t hidden behind ceilings and walls.

Rather than figure out these baffling systems, homeowners are tempted to ignore them. A Liberty Mutual report found that 80 percent of homeowners don’t have a plan or budget for home maintenance. Instead, they procrastinate.

“Home maintenance can quickly become onerous and overwhelming, especially for first time homeowners who don’t fully appreciate how much goes into owning a home,” said Dan DiClerico, a smart home expert for HomeAdvisor.

But load your phone up with enough satisfying checklists and opportunities to swipe right and you may not mind flushing out the hot water heater.

You can use apps to get alerts about routine tasks; create digital hubs to keep track of inventories and user manuals; use tools to delegate chores; and find information about how to get the work done.

“How do you make it engaging? How do you make it fun? How do you make it part of people’s lives?'” said Adam L’Italien, head of innovation for Liberty Mutual, which launched DwellBeing, a digital home maintenance tool, in June.

To break through the indifference, DwellBeing can create a to-do list tailored to your home, prodding an uninspired owner along with reminders and tips.

Unless something is broken, it can be hard to muster the energy to give it the occasional tune up it needs. But wait too long and the list of chores around the house can feel endless. A digital ribbon around your finger might help.

Few of us enjoy doing chores (or nagging others to do them.) But technology can help bring a little playfulness to the grind.

Sure, you may get a reminder that you need to clean the dryer vent, but if you have no idea how to do that or who to call to do it for you, a push alert is just another annoying disruption. In come the apps meant to show you how to do the work, or help you find a contractor who can.

No matter how many apps you install to send you cheerful checklists and reassuring alerts, when the time comes to change the flapper on the toilet, you still have to roll up your sleeves and do it. For that, there is no app, at least not yet.