Home repairs always seem to happen at the worst times — and they can be costly, especially if you have to call a professional. Here are a few things you should fix now before the repairs empty your bank account.

1. A Leaky Shower

There’s nothing worse than having your beauty sleep interrupted by the drip, drip, drip of a leaky showerhead. Not only will this run up your water bill, but a leaky shower can also cause damage inside the wall if your valve is leaking as well. This can take some specialized tools to repair, but it’s nothing you can’t pick up at your local hardware store. Just make sure you shut off the water main to your home before you start unscrewing things.

2. A Fridge With Dirty Coils

A refrigerator is only as effective as its heating coils, and if the coils get dirty, it can cause the fridge to burn out and stop cooling your food. Taking the time to clean off the coils with a brush and a vacuum cleaner can keep the compressor from working overtime and potentially burning out.

3. A Noisy Garage Door

Your Garage Door is one of the many entrances into your home, but this big door can experience a lot of problems. If your garage door is making a lot of noise, it could be a sign of a bigger problem. Take some time to look for things like bent tracks, loose parts or a lack of lubrication that could be causing the noise. These can be small problems that, if left unfixed, become bigger in the long run.

4. A Loose Rail

Rails can keep you from stumbling off your deck or porch, but only if they’re secure. If you’ve noticed one of your railings getting loose, take the time to secure it before it causes a major accident. It might only take a few screws or a couple of angle brackets and an hour of your time to prevent a loose railing from dumping you on the ground the next time you lean against it.

5. A Clogged Dryer Vent

No matter what you’re washing when you do laundry, it generates lint. Usually, this lint is caught in the lint trap. Some of it, though, will end up in the dryer vent and in the inner workings of the machine itself. If it builds up enough, it can create a fire hazard. Drag your dryer away from the wall and clean out the lint once or twice a year to prevent it from catching fire.

6. A Crack in the Driveway

Your driveway takes a lot of punishment, and it makes sense that it would develop cracks over time. While these cracks might seem like a fact of life, it’s important to fix them when they’re small. The larger these cracks become, the harder they are to fix and may require the assistance of a professional to repair.

7. A Running Toilet

If your toilet is Running, you really should catch it. It’s a bad joke, but a toilet that is continuously running water can be a sign of a problem. Thankfully, it’s easy to fix. A Running Toilet usually means the seal between the tank and the bowl is leaking needs to be replaced. You can pick up a replacement part for a couple of bucks at your local hardware store, keeping your water bill down and preventing more significant problems from occurring in the future.

It’s never a good time to have an appliance fail or have part of your home break. Thankfully, many of these things can be fixed before they become big and expensive problems.

Scott Huntington is a writer from central Pennsylvania. He enjoys working on his home and garden with his wife and 2 kids. Follow him on Twitter @SMHuntington