House Goblin — Email a photo, get a home maintenance plan

You probably can’t name half the things in your basement. That’s fine.

Just send a photo. Here’s what comes back.

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House Goblin

to you — Re: my water heater

Your Rheem Performance Plus, sorted

Rheem Performance Plus water heater label, showing model and serial number

Caught it — a Rheem Performance Plus, 50 gal, gas. March 2018, based on the serial.

Six years in. These usually pack it in around year 10–12, so we’re in “have a plan” territory. Not panicking. Just paying attention.

Do this first: get the anode rod inspected. It’s the single biggest lever for keeping this tank alive. Worth flushing the sediment too if you never have.

Why it matters: the anode rod is a $30 part. Skip it and you can knock 3–5 years off the heater — and replacing one runs $1,500+.

Want me to ping you about this next spring?

– 🏠👹

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One photo, full plan

Furnace, water heater, AC, dishwasher — send a photo of any label or ask a question. House Goblin reads the model, figures out what matters, and tells you what to do first.

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Prevent, don’t react

Every reminder tells you what it prevents. A $30 anode rod inspection prevents a $1,500 water heater replacement. A 10-minute condenser cleaning prevents a $400 AC service call. Small tasks, real savings.

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Your home, remembered

Model numbers, filter sizes, install dates, service history — captured once and there whenever you need it. No more digging through drawers during a breakdown or repeating yourself to every new contractor.

How it works

1

Send a photo, ask a question, or both

Email a photo of any label — furnace, AC, water heater, dishwasher, anything with a sticker. Or skip the photo and just describe what’s going on. Send it to goblin@devmail.housegobl.in.

2

Get your plan in plain English

House Goblin identifies your equipment, pulls the model details, and writes back with what matters first, what it costs, and what it prevents.

3

Stay ahead without being nagged

Reminders only when something actually matters — 1–2 emails a month, max. One click to mark done or snooze. Pause anytime.

What you can ask about

Real questions, in plain language. No forms.

“What size air filter does my HVAC take?”

“Is $2,400 a fair price to replace my AC capacitor?”

“How often should I flush my tankless water heater?”

“What’s that dripping sound coming from my furnace?”

“I just bought a house — what should I check first?”

“My dishwasher isn’t draining. What now?”

“When was this water heater installed?”

“Is it time to replace my 14-year-old furnace, or can I get more life out of it?”

Who this is for

This is for you if…

You own a home and don’t know everything in it
You’re tired of installing apps you’ll never open
You’ve gotten a contractor quote and wondered if it was fair
You want maintenance reminders but don’t want to be nagged

Questions

Do I really not need an account?

Right. You email a photo, House Goblin emails you back. That’s it. Future emails from the same address get tied to your existing records automatically.

What does it cost?

Free during the beta. Eventually there will be a paid version with more features. Anything you set up now keeps working.

How accurate is the identification?

Pretty good for common brands and clearly readable labels. Worse for faded labels, obscure models, or things behind a panel. When it isn’t sure, it says so and asks for a better photo or a follow-up detail.

What happens to my photos?

They’re stored and used to build your home’s record. We don’t sell data, don’t show ads, and don’t use your photos to train public models. See our Privacy Policy for the full version.

Can I ask follow-up questions?

Yes. Reply to any email and House Goblin picks up where you left off. It remembers what you’ve sent before.

What about a rental or multi-family property?

Single-family residential is the focus right now. Rentals work fine for personal use; there are no multi-property dashboards yet.

Who built this?

A homeowner who got tired of not knowing what anything in his house was. Solo project right now, built carefully — replies come from a real person when the AI gets stuck.

One photo to start

The whole thing starts with one photo. Send it to goblin@devmail.housegobl.in and see what comes back.

Send your first photo

Email it to goblin@devmail.housegobl.in — no signup, no app

I’m your house goblin.