Tag Archives: plumbing

Create an Annual Home Maintenance Checklist

Your vehicle requires routine maintenance to run smoothly, and the same goes for your house. Without service reminders, however, it can be easy to forget to tend to all the systems that keep your house fully functioning. Fortunately, you can create a simple annual maintenance checklist to properly care for your home and prevent potential issues from becoming major problems.

Start by making a list of each task you’ll need to complete over the coming year. Make sure your yearly home inspection includes all major systems (HVAC, electrical and plumbing), the interior and exterior of your home, water and septic tanks, doors and windows, and the attic or basement if applicable.

When that’s done, organize the list according to how often each item needs to be checked or maintained and set reminders accordingly. Your home maintenance checklist might start to look similar to this:

Monthly

  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Change air filters in the heating and air conditioning system.
  • Clean range hood filters to avoid possible grease fires.
  • Trim back any shrubbery or plant growth around the outdoor HVAC unit by at least 18 inches.

Quarterly

  • Check and wipe down sliding doors and window tracks.
  • Replace batteries in smoke detectors.
  • Test garage door and grease tracks as needed.

Semiannually

  • Clear gutters of spring and fall foliage.
  • Power wash windows and siding.
  • Schedule seasonal service of the HVAC system before summer and winter.

Annually

  • Inspect and insulate pipes to protect them from freezing.
  • Trim trees and shrubs away from the home’s exterior.
  • Touch up exterior paint and check for wood rot or water damage.
  • Check grouting in kitchen and bathroom and repair if necessary.

A home maintenance checklist will make it easier for you to manage the upkeep of your house. It can also help you catch minor issues before they become costly home repairs.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: “3D Home Inspection Checklist” by Chris Potter via Flickr © 2012 (CC BY 2.0)

Autumn House Maintenance Tips

Each season your home will face changes in temperature, weather conditions, aging and the abuse of human habitation. If you want to keep all of this from hurting your home, you will need to do a little work to prepare it for the autumn and winter seasons ahead. This will help you keep costly repairs at bay with a little bit of useful seasonal maintenance. Regardless of where you live, the following tips will give you a few ideas of work to do before the weather gets too cold:

  • Check your downspouts and gutters

Your roof is one place that is often forgotten during maintenance in most cases, so you would do well to remind yourself that proper inspections from time to time are necessary if you want to make sure everything is in working order. Clear any leaves and dirt on top of it and from its gutters, and check the downspouts for any loose or jammed pieces that may be obstructing the flow of water. Check the flashing around the chimney as well as any openings on the roof, such as skylights, for leaks.

  • Check the grounds of the property

Before you have the first snow or fallen leaves cover everything, you will need to check the walkways for any cracks as well as any loose materials. Fix them while you can, before the moist and slippery weather becomes a problem further down the line. If you don’t fix such issues now, you may even have a further deterioration of your walkways when frozen water expands inside the cracks over time.

  • Changing air filters

If you happen to have a central air conditioning system, you will need to change the air filter on a regular basis. If you have a window unit, you will have to remove the window or place a waterproof cover over it to prevent any damage. Change the filters in your stove vents, clothes dryers and the vents themselves for your central AC. Make sure you check the condition of your room fans if you happen to have any. Clean air filters will be a big deal during the cooler autumn months ahead. This will also ensure you have less allergens floating around the house, upping the productivity of your AC units as long as you keep them rotating when needed.

  • Fixing your plumbing

Before the temperatures lower, you will need to check for any leaks in your bathrooms, kitchens, basement and any other areas through which the main pipes pass. You will need to winterize any of them that happen to be in risk areas to avoid frozen pipes and bursts. Give them proper insulation if they don’t already have it, and you should be safe for the coming winter.

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