Setting up Proper Home Maintenance Schedules

Routine preventive maintenance of your home should be done ideally when the weather changes significantly.  Sometimes the home checkups are overwhelming so the important tasks are put off.  Here is the monthly reminder that will help you keep your home runs like clockwork.

• January. Test your home for evident of radon (a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that caused lung cancer).  Radon testing kits are available from home improvement stores for minimal prices.  Radon seeps from the ground and can build up in your home when the windows and doors are sealed tight.  If the test results indicate that you have radon gas, hire a contractor to remove the gas.  This is a job best left to the professional.  If snow melts off the roof soon after it falls, it is a sign that is too much heat is escaping through the attic.  It is time to improve your attic insulation.  Check for signs of animal hibernation in your attic.  Call your local pest control if needed. 

• February.  If you have a basement, make sure your sump pump is in working order.  This is the month snow falls the heaviest.  Check if your gas meter is iced over.  Accumulation of ice on the meter can cause it to malfunction and create gas leak.  Contact your gas utility to correct the problem.  You may damage the unit if you attempt to chip off the ice yourself. 

• March.  Put new batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.  Make sure they are working properly.  If not, buy new ones and install them on each floor of your home, near bedrooms and kitchen.  If you use your fireplace frequently, install carbon monoxide detectors in the same areas as the smoke detectors.  Change and check the detectors when you turn your clocks ahead for daylight saving time.

• April.  Now is the time to paint the house.  Latex paints perform best when the temperature at the time of application is 50 to 85 degrees F.  Examine outdoor equipments or things that were left outdoor or that has been in storage over the winter such as kid’s swing set and outside toys for safety, lawn furniture for wear and tear, and rusting on the propane tank of the barbecue grill.  Have your air-conditioning system serviced before you turn it on.  The compressor needs to be checked and the filters need to be replaced or cleaned. 

• May.  Spray your yard for poison ivy or other weeds.  Visually inspect for water spots on the ceiling inside your home; they are telltale signs of leaks.  Look for buckled shingles.  You may want to hire a professional roofer to check your shingles, especially if your roof is covered under a warranty or service agreement.     

• June.  Cut down insect breeding ground by wash down garbage cans once a week and clean bird bath and refill bird bath with fresh water.  Give a wood deck a good scrub or power-washing it to get rid of mold.  Summer humidity can cause mold to proliferate.  Seal your wood deck with weather sealant.

• July.  This is a time to schedule for an annual chimney inspection.  Hire a professional to clean your fireplace and chimney.  If you have more than one fireplace, have all of them checked not just the one you use regularly.  Check the flashing and secure it if it is loose.  Let the grass grow a little taller in the summer by raising the mower blade 3 inches or higher from now until Labor Day.  Taller grass will shade the soil and slow the water loss.  Lower the window blinds on the south and west facing windows.  This will prevent up to 45 percent of summer’s heat from entering your home. 

• August.  Clear cloth-dryer vents.  Birds often build nests in vents creating a potential fire hazard.  By August, the birds stop breeding, so you can remove the nests easily.  This is the good time to seal concrete garage floors.  Salts on winter roads can erode concrete.  Apply a coat of epoxy paint when you can work with the garage door open and temperature are still high enough, at least 60 degrees F, for epoxy paint to dry.

• September.  Have your furnace professionally serviced now.  Clean all ductwork of debris and change the filter.  Also clear the area around your furnace of cardboard and paper products, which are fire hazards.  Sod your lawn.  As temperature cool, your grass put more energy into its roots to store nutrients for the winter.  Check trees and large bushes to make sure that their branches are not touching the house or hanging over the roof.  Hire professional to do any trimming.  They have the right equipments and know the proper safety procedures for big jobs. 

• October.  Bleed radiators.  To reduce pressure build up in pipes, fit a bleed key into each radiator’s valve and turn it counter clockwise.  Use a bucket to catch trapped water, and then close the valve.  Test windows for drafts.  Run a lit candle along the perimeter of each window.  If the flame flickers the window may need caulking or weather stripping.  If your garage is attached to your home, make sure that the door that leads from the garage into your home has weather stripping around it too.  Repair or replace damage windows and screens.  Consider installing storm windows to keep the heat inside your home and save energy.   

• November.  Turn off outdoor water supply and completely drain all the outdoor faucets.  Trapped water can freeze causing pipe to burst.  Empty the garden hose to prevent it from splitting.  Lubricate locks and hinges on windows and doors.  Dry winter air may cause them to stick.  Spray them with lubricant.  Do this to garage door rollers too.  Store all paints and chemicals in areas where they will not freeze.   

• December.  Prepare your house for the holidays.  Test for toilet tank leakage.  Apply a dark color food coloring into the tank.  If you see the dye in the toilet bowl, the flapper may need adjusting or replacing.  Leaking waste water and can increase your water bill.  Check each electrical outlet, room by room, to make sure that it is securely attached to the wall and not overloaded.  Make sure that all the plugs are grounded (they will have 3 prongs).  Clean gutters.  Some trees shed their leaves later, but just 4-5 leaves can block a downspout.

Spending a little time with preventive maintenance of your home should help keeping breakdowns to the minimum.  By being vigilant, you will be able to set aside money for anticipated future repairs.