Home Maintenance Items Every Homeowner Should Know About
For many of us, our home represents our largest investment. Keeping it in good shape not only preserves its value but also contributes to the health and safety of everyone living there. Plus, with utility costs climbing, energy efficiency is more crucial than ever. As winter approaches, with its inevitable freeze and snowfalls, it’s wise to perform some preventative checks around your house. After all, a little prevention in home maintenance can save a lot of hassle and expense down the line.
Check Your Weather Strips & Door Sweeps
Inspect your doors, windows, and even your garage door. Are the seals intact? Can you spot daylight where you shouldn’t, or feel a draft? Is the plastic or rubber damaged or failing to make a seal? If yes, it’s time for a replacement. It’s wiser to tackle this in the fall rather than in January, when the -25° chill creeps in.
Check Exterior Door Handles & Locks
While inspecting your weather strips and door sweeps, you should also check your door handles and locks. Are they functioning smoothly, or is there a sound or sensation of metal grinding? If you encounter significant resistance when turning a key, spray some lock lubricant into the keyhole. Products like Lock Saver and Lok Shot have proven effective and are available at local locksmith shops.
Should a door handle or lock appear to be nearing the end of its lifespan, consider replacing it now. Delaying could result in failure during the extreme cold of winter, a common issue we address each year.
Check & Lubricate Your Padlocks
If you have padlocks on your shed, under-deck storage or anywhere else, now is the time to check and lubricate them. Cheaply made padlocks can freeze and become unusable during the winter months. We use and recommend Master ProSeries padlocks for their durability in cold weather. Additionally, they are re-keyable, allowing you to have multiple locks that use the same key. You can purchase these from your local locksmith. In Moncton, our go-to locksmith is Carey My Keys.
Disconnect & Drain Your Garden Hoses
The importance of this home maintenance task cannot be overstated! Why is it critical? Water left in your home’s garden hose connection can freeze, potentially causing it to burst inside your wall and lead to a flooded basement. As a former dispatcher for a plumbing company, I spoke to numerous customers who faced this issue every winter. Don’t let this happen to you!
Additionally, while you’re at it, detach the hose nozzles and empty your hoses of water. This can be done by laying the garden hose on a sloped driveway, or by laying it flat in the yard, then lifting one end above your head and progressively moving along the hose, keeping a section above your head at all times. This method will expel most of the water and help prevent the hose from bursting or deteriorating prematurely.
Check & Clean Your Gutters
Gutters are a crucial part of your home’s exterior. Clogged gutters can cause water damage to your landscaping, deck, or a lower roof level, and in severe cases, ice damage to your roof or the gutters themselves.
Ensure your gutters are clear by removing any leaves or debris. If nearby trees have not shed all their leaves, it’s wise to check again in a few weeks, as gutters can quickly become full during this season.
Check & Clean Your Heaters & Air Vents
Baseboard Heaters – Check that nothing is touching them or got lodged inside. Something as silly as a ballpoint pen could melt and cause an inky mess on your floor. A rug pushed up against the fins could catch fire. I always take the front covers off and vacuum the dust off the fins with a soft bristle vacuum brush.
Air Vents & Filters – Whether you have an air exchanger, a central air furnace or heat pump, the air vents will get dusty over time and it’s a good practice to vacuum them with a soft bristle vacuum brush. Filters should be cleaned or replaced according to manufacturer recommendations. Air exchanger cores should be cleaned every 6 to 12 months.
Dryer Vents – Check your outside dryer vents, and remove any lint buildup. Are the air flaps still operating correctly? Are there any cracks in the plastic? These don’t last forever, and should be changed if they are cracked or have missing flaps. Is your dryer taking longer to dry a load than it used to? If so, it’s time to get the ducts cleaned.
Have Your Mini-Split Heat Pumps Cleaned
Mini-Split heat pumps should be cleaned every 2 years. When is the last time you had yours cleaned? There are several local businesses offering this service. In Moncton I’ve had great results from Seal’s Heat Pump Cleaning.
Check Your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Do they require batteries? Batteries should be changed every 6 months.
Are they 10 years old or older? They should be replaced every 10 years. If they don’t have a date, look excessively yellowed, or your home is 10 years old or older, those are signs they should be replaced. It’s a small price to pay to ensure your safety in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide incident.
Kidde makes smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with built-in 10-year batteries. They are available in stand-alone and hardwired models. If your home is wired for hardwired smoke detectors, they should always be replaced with new hardwired ones, so that if one goes off, they all go off. They even have smart-home models that can notify your mobile device when they go off.
In Conclusion…
This is by no means a complete list – every home is different, and you may have a swimming pool, an irrigation system, a cottage whose plumbing needs winterizing, or something else beyond the scope of this article. It’s a good practice to maintain a list of seasonal home maintenance tasks and to put it on your calendar so you’re not stuck dealing with something too late in the season.
Contact us now!
Not handy or don’t have the time to deal with all this? Reach out and let’s discuss how we can take care of your fall home maintenance needs.