Homeownership brings with it great pride …and great responsibility, too. Here are some tips that will help you keep your home in top condition.

Spring Maintenance Tips

Check smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors by pressing the test button. Be sure to change the batteries at the same time. Both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are available at your local home store. Contact your local fire department for recommendations.

Replace or clean your furnace filter. This will keep the air in your house cleaner, make your furnace more efficient, and help lower your heating bills.

Check for damage to your roof. Winter’s snow, ice, and wind can wreak havoc on your roof. Inspect it for missing or broken shingles — using a pair of binoculars will keep you off a ladder! As the shingles age, the fine grains of stone get washed and worn off the surface. After 15 or 20 years, even the best shingles may need to be replaced.

Inspect your vinyl siding. Check for cracks or damaged siding; replace or repair. The biggest threat to siding is the wind. Wind can catch seams and corners and tear lightweight vinyl or aluminum siding off the walls. This then allows water into the wall cavity, causing water damage. When you install James Hardie siding you can check this item off your list.

Clean up your yard. The winter leaves behind debris, so rake your yard and pick up branches and twigs. Raking the lawn will remove thatch and snow mold, exposing the grass to sun and rain.
Fertilize your lawn. The grass is desperate for a dose of nitrogen in the spring. A little fertilizer will help it get off to a great start and strengthen it to withstand the stresses of the summer ahead.

Summer Maintenance Tips

Caulk exterior joints around windows and doors. Caulking helps keep your house weather-tight and lowers heating and cooling bills. It can also help keep insects and other “critters” out of your house.

Clean lint from the entire clothes dryer vent system, from the dryer to the exterior vent cap. Because lint is very flammable it poses a fire risk. If a gas clothes dryer is not properly vented, it can force carbon monoxide back into the home and that can be deadly.

Repair cracks in concrete patios and driveways. For cracks less than 1/4″ wide, apply concrete caulk; just clean the crack out with a high-pressure hose nozzle, let it dry and then apply the caulk into the crack. For larger cracks, substitute concrete patch for caulk.

Wash the exterior of your house, using ordinary garden hose pressure and a mild detergent. Beware of pressure washers — they are powerful enough to force water under the siding where it can encourage mildew and rot.

Clean and seal your porch or deck. Ideally, you’ll need three consecutive warm, sunny days. On day one, dry out the deck. Apply deck cleaner and scrub the deck on the second day and let it dry 24 hours. On the third day, apply deck sealer.

Fall Maintenance Tips

Check smoke detectors & carbon monoxide detectors by pressing the test button. Be sure to change the batteries at the same time. Both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are available at your local home store. Contact your local fire department for recommendations.

Prepare your furnace for the upcoming heating season. Consider calling a reputable local heating and cooling company to check your furnace, clean it, and prepare it for the upcoming winter. Keeping the furnace in good working condition will help reduce your heating bills and help avoid serious problems.
Replace or clean your furnace filter. This will keep the air in your house cleaner, make your furnace more efficient, and help lower your heating bills.

Clean out gutters and downspouts. Inspecting gutters and downspouts for debris and fallen leaves can reduce the chances of an ice dam forming. An ice dam can cause leaks that will result in interior damage to your ceilings and walls. After you’ve cleared as many leaves as you can from your gutters, you can spray water down the downspouts to wash away any other debris. Gutter screens can help reduce the number of leaves that collect in your gutters. Exercise extreme caution when working on a ladder or on the roof.

Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel tank is empty. Gasoline left in the tank loses its volatile components over the winter, making your mower hard to start in the spring. By draining the tank, you are also removing flammable liquid storage from your garage. Make sure you aren’t storing dirty, oily rags in a pile. They can ignite spontaneously.

Winter Maintenance Tips

Make sure all electrical holiday decorations have tight connections. If possible, use 3-prong plugs and cords. The use of 2-prong adapters, which permit 3-prong plugs to be used in 2-prong outlets, doesn’t always provide grounding to protect against shock. Unplug decorations when not in use. The use of extension cords should be temporary. To help reduce the chances of overheating, electric cords, including extension cords, should never be bundled together or run under rugs and carpet.

Replace or clean your furnace filter. This will keep the air in your house cleaner, make your furnace more efficient, and help lower your heating bills.

If your home has a programmable thermostat, set it for reasonable times and temperatures, i.e. reduce the heat slightly for night time hours, about 4 to 5 degrees cooler than your daytime temperature. If you don’t own a programmable thermostat, consider having one installed; they do help reduce heating costs.

In the event of snow, be sure to keep the area around your air conditioning unit clear of snow. Even though you aren’t using your A/C, you don’t want the lines to freeze or be damaged. If you are using a shovel, BE CAREFUL when clearing the area around the unit. You don’t want to make things worse.

When warming up your car in cold weather, please be sure the area is well ventilated