Mar

8

A Little Dabba Do Ya!

Written by: rebecca and filed Under Blog, Household Tips |  

No matter where you live the changing seasons can take their toll on your home. A little TLC can go a long way to keeping your home in good condition. That is why spring and fall are great times to check up on your home’s health. The changing of the clocks also serves as a helpful reminder! As we are getting ready to reset our clocks once again take a weekend day (or set aside one hour each evening for a week) to check up on the following areas of your home.

Outdoor

  • Remove leaves and other debris away from the side of house or other outdoor structures.
  • Trim trees and shrubs that touch house to minimize damage to the exterior of the home.
  • Check for water leaks or blockages in gutters or downspouts.
  • Visually inspect roof for damaged shingles, tiles or shakes. DON’T GO UP THERE ON YOUR OWN UNLESS YOU ARE A TRAINED PROFESSIONAL. If any appear damaged, HIRE A PROFESSIONAL to evaluate if repairs are needed.
  • Check all caulk around exterior surfaces. Repair as needed.
  • Check for any cracks in the concrete foundation and brick or stucco siding.
  • Clean exterior of house. Clean mildewed areas of house and treat for mildew and fungus on decks as needed.
  • Uncover (if you insulated for winter), open and test outdoor hose bibs.
  • Inspect and replace weather stripping as needed
  • Examine septic system drain field for flooding, odor and have tank pumped yearly

Indoor

  • Check the water heater for any signs of rust or corrosion and drain 1-2 gallons of water from the water heater and the expansion tank (this helps decrease the amount of built up sediment in the tank).
  • Clean and service your furnace by replacing the filters if you did not already do this in the fall. If you hire this out, it is usually a little less expensive in the spring as they are not getting as many service calls this time of year.
  • Check your crawl space for evidence of any unwanted guests, water intrusion, or misplaced vapor barrier and address as needed.
  • Change the water filter in your refrigerator.
  • If you don’t already do this, clean your kitchen exhaust fan filters.
  • Clean and seal tile grout.
  • Inspect and clean faucet aerators and shower heads.
  • Clean frost-free refrigerator drain pan. Heck, while your at it, go ahead and clean the whole fridge. If your like me, it’s probably been a while.
  • Inspect the dishwasher for leaks or cracks in the seal.
  • Grind ice cubes in disposer to sharpen the disposal blades.
  • Clean drains with baking soda or hot water, not with chemical drain openers.
  • Pour water down unused drains.

Safety

  • Test all of your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure that they are in working order. Change the batteries with brand new ones even if they are still working as you never know when they will reach the end of their life.
  • Test your GFCI outlets to make sure they are functioning properly.
  • Inspect all combustible appliances including, but not limited to fireplace, furnace, gas oven/stove.
  • Replace battery in your automatic garage door opener if you have one.

Emergency

Review and practice your emergency plan. If you don’t have one, now is a perfect time to make one. Write down this important information about your home and keep it accessible in case of an emergency. If you can’t find or operate any of these items, ask someone knowledgeable to help. All adults in the home should know where these items are and how to shut them off:

  • Natural Gas shutoff
  • Propane Gas shutoff
  • Electrical shutoff (service panel, a.k.a fuse/breaker box):
  • Water shutoff
  • Fire extinguishers

Testing all valves and switches (turning them “off” and then “on”) to ensure that they don’t get stuck open is a good idea. Some valves are difficult to turn, so you may want to keep a wrench nearby.

In addition, with all the appreciation our area has had recently, it is a good idea to make sure your insurance coverage is adequate and up to date.

Doing these few things, while not the most fun, will help protect one of your largest investments, and more importantly will help protect your health and well being.

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Rebecca Kuno
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