Once you own your own home, you quickly learn that house maintenance never ends. However, good maintenance means fewer home repairs and lower house maintenance costs overall.
Make the effort to perform these 5 maintenance tasks. Your home will thank you for it!
1. Flush Your Water Heater
Flushing out the water heater is one of those house maintenance chores that slip many people’s minds but it should be done once a year. If it’s not done, mineral sediment can build up inside the tank, causing banging, popping or rumbling noises. That layer of sediment will make it harder to flush the water heater. Eventually, the sediment layer will cause the bottom of the tank to rust, and you’ll need a new water heater before too long.
2. Inspect Your Roof
Another house maintenance task that should be done at least once a year is inspecting the roof. Some homeowners do this while cleaning their gutters. The roof is your home’s primary line of defence against the elements, and damage to it could cause a legacy of problems including long-term mold problems.
When checking your roof, look for cracked, broken or missing shingles, or black grit in the gutters which means that your asphalt shingles need to be replaced. Moss or algae growing on the shingles, dry rot, rust or damaged caulk are all bad news.
3. Clean Your Dryer Vent Duct
Lint build-up in dryer vent ductwork is a leading cause of house fires, and that’s why cleaning your dryer vent ductwork every six months should be at the top of your house maintenance list. Lint build up can also extend drying times and create a bad smell in the house.
If the ductwork is extensive, you might need the help of a professional to clean it out, especially if it has a lot of bends and turns. However, if the ductwork leads directly outside from where it connects to the dryer, you can probably manage it singlehandedly.
Disconnect the ductwork from the back of the dryer and use a vacuum to suck built-up lint out of the duct. Check the vent where it exits the house, too. Sometimes, birds or other small animals nest in the opening of the duct outside, so make sure it’s covered so they can’t access it.
4. Clean Your Windows’ Weep Holes
Weep holes are the row of tiny holes along the bottom of the window frame on the outside. They provide a drainage mechanism for water that leaks into the window frame’s inside channel.
Dirt and debris can collect in these holes, and insects often find them an ideal place to live. Use an unbent paper clip to clear debris out of the weep holes every six months. This will stop any blockages and allow the holes to drain efficiently.
5. Dust Your Refrigerator Condenser Coils
House maintenance extends to some major appliances too, including the refrigerator. The condenser coils remove heat from the refrigerant to cool the inside of the refrigerator. But when those condenser coils get dusty, they can’t function as well.
Dusty condenser coils can shorten the life of one of the most expensive components of your refrigerator, and if you don’t clean them off every few months, you could end up buying a new refrigerator sooner than you planned to. Luckily, cleaning them is easy – simply pull your refrigerator away from the wall and wipe the coils with a dust cloth.
