Your home is likely your biggest investment. It’s important to preserve its value, prevent expensive repairs, and ensure it’s a comfortable haven for you and your family. That’s where an annual home maintenance schedule comes in. Below, we’ll provide a list of home maintenance tasks for each season.
Spring Home Maintenance Tasks
While you enjoy the outdoors and blooming flowers in spring, there are a few spring home maintenance tasks to tackle:
- Clean outdoor spaces: Prepare your outdoor living areas by power washing siding and decks. Give your exterior AC unit the room it needs to do its work by trimming bushes and trees at least three feet away from it to prevent damage and allow adequate airflow. Clean gutters and downspouts, too, so water doesn’t back up into your home’s drywall and damage your home’s foundation.
- Test your sump pump: Your sump pump is your home’s defense mechanism to batter spring storms. You can conduct your own sump pump test or allow a professional to give your sump pump a thorough inspection.
- Inspect your home’s HVAC system: Schedule your AC tune-up to reduce the risk of your unit failing when you need it the most.
Summer Home Maintenance Tasks
The summer can be full of lazy days but set aside a few days to do the following:
- Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans: Running your ceiling fan in a counterclockwise direction will help augment your air conditioning.
- Inspect plumbing: Now that outdoor watering is in full swing, make sure your sprinkler system, exterior hose bibs, and other water sources are free from leaks and rust.
- Evaluate the humidity levels of your home: High humidity levels can make your home feel too warm and put more pressure on your home’s air conditioning system to cool it down. You can improve your home’s indoor air quality with the installation of a dehumidifier. A professional technician can monitor your home’s humidity levels and help you decide if a dehumidifier is right for your home.
Fall Home Maintenance Tasks
It’s back-to-school time, and when schedules start to fill up, home maintenance often takes a back seat. Earn a passing grade by doing the following home maintenance tasks in the fall:
- Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms: October is Fire Safety Month. Celebrate by making sure your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order.
- Inspect your home’s HVAC system: While fall days are some of the best weather of the year, cold days are around the corner. Now is a great time to schedule an HVAC system tune-up to ensure your heating system is ready for action!
- Stop the flow: Now that the growing season is over, it’s time to winterize your exterior pipes and faucets and bleed the lines.
Winter Home Maintenance Tasks
Even if winter starts out mild, it seems Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia will eventually get their share of freezing temperatures. Don’t be left in the cold by following these winter home maintenance tasks:
- Clean air filters: If you change the air filters throughout your home, including the one at the base of the HVAC unit, your HVAC system will work more efficiently, and you will have better indoor air quality.
- Ensure you have hot water with a water heater inspection: Over time, sediment can build up in the unit, and pressure can cause leaks in the pipes. An inspection can flag any issue and a preventative maintenance flush will enable your water heater to deliver when you need it to.
- Insulate pipes exposed to outdoor walls: A burst pipe is not only inconvenient but can also be costly. Open cabinet doors so warm air can reach the plumbing inside. Additional insulation in crawl spaces, basements, and attics can help maintain temperatures in those areas. Set your heat on to at least 55 degrees when you plan to be away.
Choose Larry & Sons for Home Services in MD, PA & WV
Maintaining your home is important. While some tasks are easy to cross off your list, you might consider hiring a professional to help. The professionals at Larry & Sons are ready to help protect your home.
Contact us online now to schedule plumbing, heating, cooling, drain, or electrical services in Maryland, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia.