Owning a home means never running out of maintenance projects to keep the house functioning well.
Some jobs are fun, like installing a new light fixture or planting a tree. Others are more mundane, like servicing the mechanical systems.
Both pay off in the long run.
Based on my experience as a home inspector, I have created a list of 10 maintenance jobs that will keep any house running smoothly and will make it easier to sell when the time comes.
1. Change the filter in a furnace or heat pump on a regular basis. This is, hands down, the most important item. A clean filter and regular maintenance can double the life of a furnace or heat pump. Change the filter every four to six weeks.
2. Test and adjust the automatic garage door reversing pressure. Every automatic garage door opener has built-in safety devices that reverse the door’s downward movement. Most newer openers have two devices: an electric eye beam system low in the door opening and a reversing pressure device built into the opener itself. The reversing pressure should be adjusted so that the door will reverse before pressing down and possibly injuring someone.
3. Drain the automatic sprinkler system. Every sprinkler system must be emptied in the fall so the underground pipes don’t freeze, expand and cause leaks come spring. Many can simply be drained by completing a series of valve openings and shutoffs. Other systems need to be blown out using an air compressor. In Colorado, the process should be completed by the end of October.
4. Increase the attic ventilation. Most attics have some sort of ventilation but often not enough. With increased ventilation, the roof will last longer and the living space will be cooler. Newer homes have low soffit vents and high ridge or roof vents to carry air out of the house.
Older homes often just have roof vents or no ventilation at all. Super-heated air and moisture can be trapped in the attic, and, in some cases, mold can form. In a modern house, consider adding a powered attic fan. In an older home, add soffit, gable, roof or ridge vents as well as a powered fan.
5. Test the house’s ground fault circuit interrupters, or GFCIs. GFCI outlets and circuits are safety devices, usually installed in the kitchen and bathrooms and on exterior walls. They are designed to shut off the flow of electrical power if the device that is plugged in comes into contact with water. In newer construction, several bathrooms may be tied electronically to one GFCI outlet, or the kitchen may have several regular outlets tied to one GFCI.
To confirm that the outlets are working, simply test each one by pushing the test button. Replace any outlet that does not pop out. All GFCI outlets should be tested every two months.
6. Clean the gutters and downspouts, and extend the downspouts away from the house. Most of the water in people’s basements starts as rain on the roof. If the gutters carry the water to downspouts extending away from the house, water cannot find a way in. If they don’t, water will pool near the house, move down the foundation and find its way into the house. The easy answer is to keep the gutters cleaned and properly aligned. Make sure that the downspouts are clear, and extend the downspouts away from the house and down any slope.
7. Seal the cracks in all concrete surfaces. All concrete walkways, driveways or patios are prone to cracking. These cracks get worse as water erodes the area beneath the concrete or expands and contracts with freeze and thaw cycles. You can slow this damaging process by cleaning the cracks and applying a concrete crack filler. Larger cracks can be filled with patching concrete compound, extending the life of any concrete surface.
8. Caulk and paint the exterior trim. The exterior trim of a house needs to be caulked and painted about every three to four years. Without paint, moisture will penetrate the exposed wood and cause it to deteriorate. Repairs, caulk and painting will hold off the eventual need for wood-trim replacement.
9. Drain the water heater. Any gas or electric water heater is simply an insulated tank of water. Sediment can collect in the bottom of the tank and eventually slow the heater’s ability to function. Draining this sediment-filled water twice a year should help the heater last significantly longer than forecast. The water may be dirty at first but should clear up. The water heater will replenish itself automatically.
10. Replace all damaged weather stripping around exterior doors. One of the most common ways cold air gets into the house is around exterior doors. Inspect the weather stripping, door sweeps and thresholds, and repair missing or damaged areas to ensure that cold air cannot get in.
Alan Gould is a home inspector with US Inspect. Contact him at agould@usinspect.com.
