Fall Home Maintenance Checklist and Schedule

Prepare your home for the coming cold of winter. The fall house maintenance checklist below will ensure your home for the subzero temperatures by taking a look at the heating systems, water systems, and energy efficiency. Depending on your house and region, some tasks may have a greater value. Some may not not be applicable at all. Try to focus on what is relevant to you. The fireplace is an absolute must for maintenance and inspection. Buildup from smoke of the chimney from smoke. It happens to be a highly flammable byproduct and can start a chimney fire with an ignition source. A lot of small chimney fire occur without the homeowner even realizing! Gas burning fireplaces burn much cleaner and should only require an inspection each year. But, a wood burning fireplace needs to be inspected and cleaned each year. Check the flashing around the chimney if you perform the sweep from the roof (i.e. top-down method). The brick and mortar should be inspected for cracks, too At the fireplace do a quick inspection and cleaning. Visually check for cracks and smoke marks. Cracks should be repaired by a professional. Smoke marks could indicate blockage in the chimney (e.g. bird’s nest). Remove smoke marks with a vinegar and water. Keeping a home well sealed can tremendously improve the heating efficiency. The most common spots for air leaks around the windows and doors. Visually check the caulk seal around the outside edge of every window for gaps. Use a putty knife to remove the damaged seal and insert new caulk. Cracks will reappear if the caulk is applied too thinly. Inspect the weatherstripping around the perimeter of the doors. Replace any damaged areas with new material. Replace the entire seal, if required. Feel for drafts by running your hand around the edge of each door. If the weatherstripping is in good shape and there is still a draft, there might not be enough material to bridge the gap. It is possible to layer the strips on top of each other to seal larger gaps. For homes in colder climates, one of the most important tasks is winterizing water systems. Not all homes are in an area that requires winterization. Sprinkler systems and pools are two systems that should be winterized for any area where the temperature hovers near freezing or lower. All sprinkler systems need to have the timers shut off, pressure valves opened, and drain any components near or above ground. Most often the pressure vacuum breaker is caught by a freeze and breaks. This component prevents water from entering the water supply and causing contamination. It is above ground and any plastic parts inside the metal housing are susceptible. It is easy to drain by using the drain valves. To winterize a pool you'll need to setup a specific chemical program. The general outline is balancing the chemicals, removing loose or moving parts, lowering the water level, and draining the pumping system. The pumping system might not have to be drained but pool antifreeze (i.e. not the same as the chemical for solution for cars) should be added to the water. Also, many homeowners will add algaecide to help keep the pool clean. Homes is colder climates must winterize faucets, but any homes in mild climates should be fine. The water supply should be shut off to start. Then pull off any attachments or vacuum breakers. Open up drain valves and leave the faucet in the open position for the winter. The most important task for colder climates is servicing the furnace system. It is generally best to have a professional service this system. Furnace maintenance includes blower motor lubrication, burner cleaning, sensor checks, and carbon monoxide measurements. In between service calls be sure to regularly change the filter every couple months. Both the heating and cooling systems utilize the air filters so this will be a year-round task. Luckily, it is an easy DIY job and cheap. Make sure to schedule fall maintenance on your calendar so your home is ready for winter.

Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Cleaning solutions are an integral part of keeping every home clean. There are cleaning mixture for general surfaces, glass, tubs, shower heads, dishwashers, and so much more. All these commercial chemicals add up to extra costs and a lot of bottles that need to be stored. A good alternative is to make your own homemade cleaning solutions. There are several advantages to making your own concoctions. You generally only require a few different chemicals to make a homemade cleaning solution so there are fewer items to store. The cost of these combined products is often times less expensive than buying the store product. Spending less money is always good! And if you are a pro green supporter, using fewer products leaves less of a carbon footprint. Lastly, being able to make a cleaning solution from common household products can be very convenient. Tub Surface Cleaner Tub and shower surfaces are infamous for gunk that is difficult to clean. The buildup is a result of minerals in the water. Hard water carries lime and calcium traces that slowly collect on surfaces. Water softeners help to relieve the problem, but there will still be cleaning! To create this cleaning mixture start with half a cup vinegar and heat for one to two minutes in the microwave. Dump the vinegar into a spray bottle and mix with ½ a cup of dish soap. Swirl the bottle just long enough to mix the vinegar and soap together. Spray on the surfaces of the tub or shower and wait for one to two hours. After waiting, scrub the surfaces with a sponge and water. The surfaces should clean right up and look much brighter. Clog Fixer Every household has had to deal with clogs. The best method is to prevent the problem before it occurs. Flush a one to two cups of vinegar down each month to clean buildup and watch what you flush down the drain. Items that are particularly bad are coffee grounds, and soap scum. If you do get a clog and can not it with a snake, try a solution of vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water. First, drop a half cup of baking soda down the drain. Chase up the baking soda with two cups of vinegar. After the letting the mixture fizzle, flush it down with 1/2f a gallon of boiling water. Try using a store bought product if the homemade solution fail to clear the clog. Call a plumber if that fails, too. General Purpose Cleaner For all-purpose purpose cleaning, or if you can not find a specific cleaner, use this mixture. Again, it is made from easy to find everyday household ingredients. Gather baking soda, vinegar, and water. Dump ¼ bup of baking soda into an empty spray bottle. Then, pour in a ½ cup of vinegar. These two will fizzle together. Lastly, pour in 2 cups of water. Heat the water if you plan to use the mixture for immediate use. Make sure to label the bottle so there is no confusion about the solution in the future. Summary There are plenty more mixtures out there to help you keep your house clean. The main thing to focus on is the common ingredients: vinegar, baking soda, and water. Typically, at least one of the three are found in a homemade cleaning solution. These solutions should help you for all the cleaning scheduled for your house.

Budgeting for Home Maintenance

House maintenance is undoubtedly an important part of being a homeowner. But how much should your budget for home maintenance each year? How much will it cost for each individual servicing? It really depends on each house. Factors include location, number of appliances, size, etc.

Maintenance Costs

The cost to maintain each appliance or system differs, but it is good to determine the approximate amount for each task. For example, a common task for most houses is to have the air conditioner serviced. This task will costs about $50-150 per unit for a good cleaning and system check. Having the air conditioner maintained each year will extend the life and promote good energy efficiency.

What other tasks should your consider including? Here is a list of items to get you started:

• Dishwasher spray arm cleaning
• Chimney sweeping
• Vent filter replacement
• Furnace servicing
• Garage door opener lubrication
• Garbage disposal cleaning
• Smoke detector test
• GFCI test
• Humidifier cleaning
• Microwave cleaning
• Oven and hood filter cleaning
• Pool maintenance
• Refrigerator coil cleaning

There are many more tasks to consider but this checklist will get you going in the right direction. Note that some of these tasks should cost very little while others will require a professional and higher costs.

Rule of Thumb Budget

If you don't have time or just don't feel like compiling a list of all the home maintenance costs then just use the rule of thumb for budgeting. Set aside 1-2% of your home's value each year. For example, set aside $2-4,000 per year for a $200,000 house. This will give you plenty of cash to handle all maintenance and cover repairs.

Scheduling Maintenance for Property Managers

Property Managers have plenty to do without having to worry about having to keep track of scheduling home maintenance for all units. House maintenance is absolutely essential to stay ahead of problems. Preventive tasks are much cheaper than repairs.

Professional vs Tenant DIY Maintenance

Easy DIY Maintenance

Some maintenance is best if handled by tenants that can handle DIY tasks. It is not time effective to drive to all properties simply to change furnace air filters. It is a good idea to provide the resources for the tenants with the understanding that the task will be completed as scheduled.

Professional Services

Other maintenance is best done by professionals. A task done incorrectly can result in costly repairs. For example, air conditioner maintenance is typically best handled by professionals. Although this task is within the capabilities of good DIY home owners, it is tough to vet tenants for each task. It is best to leave work in the grey area to professionals.

Summary

It is good to realize the importance of home maintenance for property managers and schedule it ahead of time. It is best to use an online service, like Home Maintenance Tracker.

Preventive Fireplace Home Maintenance

For any home that uses the fireplace, maintenance is a must. Every year a professional, or a savvy DIY home owner, should clean the creosote from the chimney. Putting off this task on your calendar can has disastrous effects.

Importance of Fireplace Maintenance

Chimney fires occur every year and many without the household even knowing! (according to Chimney Safety Institute of America). And while these smaller fires might pass by unnoticed, the damage that is done to the tile liners will have a lasting effect.

The majority of these fires are fueled by the buildup of creosote on the walls. Over time the fires will slowly add layers or creosote from smoke passing up the chimney.

Prevention

The best idea is to call a professional sweeper. They will use a special brush from the roof to scrape off the creosote buildup. At the bottom a bucket will catch the debris and be removed. It is possible to do this task yourself but be sure you get the proper brush and to exercise caution on the roof.

Summary

Don't put off essential maintenance until it is too late. You will save a lot of money by preventing problems and avoiding repair costs. To learn more check out this article on Fireplace Maintenance in the Summer or Chimney and Fireplace Maintenance.

House Maintenance Calendar

Scheduling Maintenance on the Calendar

Everybody is busy in everyday life and so often house maintenance falls to the wayside. On top of that many tasks are not as apparent. Also, despite some of these being fairly simple DIY choirs some owners rely on professional service companies for all home maintenance. By scheduling tasks on the calendar and following tips you can keep your home in tip top shape and save a bundle in the long run.

Maintenance Calendar

Before scheduling anything first put together a checklist of tasks that need to be completed. Think about all the different appliances, fixtures, and areas of your house. Write down all the tasks you can and use online resources, like Home Maintenance Tracker, to help give you ideas.

Reminders

Use the checklist to assign work on the calendar. This calendar could be put on the family calendar at your house or use online tools. Google calendar is a useful tool for anyone with a Google account. You can schedule events and set frequency to repeat each year and multiple times a year. Another useful tool that is more tailor to this topic is HMT (Home Maintenance Tracker). You fill out what items you'd like tracked around your house and it sets up a recommended maintenance schedule.

Resources

Now that all your maintenance is scheduled it is time to determine how you'll complete each choir. Use resources, like HMT, for tips and DIY examples to determine if you'd prefer to do it yourself or call a professional. You can certainly save a bundle by doing the work yourself, but the work has to be done correctly. If you feel it is too complex or you are unsure, call a professional.

Importance of Home Maintenance

There is a lot going on with the daily hustle and overlooking home maintenance is easy to do. But getting those tasks completed and completed right is very important for several reasons. If it is difficult for you to keep track try using Home Maintenance Tracker or following the home maintenance blog for checklists and calendars.

Value and Savings

House Value

Keeping your house in tip top shape improves the value of it when it comes to resell it on the market. The curb appeal will be much more impressive if everything looks kept up. Plus, inspectors will go through everything with a fine tooth comb to try to find any faults.

Preventive Maintenance

Staying ahead of problems with preventive tasks means lower costs. Repairs will at least bare the cost of materials. If it's a more serious problem then you'll most likely have to hire a contractor to help and it all adds up fast.

Energy Efficiency

The more work or resources that are required to cover for inefficiencies results in higher utility costs. Clean and well serviced appliances work more efficiently and reduce the energy usage. Try to use the minimum necessary resources for each task.

Safety

It goes without saying that safety is very important around the house. Testing items like the TPR valve on a water heater once a year takes mere minutes, but it could be the difference between a properly functioning unit and an exploding water tank.

For a more in depth look into the importance of home maintenance visit this link.

Toilet Leak Test

Toilets can quietly leak from the water holding tank all day long. The flapper (blue item in the bottom of the water tank in the image below) needs to maintain a good seal to prevent this problem. And although the leak might be small, over the course of a day over a gallon of water can be wasted.

Checking for slow leaks can be difficult and a visual inspection will most likely not work in this case. The trick for this test is to use food coloring.

Use a bold color (eg red) to make it easier to see. Place 5+ drops in the toilet water tank.

The coloring should be very apparent. Check the toilet bowl to see if any food coloring has already leaked through the flapper. If this is the case there is a sizable leak and the flapper should be replaced. But most times the leak is too small to see immediately and you need to wait overnight. It is best to do this at the end of the night so nobody accidentally flushes the toilet and you have to start again.

If the toilet bowl has coloring in it the next morning, replace the flapper. Otherwise, you have a good seal and no leaks. The pictures show the difference between a good and bad flapper.

Rain Sensor

Whenever it rains shut off the sprinkler system for the following day. Natural rain is much more effective than city water. City water often times contains chemicals that inhibits the grass. It is not enough to cause any damage, but it does make this source less effective.

Installing a rain sensor that coordinates with your sprinkler system control will automatically stop redundant watering. The rain sensor is typically mounted up by the gutter to catch the rain. The sprinkler system control then detects the rain and shuts down the system for the following day.

Patching Walls

Damage to walls is very common. Whether it is is a hole through the wall or deep scratch it can fixed with a relatively low cost and time commitment. 

The scratch below was the result of moving furniture. The scratch was a lot rough originally but I took a razor to it in order to remove paper fragments from the sheetrock. Cleaning the edges will help the spackling to hold.

After cleaning up the scratch or hole, wipe away any dust. Then fill in the hole with spackling using a skinny putty knife. Make sure there are no gaps. Then smooth over the spackling with a larger putty knife to level it with the wall. It is better to have too much than too little. After the spackling has dried you can sand it down. If it is too low more spackling has to be added.

Run a flat edge (eg putty knife or ruler) over the spot to make sure its level. Then paint over the spot to match the surrounding wall. If you don't have matching paint in storage or don't know the color cut off a part of the top layer of the sheetrock. Then bring the sample into Home Depot or Lowe's to be matched. Ideally the sample should be at least 1 inch by 1 inch.

Window Caulking

The edges of every window should be sealed with caulking to prevent energy losses and water damage. But after time the seal will become brittle and crack.

Use a utility or putty knife to remove the old caulk. Be sure the area is clean and dry. Then apply the new caulking in a steady stream (avoid stopping). Smooth over the caulk with a putty knife or a finger and examine the seal for any thin layers. Add more caulking to thin spots and gaps. If the caulk is applied too thin it will crack when dried. 

Notice the gap in the center and the crack to the right.

Hood Filter Cleaning for Stove

The hood filters need to be cleaned a couple times a year. It only takes a couple minutes and helps to keep the flow of air going into the hood. If let go the build up will eventually plug the filters.

 There are reusable filters in this hood so they have to be cleaned and reinserted. The filters come out by a simple clipping mechanism. 

There are cleaners available for soaking that are good at removing the grease build. Set them in the solution to soak over night. 

The filters here are fairly clean so I just washed them with soap and water. After letting them completely dry I reinserted them back into the hood.

The whole process took less than 10 minutes per filter and no costs because I didn't need a special cleaner. If you disposable filters simply replace them.

AC Drain Cleaning

During the hotter months the air conditioning system runs constantly. The evaporator (inside part of the system that is integrated into the furnace) cools the air and simultaneously pulls out water vapor. The water vapor condenses on the evaporator and drips water into a pan. The water then drains out of the house.

The evaporator is the upper section with the green garden hose attached.

 When the AC is constantly running a lot of water is draining. In hot humid environments the drain pipe can become plugged from mold growth. This plug will lead to the drain pan overflowing and creates a potential for water damage.

For homes in mild and hot environments the evaporator/furnace unit is typically in the attic. Locations in the upper floors of the house creates a bigger potential for disaster with water leaks. Also, the drain pipes are typically much longer and is more susceptible to plugging.

Condensation drains down the green hose.

The solution takes about 5 minutes of time and a couple dollars. All you need to do is clean the drain tube with a cup of regular household bleach. There is a special opening just for this purpose (indicated by the red circle in the image above). I like to follow the bleach with some water to be sure it flushes all the way through the system. Use a funnel to ensure none of the bleach of water spills.

For units in the upper floors of a house a lot of times the drain leads to the yard. To prevent killing the grass with bleach find the end of the drain pipe and place a bowl underneath to catch the fluid. Catching the fluid also helps to verify the drain isn't already plugged.

Double Pane Windows

One of the best insulators is air. To harness the excellent heat properties of air double pane windows were developed. Having two panes of glasses traps about 1/2" space of air that significantly reduces energy loss due to conduction. 

Also important with windows is the shading coefficient. It is a value from zero to one where zero is the best score a window can receive. It is determined by how much solar resistance of window and is dependent mostly on the color and reflectivity of the glass.

One extra benefit of double pane windows is noise reduction. The additional insulation acts as an additional sound noise barrier. 

Electric Bill Explained

It is helpful to know the impact of decisions for your home when focusing on lowering energy consumption. One of the best indicators is the electric bill.

The bill is determined by monitoring how many kilowatt hours have been used over the last month. Price per kilowatt hour ranges from $0.073 (North Dakota) all the way up to $0.31 (Hawaii) with an US average $0.112 (data from the US Energy Information Administration).

Using this information the average American will pay approximately $4 to run a 50W light bulb all hours of the day for a month. By comparison an AC unit (3500W) running 5 hours a day will cost around $58 a month. To determine the monthly cost of an item use the following formula:

Cost per month = Wattage x Hours of use per month / 1000 x Cost per Kilowatt

With this info you will have an idea of what items to target the most when trying to save energy. But you won't be able to decipher what the actual usage of each item on your energy bill. The best way to track progress is to compare the total energy used from the current month to the same month as last year.

On my energy bill it lists each month's energy usage for the last year. One very noticeable month is July in 2010. The air conditioner had a leak and doubled the energy bill all by itself.

Note: Not all energy companies measure energy use every month even though they will bill you every month. In these cases they will bill based on an estimate from last years usage and make a correction every 2-3 months when the actual usage is recorded.

Energy Star Rated Appliances

There is a big push for consumers to consider Energy Star rated appliances and push for energy efficiency. But is it worth it to the consumer

Energy efficient appliances are more expensive and don't always yield a higher cost savings per year. Federal tax rebates helps level the costs. And if you happen to live in a area where tax rebates are also offered on a state level it can be well worth the upgrade. But it is best to wait until your current appliance bites the dust before running out and unloading a new machine.

Take into account the following:
-Federal tax rebates
-State tax rebates
-Age of your current appliance
-Estimated number of years to make the savings worth the extra cost
-Special requirements (eg high-efficiency soap)

AC Inpection

I inspected  my AC units the other day to check the insulation on the refrigerant lines and cooling fins for damage. The insulation was very damaged and worn out from the weather. Aside from tears and rips, the insulation had become compact and hard (very bad for insulation). 

I spent about $5 at Lowe's buying new insulation duct tape to replace the old insulation. It only took 15 minutes to remove the replace the old insulation. Shown below is the halfway point where one unit was completed and the second one still needed to be replaced. 

Also needing attention was the cooling fins. When rocks (usually from lawn mowers) or other objects hit these delicate fins they become bent and less effective. Simply examine the fins for damaged spots and separate the fins using a blade. Take special care not to further damage these areas. A special AC fins repair tool is also available but be sure to get the correct size for your model. Also, don't forget to inspect both outside and inside fins on the unit. You will have to unplug the power to the unit and take off the fan and guard to inspect the inside fins.

These simple and cheap repairs shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes per unit and will definitely improve your energy efficiency. Check the units a couple times each year (beginning and middle of warm months).

Note: High efficiency AC units often use brushed cooling fins. Although the concepts are the same they can be more time consuming to repair.

Water Displacement Trick

There are several new toilets with multiple flush options, depending on the amount of water you want to use. If the tank on your toilet is fairly large and you would like to reduce the flush volume try using this trick.

Fill a small plastic container with water and seal the top. Place the container in the water tank of the toilet. Try to keep as much air out of the container when filling it so it doesn't float in the tank. The volume that is used during a flush has now been reduced by the size of the container.

This trick will save you a bit of water with each flush, but it is more important to make sure your toilet isn't leaking from the tank into the bowl. Log into Home Maintenance Tracker to see a tip on testing your toilet for leaks, which can waste far more water.

Email Reminders Now Available

As requested, email reminders are now available. Tasks update on set 30 day intervals and a
monthly email will be sent out after every update event. You will still have to log into your account to see any new items were added to your task list, dependent on your house items list.

Included with the reminder in the emails will be a glance at energy and home maintenance
tips posted over the last month. Plus, there will be links to the latest news.

The email reminders are completely optional and you can stop them at any time. Sign up for
this new feature by logging into your account and clicking on the email link in the left side bar.

AC Inspection

The refrigerant is the major driving force in the air conditioning system. It captures energy (heat) from inside the house and transfers it outside through a series of thermodynamic cycles.

The copper tubing carrying the refrigerant should be inspected at the beginning of each summer for leaks. Visually examine the tubing for cracks or oily drips (refrigerant). Pay particular attention to the soldered points of the tubing. If there is a leak you will need to call a professional.

One other indication of a refrigerant leak is an unusually high spike in your energy bill and the AC system will have a difficult time maintaining the proper temperature. To track energy spikes keep a record of each energy bill and compare the same month across the years.