Home Maintenance Checklist for Warm Weather
As the warm weather approaches, you’ll start to see more people outside, and you might have come up with a list of fun activities to enjoy. During this time, most homeowners are saying goodbye to winter and looking forward to what summer has to bring.
It’s a great time to make a home maintenance checklist for warm weather. You can take advantage of the warm weather to complete a variety of maintenance tasks. You can start with the exterior and work your way through the interior. After these areas are covered, it’s time to move outdoors and take care of the outdoor jobs.
Exterior Maintenance
Although it’s always a good idea to walk around and assess your home after a long winter, you don’t have to wait for a storm to occur to do it.
Winter can be quite tough on chimneys and roofing, so these are top areas to inspect.
You can start with the roof, and if you don’t want to climb onto it, you can use a pair of binoculars for inspection. It’s important to check for shifting or missing shingles.
It’s not uncommon for nails to pop out of their spot, so you’ll want to check for those.
To keep your roof in tip-top condition, all problems need to be corrected. Next, the chimney should be inspected. The joints that are between stones and bricks should be checked. Get rid of any vegetation and check for white calcium deposits.
During the exterior inspection, it’s important to check foundations, exterior walls and windows.
Check for water stains on the exterior walls, which could indicate malfunctioning gutters. Examine your home’s foundation and check for masonry cracks. Windows need to be inspected for leakage because they’ll allow warm summer air to enter your home while allowing cool air to escape.
The weather stripping and caulking should be intact. The best defense that your home has against water and air is a tight seal. You’ll want to make sure the windows are cleaned thoroughly.
Moving on to Interior Maintenance
General cleaning is an important part of home maintenance for warm weather. It’s a great time to clean the areas of your home that are normally neglected. For example, you might focus on cleaning window casings, wall-mounted cabinets and vacuum chair rails.
The air conditioning system should be checked and serviced. If the AC isn’t working properly, then it won’t be able to keep your home cool enough. The AC filter should be changed, and the hose connections should be inspected for leaks.
The drain pans should be draining freely, and dust should be vacuumed off of electrical connectors. The good news is that we can handle all of your air conditioner maintenance needs. We can inspect the entire system and diagnose any potential problems.
If we discover any issues, we can fix them for you.
Check Home Insulation
Many homeowners don’t realize the importance of home insulation. Without adequate insulation, your home could be leaking massive amounts of conditioned air. During the months of summer, you must pay money to keep your home cool.
If the insulation is not working correctly, or you don’t have enough insulation, these are problems that will raise your electricity bill. Adequate insulation is what keeps the cool air inside of your home and prevents it from leaking outside. There should be insulation in several areas of your home, and it’s important for every area to be inspected for efficiency.
Fortunately, we can check your home’s insulation and make sure it’s adequate. When your home is packed with plenty of insulation, your air conditioner won’t have to work as hard, so you can save money and enjoy a cool, comfortable home.
Maintaining Proper Yard Growth
An important aspect of home maintenance is yard growth. You’ll want to rake the lawn and get rid of leaves, debris and branches, which might be left over from fall.
The problem with leaving debris on the lawn is that they can kill the grass under them.\
The chemical changes and soil compaction associated with winter can raise the pH level of your soil. When the pH level is higher, it can leave your lawn much more vulnerable to weeds.
You should consider using an organic herbicide to prevent weeds from germinating, even if you can’t see them yet. It’s also a good time to make sure the faucets, sprinkler systems, and pipes are working correctly.
Testing and Lubricating the Garage Door
There is a good chance that you’ll be using your garage a lot more during summer. Once the warm weather arrives, it’s a very good time to test your garage door and make sure it’s working properly.
If it’s excessively noisy and doesn’t seem to be performing optimally, it might need some additional lubrication.
When the garage door is working properly, it’s much easier to enjoy the warmer weather, and you’ll also have a much easier time parking your car inside of the garage.
Service the HVAC System
Another part of the home maintenance checklist to cross off involves the HVAC system. As HVAC professionals, we can attest to the fact that prevention is better than a cure. A typical HVAC system has hundreds of different components, and without proper maintenance, these components can fail.
Nobody wants to deal with a malfunctioning air conditioner when it’s hot outside. It’s a good idea to start with the air filter. We can inspect your system and let you know if the filter needs to be changed.
The outdoor portion of the system should be inspected, and the refrigerant level might require an adjustment. Leaves and dirt must be cleaned from the cabinet. The cooling coils and cabinet interior should be inspected.
The list of HVAC maintenance tasks is nearly endless, so it’s best to let the professionals inspect and service your system. By following this home maintenance checklist, you’ll be ready to take on the warm weather and enjoy living in your home.
For top-notch HVAC maintenance services in your Boston, MA home, call Atlantic Heating & Air Conditioning at (617) 566-6990.
