Basic Home Maintenance

Home maintaining is something I feel everyone who own's a home or is thinking of owning a home should know. Some things most of us know from living with our parents but other things can be a learning curve. As we all know everything wears out one day but there are some simple things that can be done that cost nothing or almost nothing that can help preserve your home and some of the appliances in it. I am not a home inspector or an expert, but these are just some tips that I think can help you!


Forced air furnace - Change the filter once a month. Furnace filters are, in general, the cheapest filters because they do not constrict airflow. If you buy the more expensive filters that are supposed to last three months, change them once a month anyway. Furnaces are expensive, gas is expensive, filters are cheap.

Refrigerators - Pulling your refrigerator out and vacuuming the coils on the back of it once a year will make the fridge run cooler and last longer.

Water Heater - They never tell you this when they put in your water heater, but it needs yearly maintenance. Most people ignore the water heaters and when they fail, they can make a mess. Sediment builds up in water heaters through normal use. In a nutshell they need to be turned off, drained and flushed once a year. There should be instructions in the manual that came with the water heater. If you can always Google it  ;). Cleaning out the water heater is very important, but I don't know anyone who does it.

Clothes Dryer - Most people, but not everyone, knows that the lint filter in the dryer needs to be cleaned after each load of wash. There is one more lint filter you might want to check and that is the filter outside where the dryer vents. Once this gets all clogged up you may notice that it takes an eternity to dry a load off and like I said early gas is expensive. If the dryer isn't drying check the vent.

If you are a home buyer reading this, when you put an offer in on a home, it is best that offer is contingent upon a home inspection. A good home inspector will go over some of these basic maintenance tips with you or provide a CD or booklet with information. You should also ask the sellers for any manuals and warranties they have on the appliances. It is nice to know how old they are too. Newer appliances tend to be more energy efficient.

If your home will be empty this winter now is the time to winterize it. That means turning the water off and draining the pipes, the water heater and the furnace if it is a hot water unit. Water can destroy a home very quickly.

Go to http://www.shanellrobinson.lnf.com/ to view my office listings, search for homes & MUCH more!

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Info resource: Teresa Boardman