Home Maintenance: 5 Things You May Have Forgot to Do

Home maintenance is essential to its longevity. As a homeowner, you might already have a maintenance schedule in place. You might follow a schedule through each season. If you forget something, though, it can cause damage. Consider these 5 things that you may have forgotten to do in your home maintenance plan.

The coils, filters, and basic structure of your air conditioning system take a lot of maintenance to prevent issues. Over time, things can corrode and have internal damage you might not be aware of at all. Most homeowners wait until problems happen to care for it. According to the Department of Energy, you need regular maintenance on this schedule to prevent issues.

• Test your sump pump.
• Inspect your furnace.
• Check your air conditioner.
• Clean refrigerator coils.
• Drain sediment out of your water heater.

These are all regular maintenance steps to keep your home in great shape longer. Each one of these things requires several steps for that maintenance to keep your home in great shape.

The sump pump is something you might not realize existed. If you did, did you know how to maintain it? All you need to do is unplug your pump and drain out any water. Clean the debris that can be a problem. You don't want to block the sump pump. Plug it back in and pour 5 gallons of water into the sump to check the float. If it turns the pump on, then you are fine. If not, call a professional. You can also call a professional once a year to check it. That's your decision.

This one is just as important. You need to clean your furnace filters every year before the first time you turn your furnace on. Keep the cover off the furnace. Turn your heater on at the thermostat. Look at the flame. They should be blue and have an even flame. If the flame is yellow, then it's burning dirty. If you see this, call a professional. Don't try to fix this yourself. Every few years, you need to have a professional come in to vacuum the burner and blowers. Make sure you call a professional to do this.

Again, clean those air filters. This is the most important thing to keep your air conditioner running well. Before doing anything, you'll need to make sure the power is off on the breaker to the unit. The condenser and evaporator coils get dirty. That slows the airflow and causes several problems. Be sure to check the outdoor coils as well. This is important for home maintenance but also helps the air quality within your house. Plus, dirty air conditioners don't cool as well. The moisture gets messed up in the process of cooling and can permanently damage your unit. Don't forget to clean the fan blades. Dust gets on them and causes problems. Call a professional if you feel unsure about any step listed. That way your system lasts longer.

Besides cleaning the inside, you need to also clean the back of your unit. If it's too big to move by yourself, call a professional. They will clean the coils out and cleanse the stuck debris. Your professional will also check the temperature gauge in the unit to ensure its safety for your food.

Your water heater is much the same as your furnace. The water heater gets overlooked so often by homeowners. Then one day you hear a big explosion that went through your roof. Want to avoid that? Then you'll need to maintain it. Let's talk sediment. The amount of gunk that gets into your water tank is astounding. One time cleaning it out, and you'll wonder how you've escaped an explosion this far. When the sediment gets built up, the pressure by insulating it too much. Then it explodes. So cleaning that out is your first step. Call a professional to drain the tank and clean it. Don't forget to also clean the valve. Make sure you don't keep your water heater turned up too high. Those high temperatures do more than burn your skin, the pressure can also cause an explosion.

Call a professional to do all these regular maintenance chores. That way, you know they're done right. Your family will remain safe, and your home will last for years to come.