A Few “Must-Do’s” to Get Your Home Ready for Spring

Your spring checklist should include:

• Check your air-conditioning and heating equipment before the beginning of a new season.
• Check and replace your furnace and air-conditioning filters every month.
• Most air conditioners have a drainage hole on the base of the cabinet, beneath the evaporator fins. This hole needs to be kept clear in order for the air conditioner to work properly. It's a good idea each spring to use a paper clip or wire to poke through the hole and clear it.
• To keep a dehumidifier working properly, remove its housing and let the unit dry completely. Vacuum every accessible surface and crevice.
• Clean your bathroom fans once a year. Take the cover off, wash it in soapy water and clean dirt off the fan blades with a toothbrush. Be sure the power is off when you do this!
• Check the flappers on your toilets at least once a year. If they are showing their age, replace them before they start leaking and wasting water.
• Remove all faucet handles and clean their insides to keep the screws from corroding. Use a rust remover if necessary.
• Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors twice a year: when the time changes to daylight savings time and then back to standard time. While you're at it, dust or vacuum the detectors to keep them working at peak performance.
• Make sure you have a fully charged fire extinguisher that you can reach quickly and easily.
• Inspect and, if necessary, caulk around your home's windows and doors annually. That will help keep out heat and humidity in the summer and cold drafts in the winter—and save money on your utility bills all year round.
• Open and close all windows. Do they all open easily, yet close tightly? If not, check the weather stripping. There are a number of different types to consider.
• Clean out the gutters of winter debris and check them for damage from ice. Install gutter screens or protectors to help keep debris out of the gutters.
• If a roof gutter is sagging, pitch it back to a level position by tightening its strap with pliers. The tighter the strap is twisted, the more the gutter will rise.
• Be sure the gutters slope properly toward the down-spouts.
• To prevent basement flooding, make sure there is at least three feet between the side of the house and the down-spout's outlet. Use one of the following methods to reach that distance:

As you take the time to go through this checklist, take note of anything that looks troubling to you with your plumbing or HVAC equipment. If you find anything that you are concerned over when doing these simple spring cleaning tasks, feel free to call us at 937-982-5055 to schedule an appointment for one of our certified technicians to visit your home and assess the situation.