Homeowners: What are things I should be frequently or infrequently checking for maintenance.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Homeowners: What are things I should be frequently or infrequently checking for maintenance.

Posted: 2/12/2017 5:59:34 PM EDT

Now that we are coming or about to come out of winter, I'm performing evaluation/maintenance on the estate.
Curious about hat things I should be checking beyond the water meter and the gutters, as well as other things to be checking on year round.

Thanks!

Posted: 2/12/2017 6:02:22 PM EDT

[#1]

Your HVAC filter!

Posted: 2/12/2017 6:33:46 PM EDT

[#2]

Electronic spark boilers furnace or water heaters need yearly cleaning along with the flame detectors.

Chimneys if you burn wood.

Condensent traps for condensing apliances

Flush your tank water heater

Posted: 2/12/2017 6:33:47 PM EDT

[#3]

Dryer vent

Posted: 2/12/2017 7:18:59 PM EDT

[#4]

Make sure the landscape pitches away from the foundation.

Posted: 2/12/2017 8:31:43 PM EDT

[#5]

Every 6 months, turn every water shutoff valve in the house to keep them moving free.

Clean your AC condenser coils.

Posted: 2/12/2017 8:37:34 PM EDT

[#6]

Work the high pressure relief valve on your water heater tank.

Every couple of years, flush it out to get sediment out of it.

Check your electrical panel for mouse or ant nests.

Oil locks.

Change smoke detector batteries, even if they aren't beeping.

Posted: 2/12/2017 8:40:46 PM EDT

[#7]

Drain the water heater annually.
Check the sacrificial anode.

Posted: 2/12/2017 8:53:06 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
Electronic spark boilers furnace or water heaters need yearly cleaning along with the flame detectors.

Chimneys if you burn wood.

Condensent traps for condensing apliances

Flush your tank water heater

View Quote

Do I just need to clean the cathode and anode, or is there more?

Posted: 2/12/2017 9:03:01 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

Do I just need to clean the cathode and anode, or is there more?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Electronic spark boilers furnace or water heaters need yearly cleaning along with the flame detectors.

Chimneys if you burn wood.

Condensent traps for condensing apliances

Flush your tank water heater

Do I just need to clean the cathode and anode, or is there more?

Not really. Usually the spark is 2 prongs flame detectors are 1. I use grey scotchbrite.

Check the porcelain insulator on them.

Posted: 2/12/2017 9:27:08 PM EDT

[#10]

Not cleaning out the gutters for the first two years that I owned my current house was my biggest mistake. Water damage along walls, probably mold, and carpenter ants started pigging out on the soft wood.

Posted: 2/16/2017 6:47:36 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Drain the water heater annually.
Check the sacrificial anode.

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I just replaced my electric heat elements due to the lower element shorting out. My water is so damn hard, I should be flushing every 3 months, but I forget

Posted: 2/17/2017 9:21:32 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
I just replaced my electric heat elements due to the lower element shorting out. My water is so damn hard, I should be flushing every 3 months, but I forget

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Set up a recurring reminder event in Google calendar, and have it send you reminder emails a few times. That's what I did to remember to change our HVAC filters.

Posted: 2/17/2017 11:13:51 PM EDT

[#13]

I always crawl through the attic and look for damp spots, then crawl under the house looking for signs of water or termites.

Posted: 2/17/2017 11:25:07 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:

Do I just need to clean the cathode and anode, or is there more?

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Assuming you mean the sacrificial anode? I would flush the water heater, then check the annode, and replace if its no longer there. Then maybe check it annually, at least until you get an idea of how long it will last.

Of course, if you water heater hasn't been flushed in a while, flushing could create a pinhole leak (the pinhole was already there, but the sedement was preventing it from leaking).

I have no clue when my water heater was flushed. I'm just going to let it go until I replace it, then start on maintenance. My water heater was made in '77, so who knows how long it will go.

Posted: 2/18/2017 1:54:01 AM EDT

[#15]

Check foundation for small cracks annually. It's a sign of improperly routed water and will cause your foundation to fail over time. Catching it early will allow you to divert the water away and prevent major damage to foundation.

If you have electric heaters, clean each register semi-annually. If you have central heat, replace filter every 3 months.

Make sure no bums moved in to your crawlspace.

Posted: 2/18/2017 12:20:17 PM EDT

[#16]

Disassemble bathroom vent fans and clean them. Clean the dryer vent at least quarterly!
Replace the contactors in HVAC equipment every 6 to 8 years if your in a climate where they cycle frequently.
Gas operated tankless water heaters need to have a flush performed to clean residue out of the heat exchanger.

Posted: 2/18/2017 2:38:33 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Drain the water heater annually.
Check the sacrificial anode.

View Quote

lol my water heater is 33 years old and never been touched. Original heating elements too. Just changed an element in a heater in a commercial property we have had for 26 years. Was at least a few yo at that time. All KINDS of crap were in the tank when I drained it!

Posted: 2/18/2017 2:45:48 PM EDT

[#18]

A bit of a different one:

Make sure that the vents for any appliances...dryer, gas water heater, etc...that go out the roof are clear and the guards on the vents are properly installed.

When we moved into our current home, I was up on the roof for something else and noticed the guard on the water heater vent was gone. Looking down in the vent, I couldn't see daylight or feel heat. On a hunch, I pulled the vent and it had 14....yes, 14...birds nest in it! 14 years of nests, stacked right on top of the other! Talk about a fire hazard or CO problem waiting to happen!

Seriously, I counted it a miracle that I discovered it.

Posted: 2/18/2017 3:25:26 PM EDT

[#19]

The furnace filters are out of sight and out of mine, about every 3 months is good (buy in bulk they are cheaper, and they are only like 3 bucks each). Then the crawl space should get a once through every couple months, if something is wrong there you wont see it unless you are down there. Attic is the same.

Posted: 2/18/2017 3:45:02 PM EDT

[#20]

Roof
Sump Pump
Gutters
HVAC -- filter, thermostat battery
Basement -- walkthrough inspection of pipes, wiring, foundation
Sewer Line -- do you have a backflow prevention valve?