Home Maintenance Checklist for Warm Weather

Once the weather starts to warm up its time to get after those home-maintenance projects you haven't been able to get to, or have been putting off all winter. However, trying to figure out what plans to tackle is where things can begin to get challenging.

Jobs like tidying up the yard and inspecting the exterior of your home, should take priority, and the best way to get started is to make a list of all the things that need doing. To help you get going, here is a home maintenance checklist for warm weather.

1) Maintaining Yard Growth

Chemical changes and compaction of soil that happen in your yard during the winter
leave your lawn vulnerable to several issues, including weed growth. Here are a few tips:

● Take stock of lawn-maintenance equipment and gardening tools.

● Give the yard a thorough cleaning. Start by clearing any dead branches and other debris that has accumulated over the winter and then give the yard a good raking to remove any remaining leaves.

● Once the weather starts to warm up weeds are just waiting for optimum conditions to occur to sprout up. You can help prevent weeds from germinating by adding an approved organic herbicide to your lawn, and leave adding fertilizers until fall.

● Make sure the outdoor water-supply systems, such as faucets and in-ground sprinklers, are in good working order.

● Prepare new garden beds after the ground has thawed completely.

2) Home Insulation Inspection

During the warmer weather, air conditioning costs account for approximately 20 percent of all household energy consumption as well as producing roughly two tons of carbon dioxide over the summer months. Inadequate or compromised insulation can be responsible for approximately 40 percent of your home’s power loss.

Air leaks, along with poor HVAC performance, are the major culprits behind energy inefficiencies in every household, causing your AC unit to work overtime by having to cool the hot air entering your house through compromised insulation. Take the following steps to reduce the amount of electricity you will use over the summer:

● Look at the floor in your attic to see if the insulation is at least level with the attic floor joists. If you can see the joists you should add more insulation until the top of the joists are covered. If you can't see the floor joists the insulation is probably sufficient and adding more most likely won't create any added benefit.

● Check that the insulation is evenly distributed, without any low spots; there is often plenty of insulation across the middle of the attic floor, but very little along the eaves.

● Check all window and door casings for air leaks and caulk as needed.

3) Test and Lubricate the Garage Door

The garage door is the biggest moving part in your home and is used several times each day, especially when the weather is bad. After a long winter, here are some things the door will need to be checked for:

● Unusual Noises

Perhaps the most important maintenance procedure you can perform on the garage door is just to observe how it operates. Does it move smoothly along the tracks, or does it jerk in spots? If it hangs up you will need to call a service pro.

● Tighten the Hardware

The typical garage door is opened and closed more than a thousand times a year, and all that movement can loosen the hardware. Inspect and tighten any loose nuts and bolts with the appropriate socket wrench.

● Test Door Balance

With the door closed, pull the release handle, usually a red cord, and manually raise the door roughly halfway up. If it won't stay in position the springs aren't properly balanced. Since the springs are under extreme tension, adjustment should be left to a professional

● Check Door Cables

Like the springs, you shouldn't try to adjust the high-tension cables that lift the door, but you can check for damage so you know if you need to call in a pro.

● Inspect and Replace the Rollers

The door rollers should be checked for chips or cracks, and should be replaced at the first sign of wear.

● Testing Safety Features

With the door open, place a piece of wood on the floor in the path of the door. When the door touches the object, it should automatically stop and reverse direction.

● Lubricate Moving Parts

Use a spray-on lithium-based lubricant on all moving parts, including the screw or chain and overhead springs.

4) Exterior Inspection

Spring is a good time to perform a thorough walk-around of your property, as winter weather can take a big toll on your roof, gutters, walls, foundations, decks and windows. Here is a quick five-step checklist:

● Inspect the roof for any shifting or missing shingles.

● Check masonry joints for missing mortar and for loose or missing bricks or stones. Any such damage will lead to water infiltration and should be addressed ASAP. Check for efflorescence, a white calcium-like deposit, indicating the masonry joints aren't repelling water, but absorbing it.

● Exterior Walls. Whether your home has wood or vinyl siding or is brick or stucco, look for problem areas where the exterior walls may have become compromised. Check for openings and damaged areas, including knots in wood siding that may have popped out, that will make perfect entrances for insects and other small creatures.

● Check for water stains under eaves and around gutter downspouts that indicate your gutters aren't adequately draining roof runoff.

● Examine a masonry foundation top to bottom for any signs of cracks or other damage. Any breeches are an invitation to water infiltration and should be fixed immediately. Most cracks and chips are usually easily fixed with a two-part epoxy resin.

● Inspect all windows for any damaged panes as well as water and air leakage. Check for spots that may have loose, damaged or missing caulking.

For further information on warm-weather home inspection, or if you need assistance, feel free to call Skovron Mechanical Services LLC. in Manchester, NH at (603) 922-4037.