Utah is a wonderful state to live in because we get to experience each of the seasons to the fullest. But as a property owner, each season creates new challenges. Keeping your home problem-free is a never-ending task that is part of the joy of homeownership! In this article, I will provide tips to avoid home damage and identify potential issues in your home.
One of the easiest ways to detect or avoid problems is by keeping your home clean and clutter free. Regular cleaning will help you notice areas that may start to develop into a problem such as water
intrusion. We see it all the time here at Complete Restoration, where water is coming in from a window slowly but homeowners do not notice. The window may be covered by a couch or a dresser and with regular cleaning, a huge problem could be avoided.
Throughout the year, you will want to go through a check list of homeowner tasks that you may not normally think about. Provided below are some important maintenance tasks you want to think about as an Utah homeowner.
#1 Change your furnace air filters
Your filters will collect dust and debris. Checking it every couple of months will help your
heating and cooling system perform optimally. By doing this you could avoid causing your system to overload, break, or cause a fire.
#2 Check and clean your washer and dryer
Dryers especially should be deep cleaned. Besides the lint basket, there are other areas in the dryer that can build up lint. This buildup makes the dryer work harder for each load and the lint can work its way into the heating element, which is bad news. By cleaning your dryer regularly, you can avoid a fire burning your home and belongings.
#3 Walk around the outdoor of your home
Do a walk around each new season to look for cracks and a build up of debris. Cracks will easily allow water and moisture into your home, a buildup of debris does the same but in a more subtle way. A build up of debris on basement windows will allow moisture to sit up against the window. That moisture will eventually work its way into the home slowly creating water damage. Walking around your home will also help you identify sprinkler repairs, damage to siding and roof, etc.
#5 Sprinklers and hose bibs inspection and care
This is very important in the spring and fall. In the fall sprinklers should be winterized by being drained or having air put through the system to blow out any water in the system. In the spring sprinklers should be de-winterized and checked for problems like frozen valves or broken sprinklers heads.
#6 Check smoke detectors and fire extinguisher
Go through your home each spring and check each of your smoke detectors and their batteries. It may seem tedious but that alarm is very important for your safety. If you don’t already have a fire extinguisher, get one. If you already have one, make sure it’s easily accessible and not expired. Most extinguishers have an expiration date. Utah is one of the most wildfire prone states in the U.S and it’s important to be prepared before the summer heat comes.
These are just a few items to think about for keeping your home problem free. As most of us know,
the list of things that need to be taken care of around the home is never ending. But these tips listed above are an easy way to get a head start on avoiding property damage.