How important is preventive maintenance?

Preventive maintenance can mean the difference between maintaining the value in your home or depleting the equity you might have gained; keeping hard earned cash in your pocket, or throwing it into the wind with an unnecessary or unexpected expense.

The best way to help maintain any appreciation and protect your investment is to do minor routine tasks, proactively and systematically, to help keep the home operating and functioning normally. Avoiding major operating malfunctions or complete failures can easily be avoided if homeowners take just a few minutes to do some routine minor household tasks.

Many of these items can be done by the homeowner, cutting costs significantly, although the cost of hiring a professional is usually better than not performing the maintenance at all. Having to spend money on replacement appliances and installation costs can be several times more costly than the simple maintenance of them. 

Maintenance Check-List

1.       Service heat and a/c system once a year.

2.       Change the filters in your heat and a/c system once a month.

3.       Drain hot water heater once a year.

4.       Don't leave light sockets without bulbs.

5.       Periodically run a pitcher of ice cubes through garbage disposal to sharpen blades.

6.       Replace dripping faucets immediately to conserve water.

7.       Don't allow toilet tanks to drip - replace bullock   assembly.

8.       Check weather stripping around doors for air leaks.

9.       Visually look at roof after high winds to detect loose shingles.

10.    Visually look around outside roof line to find holes where animals might enter.

11.    Check batteries in smoke detectors monthly/replace annually.

12.    Wrap outside pipes in winter to prevent freezing.

13.    Remove garden hose from outside faucet in winter.

14.    Water around foundation during dry periods to prevent cracking or shifting.

15.    Perform a walk around of your home annually to check for the need to touch-up any caulking around windows, door frames, siding, trim, penetrations in exterior wall claddings, etc. Not only will this help prevent damaging water entry but also help prevent pest entry. Don't forget to check for damaged, missing, crumbling mortar in bricked areas.

16.    For tiled surfaces, especially floors, check annually on the condition of your grout and the sealing of the grout. Have all areas repaired as soon as possible. To test for grout sealing just sprits or flick a little water on several areas of the grout. It should not absorb into the grout quickly and ideally will bead up. Water can damage grouted areas quickly and once cracked, crumbled or open can allow water under the tile to cause even more damage.

17.    If you have access to your attic step onto the entry maintenance platform, or stick your head through the entry hatch and have a look around. DO NOT try to walk your attic if at all possible. Instead use a pair of binoculars and look for water staining, damage, etc.

18.    Check any caulking touch-up, or for the lack of, around your tubs, showers, vanities, etc.

19.    Test your Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets at least twice a year. If you have Arc Fault Circuit Interrupters (AFCI) test them also. Both come with integral test buttons.

20.    Clean your window casings and mechanisms, if exposed, at least annually.

21.    Check your garage door and opener mechanisms for proper operation and damages.

REMEMBER: better maintained homes sell faster and for higher prices