Often Forgotten Home Maintenance Tasks
There is so much to remember to do when maintaining your home. While you may have a routine for home maintenance that includes necessary chores such as cleaning the gutters and mowing the lawn, here are some often forgotten home maintenance tasks that will improve your home’s performance over time.
1. Test your Detectors
One of the easiest home maintenance tasks is also one of the most important for safety. It’s a good idea to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors once a month to keep your family and home protected. Press the test button on the devices to make sure the alarm goes off. Also, for some carbon monoxide detectors that display a digital reading of the levels, use a substance that will put off a low level of smoke or carbon monoxide gas to test the detectors, such as a stick of incense. Light the incense and hold it close to the device. The alarm may not sound if the level is not high enough, but you should see the numbers increase by a little bit on the digital display.
2. Clean your Clothes Dryer Vent Duct
Over time, the vent on your dryer becomes clogged with lint and debris so it is important to clean it out at least once a year. Why not take care of it while you are doing the rest of your cleaning? Remove the cover of the vent, located on the outside of your home, and push a bristled lint brush into the vent, clearing out all the lint. Click here to watch a helpful video from Today’s Homeowner illustrating the process.
3. Reduce Sediment from the Water Heater
Every year, you should drain approximately 2 gallons of water out of your hot water heater to flush sediment out of the tank. Be sure to first turn off the water heater and the cold water valve, and then wait a couple hours for the water to cool. Then in order to drain the water out of the tank, attach a hose to the side and place it in a bucket or drain. Next, turn on a hot faucet in your home to prevent a vacuum from forming. Now you are ready to turn the drain valve on and drain a couple gallons from the tank. Once you are through, turn the drain valve off, remove the hose, and put the cold water valve and the heater back into the on position. Don’t test for hot water until a half hour has passed. Your hot water heater will function better if you perform this task every year.
Stay tuned for next month’s continuation of our tips for maintaining your home for improved function and performance!
Reveal 360 Inspection Services provides Fort Collins, CO and the surrounding areas with home inspection services including home maintenance inspections and aerial drone inspections for roofs. Contact us to schedule an inspection or discuss our services.