As a homeowner, you know what your home maintenance checklist often looks like: cleaning gutters, replacing filters, keeping window wells clean. There are a number of maintenance chores, however, that go undone and could leave you with a headache and a major hit to your wallet. Here are our five tasks that you cannot neglect:
1 – Test the sump pump if you have one. If you don’t check to be sure it’s working properly you could return home one day to find water pooling on your basement floor (at which point, call us!). Look for two things: (1) that the pump has a vertical float switch, and (2) after dumping water into the basin, confirm that the pump is functioning as intended.
2- Clean out your window weep holes. If these are not kept clear on your sliding windows or vinyl replacement windows, water from rain or snow could potentially make it’s way into your home. While these holes are made to drain water away so that it doesn’t collect in the window’s bottom channel, if they are plugged up the water will fill the channel and find it’s way in to where it doesn’t belong!
3 – Drain sediment from your water heater. Sediment will collect at the bottom of the tank, which then creates a ‘hot spot’ on a gas-powered tank – damaging the heater and causing a failure. Draining the tank will extend the life of the tank and will even save on your electric bills.
(Reference: familyhandyman.com)
