House Spring Maintenance Schedule

Roof spring maintenance Attic spring maintenance Exterior walls spring maintenance Fireplace spring maintenance Gutters and downspouts spring maintenance Drainage spring maintenance

Sump pump spring maintenance? Deck spring maintenance Air conditioner spring maintenance Landscaping spring maintenance Exterior water faucets spring maintenance Humidifier spring maintenance

Watch Home Maintenance videos on Youtube.com – Spring Home Maintenance

If you are reading this house spring maintenance schedule, you’re most likely a homeowner wondering how to decide what needs to be done and what things should have the highest priority on your list…

There might be some obvious, critical maintenance items that require your immediate attention. Print this House Spring Maintenance Schedule and add those critical items to the checklist. DO NOT attempt to perform any of the following tasks unless you are 100% sure that you’re capable of doing it – Safety First!

House Spring Maintenance Schedule

◊ Let’s start this spring maintenance from the roof. Inspect its surface for damage, contamination, and house attic along with the interior ceiling surfaces for any leakage / moisture stains.

If you notice something inside, examine the roof surface again concentrating on sections corresponding to any suspect / stained areas observed in the attic or inside your house. Pay close attention to the roof valleys and around roof penetrations; such as chimneys, vents, pipes, etc.

For more details check asphalt shingles maintenance and house attic posts.

◊ Attic spring maintenance

a) Check attic vents for contamination and damaged screens. Test  attic power vent by lowering its thermostat setting – you might need a screwdriver and the attic’s temperature must be above the lowest setting of the power vent .

• Don’t touch the blades with your hand, the motor starts automatically and can cause severe injury!
• Cut the power off completely if the fan requires any maintenance.
• If necessary, clean the vents to improve air circulation and replace damaged screens to prevent rodents and birds from accessing your attic.

b) One more thing in the attic; winters are often devastating for the house chimney. If it passes through the attic and there’s sufficient access to it, check its condition.

Look for corrosion on metal pipes, joints separations, brick, stone, or any other material deterioration, holes, leakage stains, etc. If you notice any problems call a professional immediately. Check the exterior condition of your chimney as well.

You can find all the details in: brick chimney problems, brick chimney crown, and other articles from chimney category.

◊ Exterior walls spring maintenance

a) Check exterior wall surface and seal off any openings that could become an entry point for rodents, birds and / or insects.

b) Examine the soffits, the wall finish, and trim along the roof overhang for water stains or discoloration. Stains are usually an indication that either:

• the ice dams might have created leaks along the roof edge
• the roofing material or flashing is in a poor condition
• or maybe your gutters are leaking

◊ Fireplace spring maintenance / Always have the fireplace or wood stove and chimney cleaned and serviced after the cold season. Even if you didn’t use it, make sure that there’s nothing obstructing the flue!

This next item is not only an important house spring maintenance schedule task, but I recommend doing it more often if you house is in a wooded area.

◊ Gutters and downspouts spring maintenance / Check the roof gutters and downspouts condition, reinstall downspout extensions removed for the cold season. Also, make sure that all of the surfaces surrounding your house have a positive slope to keep rain water flowing away from the foundation.

Everything you need to complete those task is on my website in: rain gutter maintenance and gutter downspout maintenance

◊ Drainage spring maintenance / To further improve drainage at your property, clear all the ditches and culverts of debris that could have accumulated over the winter.

◊ Sump pump spring maintenance / Check the sump operation and sump pump well. Re-install sump pump exterior discharge pipe extensions removed for the cold season – house sump pump.

◊  Deck spring maintenance / Check your deck and any exterior elements such as decking boards, deck framing, supporting posts, steps, railings, guardrails, fences, gates that might have been affected by the cold weather.

If some of the materials require refinishing, make sure that before applying a coat of paint to the surface, they are fully dry and the ambient temperature is somewhere between 70°F-75°F.

Air conditioning is one of those systems that shouldn’t be only a house spring maintenance schedule item. It usually requires more attention during the season.

◊  Air conditioner spring maintenance / If it wasn’t done after the previous cooling season, clean the air conditioner’s condenser enclosure from lint and any debris – it will increase your home energy savings. Be careful not to damage its delicate aluminum fins that surround the exterior walls.

Turn the electrical power off before cleaning and use leaf blower and vacuum brush attachment to remove contamination. Turn the power back on after servicing.

Replace damaged or missing insulation on AC copper lines. Ideally, you should have the system checked by a professional every couple of years.

◊ Landscaping spring maintenance / Inspect trees surrounding your property for weak and broken branches, have them removed before they can cause an injury. Spring is also a good time to fertilize your lawn and young trees.

◊ Exterior water faucets spring maintenance / With this next step, wait until the frost danger has passed. Test exterior water faucets for freeze damage and leaks.

With an attached garden hose open the valves and while running water examine house interior areas corresponding to the valves for possible leaks (basement, crawlspace, interior wall section at the valve’s level, etc.).

◊ Humidifier spring maintenance / Do you have a  whole house humidifier installed on your forced air furnace? If so, it is time to turn it off, drain it, clean it, and depending on the model you may need to replace some of the components. You should close the furnace humidifier damper on central heat – air conditioning combination systems.

◊ Spring Maintenance / Add your critical items to this list and GO over to Anytime House Maintenance /  House Safety Maintenance / Fall Maintenance.

I know you are exhausted, but if you have successfully completed all the items from the House Spring Maintenance Schedule checklist, dedicate some time for celebration :-).