Spring Maintenance Checklist

To help protect your most valuable asset-your home, the spring is the recommended time for checking for these potential problems and applying some preventative maintenance before they result in costly repairs later.

Inspect your Deck

Look for water stains where the deck ties to the house. Water runoff may lead to rot, weakening the structure and roof of the house. If you have any doubt about the structural integrity of the deck, call a professional to investigate.

Rid your deck of moss and mold. Pressure washers are effective. Remember, if you see wood damage, like raised fibers, increase the distance between the nozzle and the surface. We recommend an electric pressure washer. They are generally quieter and easier to store and transport than the gas models.

Dirty air conditioner

Disconnect electric power to the outside of your air conditioning condenser and clear of leaves and debris with a vent brush, power blower, garden hose, or the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If the cooling fins are exposed, be careful not to bend them. (If your garden has lots of trees and plants, wrap around the mesh fiberglass condenser coil to capture pollen and leaves. Replace the mesh as necessary. Do not allow debris to block airflow .) Vacuum the grille and register inside the home to ensure good air circulation. Lastly, now would be a good time to change your furnace filter. We recommend 3M Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction furnace filters.

For a more detailed maintenance walkthrough, see How To Tune Up Your HVAC.

Inspect your Foundation

Slight cracks in foundation walls often occurs during curing, and settling of the foundation over time and is not necessarily a cause for alarm. Mark the crack and check back in a few months - or better still get good digital photos of this and other 'to do list' items. If the cracks seem to worsen, call a specialist. If they are unchanged, fill the cracks with an injection system of epoxy resins.

Inspect your Garage Door

If you're like me, your car has never seen the inside of the garage which is used instead as a workshop and storage shed, meaning the door has hardly been used all winter. To check that the door is balanced, the release in the manual mode and lift a hand. The door should lift easily and smoothly and stay open on its own about 3 feet off the ground. If not, by hiring a garage door technician to counterbalance the overload spring. Then set the investment in the opening as small as possible. Place a 2x4 board on the floor under the door, wide side down. The door will backup when it's 2x4. If not, call a garage door professional. Photoelectric eyes tested by holding the 2x4 between them. The door should reverse direction. If not, have it checked by a professional.

Clean your Gutters

Clear the channels of debris and check for signs of corrosion, joint separation, and loose fasteners. Remove the pipes and unclog downspouts leader. Leaders should extend at least 5 feet of water to run away from the foundation. We recommend a Type 1A ladder for safety. Never go beyond the label of the highest step. Never use an aluminum ladder near power lines.

Inspect your Roof

Leaks in the roof typically occur around chimneys, skylights, and other vents or openings. They are easier to detect from inside the attic, where water stains on the rafters are a good indicator. Patching leaks is best left to a professional. Examine the siding under the eaves of the roof, ceilings and rooms below for waterstains or discoloration, indications that ice dams may have created leaks along the edge of the roof. Inspect the roof for cracked, bent, or missing shingles. Asphalt shingles typically last 20 years and are often warrantied.

Inspect your Trees

If you live in an area that has experienced a heavy snowfall your trees may have experienced damage. If the damage is far up the tree, hire a licensed arborist who is experienced in removing branches far from the ground. If you can reach the damaged area, remove the branches with a sharp tree saw using the 3-cut technique, which prevents tearing the bark and creating an open wound in the trunk making it vulnerable to disease:

1. Make the first cut on the branch 1 to 2 feet from the trunk, sawing a quarter of the way through the bottom of the branch.
2. Make the second cut on the branch 3 inches beyond the first, sawing all the way through the branch.
3. Lastly, remove the branch at the trunk, sawing from the top down.

Check for bent branches which may have occurred during a heavy snowfall. Make a mental note, or again take digital pictures as a reminder, and check again later when new growth is emerging.

Inspect your Pavement

Cracks in pavement are an invitation for weeds which can progress the damage. Home centers sell patching and filling materials to the surfaces of asphalt and concrete. If you have a path that was laid dry, as opposed to setting in mortar, brush stone dust or sand into the joints to lock the pavers in place and prevent weeds from invading.

How To Fix a Damp Crawlspace and Prevent Mold

The purpose of foundation vents is to allow passing air to carry moisture out of crawlspaces. Except in especially dry climates, this often isn't enough. Even in warm hot summer months the humid moisture laden air will condense on the cooler foundation walls, pipes, ductwork, and even the underside of the flooring. Moisture, still air, and relative darkness is the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew.

One mold inspector/technician I know recommends leaving the vent's open year long (trim hedges or other obstructions back to allow better air flow) and also wiring the crawlspace with low wattage lighting to run 24/7.

These tips will help keep your crawlspace dry and mold free:

1. Create Better Drainage around your home to prevent rainwater from seeping under the foundation. Grade soil to about .5 inch per foot. Import the soil if necessary, if you'll pardon the pun, it's dirt cheap. This step is highly recommended even if you have gutters to direct the rain water coming off your roof. If you do have gutters, make sure the water is directed away from the downspouts and not pooling back to the foundation.

2. Insulate the Exposed Foundation walls with 1.5 inch rigid, moisture-proof insulation such as Thermax, taping the seams. It would also be a good idea to use this same insulation to insulate the rim joists (the joists that sit atop the foundation walls) and caulk to prevent air flow.

3. Cover the Dirt Floor of the crawlspace with a heavy plastic (10-20 mil) moisture barrier. You want the barrier to be mostly continuous (a few accidental holes wont undo the protection and may even help puddles from heavy rains or a busted pipe drain off) so overlap and tape the seams. Attach the plastic at least 6 inches up on the foundation walls.

4. Cap the Interior of the Foundation Wall with a strip of the plastic sheeting and galvanized flashing to complete the moisture barrier. The flashing will also serve as an obstacle to termites (not a complete defense, just a part of your control program.

Better moisture control not only helps prevent mold and mildew growth, but also will help to extend the life of your ductwork, plumbing, pressure tanks, and hot water heaters located in the crawlspace.

How to Install a Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat can be set to not heat or cool as much when you're not home to enjoy it, thus saving you hundreds of dollars a year. Not too shabby for a $30 investment! This may seem like a daunting task at first, but its really very simple:

1. Turn off power at HVAC unit and trip the breaker.

2. Remove cover from old thermostat and unscrew assembly from the wall. Disconnect the wires and label with terminal designations.

3. Bundle wires together and tie in a slipknot around a pencil or scrap piece of wood, to prevent losing down the gap between the walls.

4. Remove any old corrosion from bare ends of wire with sandpaper. Re-strip about 3/8 inches from end of wires where necessary.

5. Slip wires through new wall plate, and position with level. Using a pencil, mark the holes for the mounting screws. Remove the wall plate, drill the holes, and secure wall plate into position.

6. Connect the wires using terminal designations and/or manufacturers directions. Push the excess wire back through wall plate into gap between walls.

7. Attach front of assembly and cover. Turn power back on, and program your new thermostat.

That's all there is to it!