A new home is a large investment and maintaining your home is the key to retaining that value. There’s a new set of home maintenance tasks to handle for each season.

While some of these homeowner tasks occur monthly, there are a few you’ll want to tick off your checklist during the summer months. Here are the summer home maintenance tasks you should complete this season to make sure your home is in the best condition all year long:

Summer tasks:

• Inspect and repair your heating or air-conditioning system
• Inspect and repair the following caulked areas (as needed)
  • Kitchen and bath wet areas
  • Flushing area
  • Window and door seals
  • Around all penetrations (hose, faucets, duct work from vents, fireplace and chimney vents)
  • Vinyl, aluminum or wood siding
  • Stucco or mortar cracks
  • Interior settling or shrinkage sheetrock cracks
• Clean and repair gutters
• Make sure gutters are free of material that could prevent water from flowing freely

Once a month:

• Clean and replace air-conditioning filters. If you have an energy recovery system, (air exchange system) remember that these filters also need to be cleaned and/or replaced.
• Inspect and clean external laundry vents.
• Flush all toilets and run water through all sinks, especially when bathrooms are not used on a regular basis.
• Remove and clean the Kitchen Exhaust Fan filter. Clean accumulated grease deposits from the fan housing.

Every quarter:

• Check the exterior drainage conditions to ensure that nothing is causing water to stand in puddles for more than 24 hours and that water from any source is not draining toward your foundation.
• Check your GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) for proper operations by tripping the circuit interrupter buttons and then resetting them. If they will not trip and rest, contact us for service or information on what to do.
• Inspect, lubricate and clean all your exterior vents. Make sure that air flows freely and that each has an operable damper to prevent backflow of outside air and to keep small animals from entering your home.
• Lubricate and inspect mechanisms for all doors including your garage door. Adjust if necessary.

Check out our Yearly Home Maintenance Schedule so you know what home maintenance tasks you should expect to complete during the year. By following this home maintenance routine, you’ll be able to keep your home safe and secure.