Most repair bills aren’t surprises. It’s simply deferred maintenance finally rearing its ugly head. Making a list, checking it twice for every season, turns reaction into action. Surprises become a thing of the past, replaced by manageable costs – protecting the value of the asset you’ve worked hardest to build.
Start At The Top: The Roof-To-Foundation Sweep
The best way to go about checking is from the top down, which is unsurprising. Whatever the exact source or form, water damage tends to begin in out-of-the-way places, slowly saturating timber and insulation and weakening the whole structure in direct sunlight.
Once a year, access the roof on a dry, sunny day and scan the tiles for any displaced, cracked, or missing. Water will find its way in through even the tiniest crack, soaking framing timbers and drywall for months before the first signs of rot appear. A ten-minute check for tiles can save you thousands in timber replacement.
Likewise, chimney and vent flashing should be tight and unbroken. These are another common point of ingress, and repair work has an irritating propensity to grow on you. One loose or failing seal lets in enough water to rot half the loft.
Outside, unblock the gutters every autumn so they can serve their first purpose: channelling rainwater safely away from the structure. When the downpipes block, water collects just above the foundation and begins seeping through the porous soil and cracks. Dozens of litres press unseen against the slab or footings, looking for any way in. A clear downpipe sends it well away from the building, counteracting the pressure generated by the runoff and possibly saving you tens of litres a year. Then, just make sure the northern edge of the building doesn’t drain straight into the southern wall; grade falling towards the foundation creates the same dilemma as the blocked downpipe.
The Pre-Peak Climate System Rule
Avoid making that call to the technician in the middle of a heatwave or cold snap. If your neighbors are also dialling for help, you’ll wait for service for hours even days sometimes, and those are pennies-on-the-dollar regular service charges. Repairs in an emergency cost multiple times what you’d pay for preventative maintenance.
Better book those appointments for a weekday late in spring or early autumn. The climate system isn’t working hard these two times of the year, so servicing can include all the tasks the unit needs to operate at optimum efficiency. Have filters and thermostats changed (most households run less air and heat when they’re properly calibrated), coolant levels assessed, and drainage lines emptied. If the unit is in good repair a seasonal service call should cost no more than $200.
Those are the prime times to spot extra work the unit may need. Cleaning or minor part replacements are cheaper and quicker if the system isn’t running at capacity so squeezing them into a proper service call in the offseason makes sense. For those in hotter areas during peak summer, a poorly set up unit can also result in half the expected life since it’s always straining. Professional calibration by Air Conditioning Services Canberra ensures your system is optimised for the hottest days, while also keeping it running efficiently throughout the milder seasons.
The Hidden Zones Most Checklists Miss
There are two maintenance jobs that hover near the top of fire risk statistics but are virtually invisible in standard seasonal maintenance guides.
One is cleaning your dryer vents. Lint is a documented fire hazard in the exhaust duct. Nearly everyone knows to clean the filter inside the dryer (which you should do after every cycle). Few remember to clean the duct running from the appliance to the exterior wall. That also needs to be done at least once a year, and possibly more, if you use the dryer a lot.
The other job is cleaning your refrigerator coils. When they are coated with dust, the fridge’s compressor is forced to work longer and harder to keep the temperature inside constant. That not only shortens the life of one of the priciest appliances in your home, often costing several hundred to several thousand dollars for a replacement, but also jacks up your monthly electric bill in the meantime.
A standard or Flat-Head screwdriver, a capable vacuum, and under 30 minutes of your time are all you need to accomplish either maintenance task. A professional is not required for either job. Both jobs are commonly skipped.
The Six-Month Safety Audit
The yearly home maintenance scheduled in the spring or fall is not just about re-caulking your seals, painting your thresholds, or tuning up your air conditioning. It’s not even about prolonging the life of your appliances and systems by copying their most maintenance-intensive parts in their manuals. It’s to remind you to check the batteries on your smoke detector… right now.
Smoke season is upon us, so if you don’t remember when you last checked your batteries, take a minute and jump up to your devices today and test your alarms.
For that matter, when you’re changing the batteries of alarm and carbon monoxide detector, check not just that each device lights up when you press test, but that you hear the alarm sounding elsewhere in the house. It’s not good enough to know that you have a working detector right in the fire – you need to know that you are going to hear it while in the bedroom.
Finally, check the manufacture date on your fire extinguisher while you are at it today. Most consumer – level extinguishers last 5 to 12 years. An expired extinguisher is less safe than having no extinguisher at all because you have a deterrent.
Maintenance As Asset Management
A well-maintained home isn’t just less expensive to operate – it actually retains its value in a way that deferred maintenance will destroy. Potential buyers and appraisers notice it, and so will the house itself. The tasks involved are usually not difficult. Mostly, it is a matter of timing – do the right job before the season that makes them essential, not during that season.
