Regular scheduled maintenance for a house?

[tny915]

DH and I have been homeowners for about 4 years now, and we have no clue when or what we're supposed to do. DH is not handy in the least. I'm only slightly more handy than he is, and really that's not saying much at all. I'm talking about when to do things like get roofing done, when to get the chimneys sweeped, house/deck power-washed, when to get the heating and dryer ducts cleaned, etc.

I just got us a new washer/dryer (see "So excited to do laundry" post) and the installation people just mentioned that the dryer ducts were very clogged. So THAT'S probably why our old dryer started to go out. I guess I'm supposed to get that thing cleaned every couple years? I'm still happy to have our new machines, but geez, that's a very expensive fix for a simple problem. I feel like such a boob, and I haven't told DH about it yet.

So can anyone give me a list of things that I should keep in mind?
Or is there a website or something that I can refer to so I know what to do and when I'm supposed to be doing it?

[toomanystrollers]

Lets see, if you're dryer duct is a flexible "aluminium foil" looking thing - you can do that yourself no problem - they sell new ones at Lowes/Home Depot. We probably clean our duct out every 4-6 months - too much lint can create a fire hazard.

Power washing is purely cosmetic - so if you want to freshen up your deck/shingles - then go for it.

Roofs - we have 25 yr. shingles on ours - so I hope we get close to that out of them.

Chimney - depends if you use yours often. Ours has never been swept but I haven't used it in over 6 years.

Here's one of our fav. sites:

http://doityourself.com/sitemap.htm

HTH

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Power wash should not be used on shingles per my roofer. It removes the coating-can not think what it is called, the pebbly surface and can change the look of the single and decrease the effectiveness of the shingle.



Susan

#1 Nick 11-18-04

[toomanystrollers]

Opps, I'm not talking power washing roof shingles - around here, we use wood shingles on the sides/back of houses - so wood shingles are safe to be washed.

[bostonsmama]

I'm sure the "supposed to" stuff depends on how old your home is. If you buy new construction, most people won't start having to do major maintenance for a couple years, and fixing stuff won't start until 5-7 years. That said, our home was 16 years old when we bought italthough it was in impeccable shape. The lady was a neat freak who had has asthma...the place looked like a time capsule of 1986.

*The minute we moved in the hot water heater died, which our home warranty replaced. They usually last 10-15 years.
*We started replacing the OG sink/bath faucets, as they were squeaky & corroded after 18 years.
*We just put on a new architectural shingle roof at the 18 year mark.
*We regularly flush a cup of bleach and gallon of water down the overflow tube for our air conditioner's condensation runoff pipe which is in the attic. This prevents mold from growing & was recommended by the a/c guy.
*Our A/C and gas heat system was completely replaced with a stronger, more up-to-date TRANE system 6 mos before we bought our home...they eventually start to go after 20 years.
*We've replaced some wooden facia boards in our exterior trim/decorative eaves.
*We don't powerwash the siding, but we spray Roundup on the sides to kill green moss/mildew once a year as needed.
*I don't recommend power washing your deck more than once every 5 years. IMO, it gets really splintery afterwards.
*We replaced the carpet when we moved in (16yrs is WAY too long to wait, IMO).
*We replaced 2 window screens whose frames bent, and our screen door bit the dust in a hurricane (still needs to be replaced).
*We replaced all the bent and non-contacting sash locks when we moved in.
*We steam-clean/shampoo our carpets ourselves once a season.
*We scraped and repainted the wood windows we have (inside and out). We plan to do this every 5 years as needed; vinyl window sills don't need this. We also repainted our shutters and door, although partly b/c we wanted a new color.
*We clean out our gutters every year (usually the fall)...while we're up there we check the roof for leaks & debris.
*We used to trim our massive 30-ft oak in the front yard so the branches didn't harm the house, but after hurricane damage, we removed it for good.
*We have a termite company come once a year to inspect the place & treat as needed (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)
*We keep 3M air filters with Merv 8-Merv 11 ratings in our air conditioner intake duct so we shouldn't have to have them cleaned for another decade or so.
*We should sweep our chimney once a year (especially since we burn fires every other day to supplement the heat bill in the winter)...but we don't. Shame on us!
*We do drain our hot water heater tank yearly to get out the debris that settles on the bottom & makes it inefficient. We use it to water the grass/flowers, though.
*We treat our appliances with care, cleaning them, making sure the fridge's under coils are dusted, oven is cleaned yearly, microwave doesn't have gunk on the ceiling (we use a plate cover each time), washer & dryer hoses are clear.
*DH really believes in running the fan when you shower so mold/mildew don't grow over the walls, which can make your whole house "sick."
*Mainly, we just keep a clean house, constantly upgrade stuff (often replacing more of the foundational stuff that we notice once we've ripped something out), and make sure we're good stewards of our home.

[C99]

Here are a few things I've picked up, but don't ask me if we've actually done them on schedule!

- Drain your water heater once/year
- Replace your furnace filters monthly (Too bad they don't sell them in bulk... the good ones are like $15/pop)
- Have your furnace and AC units checked and cleaned twice/year (spring/fall)
- clean your lint tube twice/year
- change the filter on your range hood once/year
- check the batteries in your smoke detectors twice/year
- clean/repair screens once/year
- have ductwork powercleaned every 7 years (this is what the company that did ours said, I've since read every other year)

[alkagift]

Terri,
Well, there's a difference between appliance maintenance and home maintenance, and I don't know if this will address the dryer duct issue, but this book has been indespensible for DH and I, since neither of us is handy. This isn't really much about how to do repairs once something is broken, per se, but how to maintain things so they don't break. For repairs, the Reader's Digest "Do It Yourself" book is good.

"The New York Times Home Repair Almanac: A Season-By-Season Guide for Maintaining Your Home"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0867307595/qid=1119544834/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-0974923-3978304?v=glance&s=books


Allison
Mommy to Matthew Clayton, who is TWO!