Indoor Summer Home Maintenance
Summer is here in Maryland. The temperatures are soaring, the humidity is rising, rain is pounding, and the sun is blazing. It’s important that you take the time to maintain your home this summer and to prepare it for the extreme conditions in play right now.
Here is a checklist of items you may want to review and perform in your own home.
Get your cooling system ready. If you haven’t already determined that your AC is working properly, it is still a good idea to get your air conditioning system checked out by a qualified HVAC technician. Some utility providers such as BGE and SMECO offer no cost to you evaluations through local HVAC companies. Proper maintenance can help your systems last longer. This one is especially important for summer home maintenance since you don’t want to be stuck without air conditioning. Change the filter in the air conditioner. This is something you should be changing already every month through the summer. Some people have been known to remind themselves to change the filter every time they pay the mortgage. Good idea.
Inspect for dust on the ceiling fan blades and check that the fan is balanced and working properly. Attach a dryer sheet to a paint roller so you can reach easily and dust away. After you have cleaned your fan blades, reverse the direction of your ceiling fans. If your fans spin counterclockwise, it’ll push the air straight down and keep your home nice and cool. To do this, turn off the fan, wait for it to stop, find the direction switch, and check that your fans are spinning counterclockwise.
Get your chimney cleaned. You will probably not use the fireplace until the Fall or Winter but now is the time to get it cleaned and inspected. Chances are that they are not busy right now and offer summer discounts.
Do a test of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace the batteries if needed. While on the subject, make sure your house follows the 2018 smoke alarm law. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/build/smokealarmlawfiremarshall.pdf
Check your attic and basement. In your attic, grab your flashlight and look for signs of dampness, mildew, leaks, holes in the roof, and evidence of pests. It is probably going to be hot up there in fact many attic spaces can reach temperatures up to 130 degrees or more so a good time to get up there may be earlier in the morning or after a rainstorm. In the basement, check for moisture around the walls and floors, look for leaks, evidence of pests, mold, and mildew.
Clean the dryer vent and exhaust ductwork. This is an area often considered as out of sight, out of mind but is very important to have cleaned out at least once every summer is a good habit to get into. Dust lint trapped in the ductwork has been known to catch fire.
These are only a few ideas that you will want to put on your homeowner calendar of events. Check back for Outdoor Summer Home Maintenance Tips yet to come.
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Highland Home Inspections is a Veteran Owned local business with offices in Ellicott City and Prince Frederick, Maryland and serves Central and Southern Maryland the Eastern Shore, Ocean City and Fenwick Island, DE. And now in Northern Virginia.