California Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
California Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
California winters may be mild compared to otherparts of the country. The weather can nonetheless take a toll on your property.When a home isn’t properly winterized, the heavy storms can cause everythingfrom dry rot and roof leaks to crawl space flooding and substantially lessenergy efficiency which could rack up the bucks. That’s why, even inCalifornia, it’s crucial to perform preventative measures on your home andproperty in the winter. Here are some tips for keeping your home winter ready,both indoors and out.
Interior:
ServiceHeating System
Depending on the type of heatingsystem you have, there are a few home maintenancethings you should do. If you have a furnace, check the filter and change it outif needed. And those with a boiler should have their system cleaned every year.Those with gas should have a cleaning about every three years. Also, have your heating system inspected andserviced by a professional annually. This will ensure your system is workingproperly and rule out any potential hazards.
CheckFireplace & Chimney
If your home has a fireplace, you’ll need to makesure it’s performing properly. When a fireplace or stove isn’t maintained, itcan lead to safety hazards like chimney fires or carbon monoxide poisoning.That’s why it’s always a good idea to have yours professionally cleaned andinspected for cracks and debris.
Check SmokeDetector & Carbon Monoxide Batteries
According to the U.S. Fire Administration,heating is the cause of 27 percent of structuralfires. Make sure all smoke and carbon monoxidedetectors are working in your home. Replace batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide detectors once a year,or better yet, replace your detectors with special 10-year battery units. Manypeople just change it out when it starts giving you the low battery beepingnoise. With something as important as this, you can’t be too careful, andbatteries won’t break your bank.
ReverseCeiling Fans
If you have ceilingfans, there should be a switch to make the fan bladesrun clockwise. Running the blades in a clockwise position during the coldermonths can push heated air down. This makes rooms with high ceilings morecomfortable.
Inspect Your WaterHeater
Being without hot water is never fun. You canreduce the chances of water heater failure during winter by performing aninspection. Test your water heater’s pressure relief valve. This will preventmineral and corrosion buildup, which safeguards against leaks. It will alsohelp your heater run more efficiently. Inaddition to checking for water leaks, clean the air intake screen toensure the burner is receiving enough oxygen. If you haven’t flushed your waterheater’s tank in more than a year, it’s a good time to do so.
Exterior:
Check all Windows& Doors
Walk around the outside of the house and do avisual inspection of all windows and doors, looking for gaps where the trimmeets the siding. Caulk any gaps around windows or doors. Open doors and checkthe condition of the weather stripping. You can check for air leaks aroundwindows and doors with a lit candle. The candle will flicker everywhere thewind’s getting in. Maintaining weather stripping on the doors and windows willgreatly improve home energy efficiency. Ifthe issue persists, consult a window professional.
CheckDrainage
Standing water can cause a lot of problems, from foundationerosion to crawl space flooding and puddling on your property. One simplemeasure to mitigate this is to ensure all gutter downspouts drain away fromyour home.
As for your overall property, there are two types of standingwater that can cause problems: surface water and groundwater. Most surfacewater issues can be amended with a strategically placed surface drain, whilegroundwater issues are usually addressed using a French drain. Have a drainageprofessional identify the sources of your property’s drainage issues andprescribe solutions.
Inspect Roof
It’s important to clean your roof and verify its condition yearly.Start by clearing leaves, tree branches and other debris off your roof and fromyour gutters, paying special attention to valleys and other areas where debriscan collect and cause leaks. Next, inspect your roof’s shingles andwaterproofing components, including seals and flashings around penetrationslike pipes, vents, skylights and chimneys. Since the summer heat can causerubber seals and caulking to wear out prematurely, it’s wise to check these andreplace any that are worn out.
Trim TreeLimbs
Trees can damage roofs and siding by trappingmoisture near the house, scraping surfaces, and dropping limbs. Prune them tokeep them off the house. If you own a home with stucco siding that extends allthe way to the ground, avoid foundation plants altogether because the waternecessary to maintain them can wick into the stucco, causing the stucco tofail. Keep plants at least 3 feet away from houses with full stucco siding.
Touch Up FailingPaint
House paint isn’t just forlooks—it also seals the wood siding against moisture intrusion. Go around your homeand assess the condition of the paint. Touch up any areas that lookdeteriorated; if the paint is in poor overall condition, schedule aprofessional repainting job.