We had the privilege of chatting with our customer care team to learn about what we need to check when the warm weather comes. Read on or click below to listen to the podcast!

Spring Home Interior Maintenance

To start, it’s important to check your HVAC (heating and cooling system). We always recommend signing up for a maintenance program where they will come and do a check in both spring and winter to make sure everything is running well. This is a great option because it takes the guess work out of it for the homeowner. Alternatively, you can have them come to check on all of the equipment once per year.

Most homes have a whole house humidifier and that’s often wired with your thermostat. As humidity starts to peak up during the warmer months, make sure that you turn off the humidifier. The humidifier only runs when the heat is on and will not run with the air conditioner, however, it’s good to double check. Every year, it is important to replace the humidifier pad as it gets build up on it. You’ll want to clean the frame and put a new pad in it so that you’re ready for the winter when it comes back around. As a general rule, it’s advised to keep the humidity level in your home around 40% when you have the heat running.

Most fireplaces are automatic today, but if you do have a gas fireplace with a constant pilot running, be sure to turn that off. Each fireplace is a little different, so please refer to the unit’s instruction manual. If you have a direct vent fireplace, those are all automatic ignitions with a wall switch so you don’t need to turn anything off.

Be sure to change and clean the furnace filter. The timing depends on the type you have and when you put it in. Check it and replace if it needs it - if you have a 4” filter, those typically will last 9 to 12 months. We advise checking these every 6 months, but it may not need to be changed for 12 months. You’ll be able to tell if there is a lot of build up on it, then it’s wise to swap it out.

You’ll want to adjust all registers and make sure these are clear of any furniture or draperies. Make sure there is no debris in there such as dirt and pet hair. It’s great practice to clean these out with your other spring cleaning.

Make sure to properly test the air conditioning system and that it kicks on properly and is not short cycling. If it has a short cycle, turn the main power switch off and let it reset for 30 seconds before turning it back on. If that doesn’t fix the short cycling, call a qualified technician. We advise covering your air conditioner with a tarp before the winter, but be sure to remove that before starting the system in the warmer months. You also want to check that the air conditioner is level and clear of any debris - leaves, mulch, dirt, etc. You can use a leaf blower or a hose with a sprayer to get as much of that out of there as possible.

Make sure furnace vents are clear on the outside of your home. These are PVC pipes outside of your home and you want to check that there’s nothing piled up against them or any debris inside that could obstruct the air flow.

Because we have so much humidity in the warmer months, we highly recommend running a dehumidifier in the lower level. This should be run at 30-35%.

Moving into plumbing, make sure you pour water down any basement floor drains that may not be used regularly or any bathrooms that may not be used regularly. Make sure you run water for 10 to 15 minutes in each drain or dump water if there’s not a faucet to keep the traps wet. If the traps dry out, you’ll get a sewer gas coming through.

If a sump pump isn’t used regularly, run some water through that to avoid dry rot that will ruin the seals and won’t work properly when it is needed.

Once per year, we advise draining the water heater to get sediment out. There are different instructions based on the heater, but generally, you’ll want to turn off the water source to the unit by either flipping the switch or completely unplugging it. There’s a spigot near the bottom of the tank and you’ll want to hook a hose to that and run it over to the floor drain, open the valve on the water heater and let that all drain out. There is a pressure relieve valve on the side that you may need to pull up to relieve air pressure.

If you have a garage sink that has been turned off for the winter, you’ll want to fire that back up and make sure there are no issues with the drain lines in the lower level. We also recommend flushing out the trap really well before using as that may contain anti-freeze if you put that in there when winterizing.

Do a visual check of all plumbing lines. Turn all sinks on and run for 10 minutes and check under the vanity to make sure there are no drippings from any of the lines.

We are so grateful to have an experienced team to relay information to us homeowners. We hope you learned a lot and are excited to get your home spring ready!