As mentioned in our accompanying piece (" Summer Maintenance for Your Home's Exterior"), most homeowners never consider that the inside of their homes need protection from the summer heat. And yet, performing your own inspection and subsequent maintenance (either on your own or with the help of a professional) can have a significant effect upon your summer energy bills, not to mention the lifespan of appliances throughout your home that are vulnerable to temperature variations.

Your ceiling fans are probably already in use nearly 24 hours a day. Have you noticed that they're swaying a bit more this summer than last year? Call professional electrician to inspect the wiring in the fan, which is usually located in your attic. The wiring may have come a bit loose last summer, and a skilled professional can tighten and secure those connections to prevent swinging (a scary experience if the fan hangs over your bed, kitchen table or any place in the house where family members congregate).

Your air conditioner was humming along in tip-top shape at the end of the summer last year. So there's no reason to believe that you'll have any problems with it this season, right? Don't be so quick to dismiss the need for an inspection of your air conditioning unit. After all, the unit has been dormant for nearly a year. There are no guarantees. Your best insurance policy is to call a professional heating and cooling service to inspect your air conditioning unit for signs of wear and tear (ask friends or family for a recommendation first). Make sure you have plenty of freon to last you through the summer, and that the air filters on the fan have been changed. Those filters should be changed again before the end of the summer; their average lifespan is about two and a half months. Vents and turbines in your home also should be clog-free, allowing them to spin freely.

Take a look at all windows throughout your home for signs of cracks. You may need to apply a fresh layer of putty in order to reseal the window frames and prevent warm outside air from entering your home. Inspect the area around your doors, too. Extremes of heat and cold cause wood to expand and contract, causing gaps to appear between the door and the frame. If you're spotting strips of sunlight between the door and the frame, you're losing considerable amounts of money on wasted energy. Call a professional to repair the problem. You'll keep your home cooler and your energy bills down.

For many of us throughout the United States, the arrival of the summer months also means violent thunderstorms. Lightning causes house fires every year. Make sure you've installed fresh batteries in all smoke detectors throughout your home, and test them for their effectiveness by lighting a match and holding it underneath.

Why would you want to check your fireplace during the summer? You won't be getting anywhere near it, so why bother? The summer months are your best bet for calling a professional chimney sweep to clean your fireplace and flue. If you wait until the winter months to call a service, chances are good you'll have to wait in line behind many other customers, and you won't get the speedy response you need.

Performing all of these indoor and outdoor maintenance measures makes good sense not only from the standpoint of protecting your home and family from the elements. You'll also be protecting your investment by preventing more costly problems.

Published: June 1, 2000

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