Owning your own home comes with chores a plenty. Keeping up with things requires constant attention to make sure all of your bases are covered. It’s easy to get in to a routine when getting to these chores and there are certainly areas of your home that need more frequent attention then others. Others only need to be done once a year or even once every two years, and these chores can be very easy to miss the next year. In this post, I will outline a few home maintenance items that are easily forgotten about but important to make sure your home runs smoothly and you don’t end up with unexpected failures or outages.

Gutters

Gutter build up is easy to miss as it’s not easily visible from the base of the house. However, backed up gutters can create some serious issues like water seeping into the home potentially causing flooding and or mold. Schedule some time before you expect the rainier/snowier season and give them a good clean out.

Roofing

While you’re up on the ladder to clean out your gutters it’s a good idea to give your roof a look over. There are many signs your roof may be decaying that are visible with a quick glance. Be on the look out for:

• Shingles that are blistered, buckling, or curling up
• Cracked or missing shingles
• Moss or lichen build up (a sign the roof may be corroding underneath)

HVAC

Your HVAC system is among the most important parts of your home. Dust, dirt, grime and condensation can severely hamper your systems ability to function efficiently, and when things go wrong it can add it up very quickly. Do a good check up on this system at least once a year. House logic has a wonderful HVAC preventative maintenance check list that I recommend making a copy of.

Sump Pump

If you live in an area where your water table is above the foundation of your home, a sump pump is an absolute life saver. They are not needed often but when they are, you best hope it works. That’s why it’s important to do a yearly check up on this important facet. You can test your sump pump by unplugging and plugging the unit back in, if the unit doesn’t immediately turn back on it needs to be repaired or replaced. The second way to test your sump pump is to raise the water in the reservoir to raise the float, at which point your sump pump should kick on and remove the excess water.

Draining Your Water Heater

The most common type of water heater found in homes is a tank style water heater. They contain a tank with 20 – 80 gallons of heated water. Because of the minerals and sediments that exist in the water from your city (which can vary depending on what region you live in) you should drain your water heater at least once a year. This is a great video on how to properly drain your water heater.

There are some of the most commonly forgotten home maintenance items for homeowners. One thing that I found helpful to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks was to add a note on the calendar on my phone to reoccur each year, that way I am reminded to get to every item.