Raising the Standard Episode 60

Spring is in the air all over West Michigan, and that means warmer weather and more opportunities to get outside and enjoy some sunshine! With the change of seasons, it’s important to make sure you make sure your home and its major systems are prepared. There’s nothing like a little spring maintenance to help keep everything in good shape! 

Need a few tips to get your home ready for spring? Listen below or read ahead as owner Jeff Street covers a few spring maintenance tips inside and outside your home to help your home thrive this season and long-term.

Outside Spring Maintenance Checklist: 

1. Clean Your Gutters and Down Spouts

Make sure you get all the debris out of your gutters that been collecting in there all winter.

 2. Inspect your Roof and Chimney

Inspect your roof and chimney for cracks and damage. This is important because make sure your chimney’s not gonna fall over and make sure you didn’t have ice damage under your shingles because that will cause leaks.

3. Touch Up Your Exterior Paint

If your paint is looking worn on the outside of your home, spring is the time to touch it up before it’s 100 degrees outside!

4. Prep Your Windows for Warmer Weather

It’s probably safe to say that you can remove your outdoor wintertime protection on your windows and put your screens back on so you can open your windows on those nice 60 degree days to let fresh air in your home.

5. Get Your Lawn Mower Ready for the First Mow

Often after our last mow of the year, we just put our lawn mower away and don’t think about it until this time of year. So now is a good time to change the oil, check the air filter, clean off the bottom of the deck, and maybe sharpen the blades to make sure it’s prepped for that first glorious mow of the year. Also make sure to pick up any sticks and rocks that may be in your yard to avoid wreaking havoc on your lawn mower. 

6. Fertilize your Lawn

Lastly, now is the time to fertilize your lawn so it can really flourish and benefit from those spring showers. 

Indoor Spring Maintenance Checklist: 

1. Test Your Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors

We recommend that whenever the clock changes in the spring and fall to test your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. So when you experience a time change, that’s an indicator to test your detectors and change the batteries. It is extremely important to make sure these detectors are working by doing this twice a year at least so it’s a good habit to get into checking them when the time changes for your family’s safety.

2. Check Your Sump Pump

This time of year we have snow melting plus rain coming in, which causes more water than normal. This means you are going to want to make sure your sump pump is working to prevent your basement or crawl space from flooding. You can test it by lifting the switch or just pour water into it and see if it turns on. If you discover it’s not working, call a professional plumber or go to Youtube and try to troubleshoot it yourself if you’re handy with DIY projects like this.

3. Clean Out Your Cabinets

Go through your cabinets and get rid of everything that’s expired and do a little organizing now before it gets really nice outside and you have temptations to be outdoors more often.  

4. Make Sure Your Air Conditioner is Working When it’s Warm Enough

Your outdoor air conditioning unit should not be turned on when it’s under 60 degrees. If it’s 50 degrees outside, don’t flip your AC on to see if it works. You should definitely wait until it’s warmer. Due to the way your air conditioner is built, we strongly recommend that you not turn it on unless it’s over 60 degrees because the oil in there is too cold otherwise. Turning it on prematurely could do more harm than good. So wait until a nice 60 degree day to make sure your AC is working and not making crazy noises, smoking, etc.

The concern with your air conditioner is that it’s been sitting out there by itself all alone in harsh winter weather, making it an ideal home for mice and rodents. That’s usually the biggest issue we see when a client’s AC isn’t working after a long winter is that a mouse has gotten in there and ate all of the wiring. So definitely inspect your AC for rodent homes when you check that out this spring.

Want Us to Perform Regular Home Maintenance Check-Ups for You?

If you would like a professional home services company come out and perform an air conditioner and electrical check-up for your home in the spring and a furnace a plumbing check-up in the fall, we have a Total Home Care Club, where we have a big list of items we look at in those 4 categories to ensure the major systems in your home are running safely and efficiently. This prolongs the life your home’s most expensive equipment in the long run and gives you peace of mind that everything is in good shape.

This membership also gives you priority HVAC and plumbing scheduling, free service calls, a 10% member discount, and more. You can purchase a membership right here on our website for just $19.99 per month of $240 for the year: https://thebossservices.com/online-store/#/search?q=home%20care

Any Questions About Spring Home Maintenance?

Give our office a call at 269-468-6682 if you’ve discovered issues with your HVAC system or plumbing after performing some of these spring maintenance check ups yourself. We serve all of West Michigan from New Buffalo to Grand Rapids and as far west as Kalamazoo. We would be happy to visit your home and give you our professional opinion if you need it!  Thanks for reading this week’s blog – enjoy the spring weather!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download