House maintenance
 

I think all the years of maintaining a checklist for my old cars rubbed off when it comes to the house. For example, here’s my fall annual checklist:

Turnoff outside faucets from inside.

Change furnace filter.

Clean & replace humidifier filter.

Clean A/C & humidifier drain lines.

Oil water heater blower & flush ½ gallon of water.

Change house waterline filter.

Change refrigerator filter.

Clean garage furnace pilot.

Clean dryer vent.

I usually do all this in November but this year’s weather made it feel more like October. Since it is starting to snow hard here today, I got my list out and just finished it. Do any of you do anything similar?

Did you change the batteries in your smoke/CO detectors? Lay in a supply of rock salt for the driveway? Close or block A/C vents?

I think turning the outside water spigots off is about all I do each winter.

This year I'll be expanding the list out of necessity. Just last weekend, I discovered that the pilot light on the gas unit heater in my garage was out. I re-lit it, and it ran fine for a day while I was working in the garage, but was out again the next day. I was unsuccessful in having it stay on after trying to light it again after that.

So it looks like changing a thermocouple and cleaning a pilot (the flame looked fine when lit, but I haven't cleaned it once in the 10 years, so I guess now is the time to do so) is on my list of things to do this weekend.

Wife regularly tests our battery smoke detector with her cooking (just yesterday). More than half of ours detectors are wired. I have new concrete driveways and wouldn't think of putting rock salt on them. I've no idea what a separate A/C vent is? Our HVAC system uses the same system for all.

:lightblb:

My problem for time immemorial is that I have this list in my head, and I: a.) never write it down, b.) never pick a day (AND HOLD IT FAST). It'd make my life so much easier if I did that at least 2x a year (Spring, Fall).

. . . I'll let you know what happens. :LOL:

a list no, lots of crap to do... oh yes.
salt in the water softener
filters in the air handlers
getting the oil burners serviced
putting up the markers for the plow guy
liming the lawn, although I might outsource that to get a heavy load done.
changing the well water filters ( all six of em)
flush the hot water heater
which reminds me I have to go buy some shear pins for the snowblower.

technically we have the faucets that go through the wall and won't freeze up.
I the past for reasons I do not understand I have found them on.
totally buried under an undisturbed foot of snow but they creep their way into a high flow position.... :duh:

My spring check list includes cleaning the well and changing furnace filters again- this time for A/C.
I in fact ordered a delivery of water softener salt today; I wish I could wait 6 months before I need to do it again.
I just got the leaves up yesterday in time for today's snow.
I had a freeze-free faucet fail me last winter (was almost 50 years old) so I put in an inside shutoff as a backup to the replacement freeze-free.

No real list here. Rick tends to yard and cars. Gets the generator out from a shed, makes sure the snowblower is ready. Around the house, not so much on the to do list. Filter gets changed on the gas furnace regularly, a few other things get done as we go along...

I have a new one-item list.

1. Read Dave's list.

Very different lives.