7 Must Know Spring 2019 Home Maintenance Tips
What does spring mean to you? For many, it’s a time to get back out there and rediscover the world after being cooped up indoors all winter. But for homeowners, the onset of spring marks the start of a long list of home repairs and maintenance. There are lawns to mow, gutters to clean, landscaping to be done, drainages to unblock, and other general home maintenance tasks to do. As hectic as it sounds, spring home maintenance has to be done. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for costly repairs a few months or years down the line. So how do you go about it?
7 MUST-KNOW SPRING 2019 HOME MAINTENANCE TIPS
To make your work a lot easier, you need a spring home maintenance checklist. Here are seven tasks you should consider:
Checking Your Gutters
In anticipation of the rainy season, inspect your gutters for any accumulated debris and clean them. Make sure your gutters aren’t leaky or loose. Also, ensure that the downspouts drain water away from your foundation, crawl space, or basement. This will safeguard your home against foundation flooding problems.
Preparing Your Landscape
After a long winter without cleaning, your yard will need some work to get it back in shape. Keep in mind that this is not your usual landscaping routine. The priority here is to protect your home from water damage, in addition, enhancing the looks of your lawn. As such, you need to plan all your landscaping activities with your home’s foundation in mind. If you have surface drainage systems, unclog them and check for any breakages. You might also want to construct new waterways or redirect existing ones away from your home to avoid foundation issues. If there are any holes or depressions on your lawn that might cause water stagnation, fill them up or hire someone to do it. Don’t forget to mow your lawn and cut down the excessive foliage around the house. Shrubs and tall grass increase water retention, which allows the groundwater to seep into your foundation.
Inspecting Your Home for Foundation For Cracks
While not all cracks spell trouble, it’s important to have them checked out by a foundation contractor. Cracks have different causes, and hiring a professional will help you establish the root cause and schedule the right type of foundation repair. When hiring foundation inspection contractors, be sure to check out their reputation by looking at their company’s customer reviews or even their BBB profile to ensure they have an A+ rating.
Checking Your Lawn Equipment
After a season of hibernation, chances are your lawn equipment won’t start right away. The lawnmower, in particular, is a usual culprit of sluggish starting after prolonged periods without using. In most cases, this is caused by high humidity, and winter brings plenty of it. High humidity causes water vapor to condense inside the carburetor and the fuel tank. When this happens, water droplets mix with the gas. This mixture isn’t ideal for spark formation, hence, the mower won’t start. To fix this problem, change the gas in your mower. If this doesn’t work, try cleaning or changing the spark plug. To avoid such complications in the future, empty your mower’s gas tank before storing it for a long time...
