Summer Home Maintenance Tips

Summer time is right around the corner, with the official start date of June 21st. As with any change of season, we recommend taking this time to perform some season-specific home maintenance tasks. Inside this blog post is an essential summer home maintenance checklist every homeowner should tackle.

Summer HVAC Maintenance

One of the most common items on any homeowner’s summer maintenance checklist is, without a doubt, tuning up their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit. Before the summer months kick into high gear, it is important to call out an air conditioning technician to check your a/c and make sure it is running efficiently. If you wait too far into the season, you may have trouble getting a professional out to your home in a timely manner, as they will likely be busy servicing homes that are experiencing the same problems that you are. The last thing you want is to have your air conditioner break down during a particularly hot week and have to wait a few days (or longer) to get it repaired!

Another reason to get your HVAC system maintained before or at the start of summer is because it can help save you money. A well-maintained a/c is an efficient one; poorly maintained HVAC units tend to run poorly and in turn, use more electricity to function, driving up your monthly utility bills and chipping away at your unit’s lifespan.

Home Energy Audit

The start of summer (or just before) is also a great time to get a home energy audit conducted. An energy auditor is someone who comes to your home and identifies any areas where you may have an air leak or poor seal, which could be causing your home to waste energy. Home auditors also will check your ventilation and insulation to make sure you are not losing heat/air in these spaces and come up with a plan of attack in the event that your home is not, in fact, energy efficient.

Energy audits not only save you money in monthly energy costs, but will help keep you comfortable in every season – not just the blistery summer months.

Pool Maintenance for the Summer

If you are fortunate enough to own a swimming pool, you will definitely want to get it primed and ready for the summer months. Odds are you have a weekly or bi-weekly pool guy already (depending upon where you live), but if you do, now is a good time to get one. In addition to having him clean the debris from your pool, checking your pumps and balancing the chemicals should be high up on his list of “must-dos”. If you have an older pool pump and filtering system, consider upgrading to a newer, energy-efficient model to help keep down costs during the warmer season.

Sprinkler System

Finally, summer can be especially harsh on your lawn, and as such, you will want to have your system checked out early for this crucial season. Have a professional check the timer and system to make sure it is functioning correctly, and inspect your sprinkler heads to make sure they adequately cover your yard. If there are water restrictions in place, make sure he sets your timer accordingly and puts you on a schedule that is good for the local water supply AND your home’s lawn. If there are any dead patches, have him replace it with sod and a nice coat of fertilizer.

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