(Newswire.net — May 12, 2017) — Are you doing a good job keeping up with household maintenance? You probably remember to clean your coffee pot when the coffee starts to taste bad, and perhaps you change your smoke detector batteries twice a year when you change the clocks. But what tasks are you forgetting? Your home is overflowing with equipment that requires regular care and service in order to stay in good working order. Here are some tasks you might be forgetting; staying on top of these will save you money in the long run and keep your equipment running at its best.
Flush Your Water Heater
Your water heater, like a coffee maker, fills up with sediment and scale over time. You can lengthen its life by periodically draining it and flushing away all that debris. First, turn off the power to the heater. Then shut down the supply of cold water and drain the unit using a garden hose. When it’s empty, turn the power back on, open the water supply, and re-light the pilot. Doing this occasionally helps improve the efficiency of your heater and prolongs its life dramatically.
Clean Your Dryer Vent
Image via Flickr by Skakerman
Picture all the lint and bits of paper that collect in your dryer’s lint trap. Some of that material is constantly escaping the trap and making its way into your dryer vent. That material can act like kindling if sparks form due to static electricity, which results in tens of thousands of dryer vent fires every year. You can prevent this by cleaning out your dryer vent and hose with a brush and vacuum cleaner once or twice a year. If your dryer vent hose is very long (more than 10 feet), hire a professional.
Have Your HVAC System Maintained
Changing your filter and hosing down your outdoor compressor are very important, but there’s no substitute for annual HVAC maintenance by a professional technician. The tech can clean and lubricate all the working parts of your system, which will prolong the life of your system and help it operate more efficiently. The result is lower power bills and a more comfortable home. Between maintenance calls, make sure you are changing your filter regularly and check that the drain line on your condenser hasn’t become clogged.
Clean Your Refrigerator Coils
The condenser coils under or behind your refrigerator can pick up a thick coating of dust and pet hair, which stops them from releasing heat efficiently. Clogged condenser coils make your compressor work harder, which raises your electricity bills and can cause your fridge’s working parts to wear out faster. Clean the coils gently, using the crevice attachment on your vacuum cleaner and a soft brush. While you’re at it, replace the water filter and clean the ice dispenser, too.
None of these tasks takes very long, and most only need to be done once or twice a year. Make them part of your spring and fall cleaning routine and you’ll save energy, improve your comfort and health, and prolong the life of your appliances.