Keep your home’s HVAC and plumbing in great shape for years to come

Whether you’re planning on selling your home in the next six months or staying in it for the next six years, it’s important to keep up with home maintenance to ensure that your home both retains its value and remains a safe, comfortable place for you and your family to live. Yet, for most busy families, home maintenance can quickly fall by the wayside. In this article, we’ll review the most essential components of good home maintenance—your HVAC systems and your pipes, drains, and water heater—and how you can keep your home in great shape for many years to come.

Schedule preventative maintenance

Just like your car, your home requires regular checkups and service appointments to ensure that everything is functioning properly and that nothing is an imminent risk to break down. After all, a car that hasn’t been seen by a professional mechanic in years will develop problems, and your home is no different. We recommend scheduling preventative maintenance for the following:

HVAC: For your air conditioner, furnace, or heat pump, have a professional HVAC technician out to inspect and tune up the system in the season before it will see the heaviest use. This means that you should schedule a spring tune-up for your cooling system and a fall tune-up for your heating system.

Plumbing: Have a plumber inspect and flush your water heater at least once per year. While they are performing this service, ask them to confirm that the pressure-relief valve is working and to check on the state of the anode rod.

Treat your home with the care it deserves

Beyond your home upkeep checklist, there are a number of ways that homeowners can keep their home’s HVAC and plumbing systems running right.

Air Conditioner & Furnace

As mentioned previously, seasonal tune-ups can reduce the stress and overall wear-and-tear your air conditioner and furnace experience. In addition, work to make your home more energy efficient—this reduces the amount of work these systems have to do on a daily basis, which can extend the life of your HVAC systems by years. We recommend that you cut down on your cooling and heating use when possible and install a smart thermostat that has features for tracking and saving energy.

Water Softening & Water Pressure

As for your home’s pipes, drains, and water heater, consider having a plumber install a whole-home water softener if you live in an area with hard water. When tap water has a high mineral content, it puts additional stress on appliances such as your dishwasher and washing machine, and can even lead to scale buildup in your pipes over time. Speaking of long-term stress on your pipes, check your water pressure regularly! While high water pressure may seem like a good thing when you turn on the shower, too high of water pressure puts stress on the entire system and can lead to premature pipe failure and a flooded home.

Drains

When it comes to your drains and sewer line, watch what you and your family put down the sinks and toilet. Non-biodegradable materials should never be flushed or put down the sink. You’ll also want to dispose of grease, oils, and coffee grounds outside of the sink—these three are common culprits in blockage buildups deep within drain pipes. For grease and oil, pour it straight from the cooking pan into a recycled glass jar. After the grease has cooled and solidified, put a lid on the jar and throw it away in the trash.

Start by building a home maintenance plan.

For more great tips on maintaining the essentials in your home—as well as a helpful guide to how much to save for home maintenance when creating your own individualized home maintenance plan—be sure to check out this infographic from the team at Wagner in Albuquerque, New Mexico.