Introduction
Maintaining your home is important for safety. Here’s a list of maintenance inspections that you should do regularly to ensure that everything is working properly:
Smoke Detectors
- Smoke detectors are required by law in most jurisdictions. They are a must for any home and should be checked every month to ensure they’re working properly.
- Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years, or sooner if the alarm sounds chirping or if batteries need replacing more often than once per month.
- All smoke detectors should be tested monthly to ensure they’re functioning properly.
Pest Inspection
A pest inspection is a vital part of home maintenance that can help you identify potential issues before they become major problems look at building and pest inspections in Brisbane. Pests often cause damage to your home, they can carry diseases, and they are nuisances.
Here are some signs of potential pests in your home:
- You see ants or spiders around the house. These insects are common signs that there might be bigger problems hiding in your walls or attic space. Ants may indicate a leaky roof or plumbing issue, while spiders might signal sawdust buildup or subflooring moisture issues.
- You see rodent droppings in cabinets or along baseboards inside the house, especially near food storage areas like pantries and kitchen cupboards. Rodent droppings are another sign that there might be larger infestations in place as well as other health risks such as salmonella poisoning from improperly stored food items.
Hot Water System Inspection
- Check the old hot water system for leaks. Hot water systems are made up of a boiler, which heats the water, and a tank where the heated water is stored until you turn on your taps. Leaks in this system can cause damage to your home and property if they go undetected for too long.
- Inspect for corrosion on plumbing fixtures such as faucets and showerheads. Corrosion occurs when minerals in your water corrode certain metals that make up your water heater or appliances like faucets and showerheads over time. This is especially common with older homes that have been exposed to high levels of mineral content in their tap water over years or decades—or even from using well water instead of city tap water!
- Check insulation around hot-water tanks against winter weather conditions (cold weather). Insulation should be replaced if there’s any sign of damage due to cold temperatures such as cracks or peeling away from tank walls; replacing it will help prevent further damage from occurring during freezing winters when pipes may freeze within insulated tanks causing ruptures or leaks!
Stove and Oven Range
You’ll need to make sure that the stove and oven range are clean, in good working order, and safe to use.
- Check for missing parts. If any are missing, get them replaced immediately—you don’t want to be halfway through cooking dinner only to realize that your meat grinder is MIA.
- Check for damage or cracks in the surface of the stove or oven range that could cause leakage of gas or oil into your home.
- If you find any sign of damage like this on either piece of cookware, it’s time for an upgrade! Your current setup may not be up to code anymore anyway; even if it is (and it probably isn’t), these older models just aren’t going to work as well as newer ones will when it comes time for dinner prep!
Water Filtration Inspection
A water filtration system is a mechanical device that removes impurities from water, making it cleaner and safer to drink. Homeowners should routinely inspect their water filtration systems for signs of wear and tear, as well as damage caused by sediment buildup or leaks. The frequency with which you inspect your filter depends on how often you use it, but filters typically need changing every three to six months look at water filter online.
You can easily clean the filter using vinegar or baking soda (if you’re using a faucet-mounted filter), but if you have a whole-house system, professional service may be required if there’s any damage to the internal elements of your unit.
Washing Machine and Dryer
To ensure your washer and dryer are in good working order, perform the following inspection:
- Check that the water hoses are not leaking. If leakage is found, replace it as needed.
- Check that the drain hose is not clogged. If clogged, clean out debris and/or use a snake tool to clear the blockage.
- Inspect the dryer vent for any damage or blockages that might be causing problems with airflow through it; if damaged or clogged, repair or replace it as needed.
Roofing Inspection
- Loose shingles: If you see that a few of your roof’s shingles are loose, it could be a sign that water is getting underneath and soaking into the wood.
- Missing shingles: Missing or damaged shingles are bad news—they can let water in, which will cause damage over time.
- Cracks: A crack in your roof isn’t necessarily something to worry about, but you should get it fixed before it grows worse and causes leaks.
- Leaks: If there are any places where water seems to be leaking through—or if there are already obvious signs of a leak (like mold growing on walls or ceilings), so it is recommended to hire a professional roof repair service like this roof repairs in Brisbane Northside who can prevent future issues from occurring.
Refrigerator and Freezer
- Clean the coils. This is a simple process of wiping them down with a clean cloth, and you should do it every six months or so.
- Check the condenser coils in your refrigerator’s freezer compartment. These look like fins on the back wall of the freezer—you want to make sure they’re free of debris, as well as dust-free and clean overall.
- Check for leaks and frost buildup on all surfaces of your refrigerator, especially around seals, seams, or doors that have been repaired recently (if you’re unfamiliar with these parts of your fridge/freezer and how they work together, maybe ask someone else to check them out).
- Look inside at any food items that might be in danger of freezing due to ice buildup: if there are any frozen foods inside your fridge or freezer right now (this can happen if you don’t shut off the power before leaving home), remove them immediately! It’s better for those foods than being stuck behind ice for hours/days longer than necessary—and it will help prevent damage from continuing until it’s too late!
Plumbing and Faucets
- Check for leaks. When you’re not using a faucet, turn the water completely off at the source (this means more than just turning on the faucet’s handle). This ensures that no water is wasted.
- Inspect pipes for leaks. Be sure to check all exposed pipes for leaks, especially if you have older plumbing components in your home.
- Look at your garden hose. If you have one outside of your house, make sure it’s in good condition and hasn’t cracked anywhere along its length; this can cause a range of problems with your plumbing system as well as lead to water damage inside!
Toilets and Sinks
- Check for leaks. The best way to do this is by placing a drop of food coloring in the tank, then wait 15 minutes or so. If you see colored water appear in the bowl, you leak.
- Check the water pressure at both faucets (hot and cold). If one faucet has low pressure but another is fine, it could be a sign of a clog somewhere in your pipes.
- Look under the sink basin for hairline cracks that may develop over time due to stress on ceramic material or hard-water buildup — these are signs of foundation problems or pest damage that need to be fixed right away!
Dishwasher
The dishwasher should be emptied after each use. It’s important to clean the dishwasher immediately after it’s been used because food can start to dry and get stuck behind the racks, creating a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. If you don’t clean the dishwasher regularly, you may find yourself cleaning up an awful mess when you run it again! Cleaning a dirty dishwasher is also much more difficult than cleaning one that has been cleaned regularly.
To keep your dishwasher in good working order, check for any signs of problems with its performance (like water leaks or strange noises). If there are any problems with your machine, have them addressed as soon as possible so they don’t become larger issues later on.
Garbage Disposal System
Garbage disposals come in handy, but they can also be a major headache if they’re not working properly. If you’ve got a garbage disposal that’s giving you trouble, follow these tips to get it up and running again.
- Make sure the power to your house is on. If the power was turned off while someone was working on the disposal, it might have caused an electrical short inside of it and broken it beyond repair; if this happened, you’ll need to call in a professional plumber who specializes in plumbing repairs before trying any of these methods yourself.
- Check for clogs by removing leftover food particles from under the sink with a rag or sponge (if there are none). If there are no visible problems with either your plumbing system or pipes entering into or exiting out of your house (for example), then chances are good that whatever issue has occurred is within the actual unit itself—which means we may need another method other than just checking for clogs!
Maintaining your home is important for safety.
Maintaining your home is important for safety. For example, a malfunctioning doorbell could be a danger to guests, and it’s also bad for your property values. The following are some other examples of maintenance inspections that can help you keep your home in top shape:
- A faucet or fixture with loose or missing parts
- A light fixture that doesn’t work properly
- Leaky pipes underneath sinks or toilets
Conclusion
We hope this list of maintenance inspections for homeowners helps you stay safe and out of harm’s way. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
