The home maintenance nobody tells you about

Every homeowner has a list of services they think about: HVAC, gutters, mowing the lawn. There is a second list of services that almost nobody knows about until they are paying to fix the consequences of having ignored them. That second list is what this post is about.

Dryer vent cleaning

Lint that escapes the dryer's lint trap accumulates in the venting between the dryer and the exterior wall. Over years it builds up to the point of restricting airflow, increasing dryer runtime, and (in worst cases) starting a fire. Dryer vent fires are the cause of an estimated 2,900 home fires per year in the United States, almost all of them preventable.

Have the vent professionally cleaned every 1 to 2 years, more often if you have a long vent run, multiple turns, or a high-use household. A typical professional cleaning is $100 to $200. DIY-friendly kits exist but a professional with the right brushes does a more thorough job.

Water heater anode rod replacement

Inside every tank-style water heater is a sacrificial metal rod that corrodes instead of the steel walls. When the anode is exhausted, the corrosion moves to the tank itself. The anode is the single biggest factor in how long a water heater lasts.

Most anodes are exhausted after 5 to 7 years. Replacing one costs $30 in parts and an hour of labor. It is the single highest-return DIY task in plumbing. And almost nobody does it, because almost nobody knows it exists.

Driveway sealing

Asphalt driveways need sealing every 3 to 5 years. The binder oils that hold the asphalt together break down in UV light and oxidize. A sealed driveway can last 25 to 35 years; an unsealed one fails in 15. The cost of sealing is small, the cost of replacement is not.

Refrigerator coils

The condenser coils on the back or bottom of your refrigerator are the part that sheds heat. When they get coated in dust and pet hair, the compressor works harder, runs longer, and dies sooner. Vacuum them once a year. It takes 10 minutes and adds years to the appliance.

Range hood filter cleaning

The grease filter under your range hood is dishwasher-safe. Run it through every couple of months. A saturated grease filter does not capture cooking grease, so the grease deposits everywhere else instead, including in the ductwork, where it becomes a fire hazard.

Window weep holes

Vinyl windows have small drain slots at the bottom of the exterior sill, called weep holes. They drain rainwater that gets past the glass. When they clog with dirt, water backs up into the wall cavity instead of draining out. Run a toothpick through them once a year. This is a five minute task that prevents a problem you cannot see until water damage is already done.

Sump pump testing

A sump pump is the kind of equipment that runs for years without being noticed and then fails on the night you most need it. Test yours twice a year by pouring a five gallon bucket of water into the pit and watching it run. If it does not start, fix it before the next rainstorm. Sump pumps last 7 to 10 years; if yours is older than that, plan to replace it before it surprises you.

Consider adding a battery backup. Power outages and rainstorms are correlated, and a sump pump without backup power is a sump pump that is not working when it matters.

Garage door opener torsion springs

Garage door springs are rated in cycles, typically 10,000 cycles for a standard spring (about 7 years for an average household). When they break, they do so suddenly and at full extension. A balanced door (closed, then disconnected from the opener and lifted manually) should hold itself at any height. If it crashes shut or rises on its own, the springs are out of balance. This is one of the few maintenance tasks where the safe answer is always “call a professional”; loaded torsion springs can hurt you badly.

Toilet flapper replacement

The rubber flapper in the toilet tank degrades from chlorine exposure. When it stops sealing perfectly, water trickles from the tank into the bowl all day, which the fill valve responds to by topping up the tank. A bad flapper can waste 200 gallons a day. Replacements are $5 and install in 10 minutes. Replace every 4 to 5 years, sooner if you hear the toilet run randomly.

Bath fan ducting

Bath fans are supposed to vent humid air outside. In a surprising number of homes the duct dumps into the attic instead, where the moisture condenses on the underside of the roof deck and slowly rots it from above. Climb into the attic, find each bath fan duct, and verify it routes to a wall or roof termination, not just into the attic space.

Garbage disposal cleaning

A garbage disposal that smells is a disposal that has built up food residue on the underside of the splash guard. Pull the rubber flange up, scrub the underside with an old toothbrush and dish soap, and run a few cups of ice with coarse salt through the disposal. Smells gone, blades cleaned, no chemicals needed.

HVAC condensate line clearing

Your AC produces gallons of condensate every hot day. It drains through a small PVC line, often into a floor drain or out the side of the house. The line clogs from algae growth (it is dark, wet, and warm). When it clogs, the drain pan overflows, often into the ceiling below the air handler. Pour a cup of distilled vinegar into the access port at the start of cooling season. Or install a float switch (a $40 part) that shuts the system off if the drain backs up.

Caulking around tubs and showers

Bathroom caulk is a wear item. It cracks, pulls away from the wall, and lets water into the cavity behind. Once water gets behind the tile or surround, the damage is invisible until something failed years ago. Re-caulk any failed joints as soon as you see them, and plan to replace bathroom caulk every 5 to 7 years even if it looks fine.

What ties it all together

None of the items on this list are individually expensive. The problem is that there are dozens of them, they happen on different schedules, and forgetting about them is what costs you. The single habit that turns the second list into the first list is writing them down somewhere you will look. HomeBase exists for this; a notebook works too. The system matters less than starting one.