Home maintenance how-tos
One job per page: how often, what you need, the steps, and when to stop and call someone. Written for Orange County, where water is hard, salt air reaches well inland, and most of the year's rain falls from December through March. For the whole year at a glance, see the Orange County home maintenance checklist.
By part of the house
Safety checks
- How to test smoke and CO alarmsTest every alarm once a month. The U.S. Fire Administration says to replace a smoke alarm 10 years after its manufacture date.
- How to test GFCI outletsThe CPSC says to test every GFCI once a month, after it is installed and after a power failure.
- How to check a home fire extinguisherLook it over regularly. The U.S. Fire Administration notes some models need shaking every month and others need pressure testing every few years, so check the label on yours.
- How to anchor furniture and TVsOnce for each piece, then give the straps a tug when you test your alarms or move furniture.
- How to put out a grease fireEvery time you cook with oil. Walk everyone in the house through the steps once a year, and keep a lid next to the stove.
- How to test garage door auto-reverseEvery month, according to the CPSC, DASMA (the door and opener makers' trade group) and opener maker Chamberlain, and again after any adjustment.
Water heater and plumbing
- How to flush a tank water heaterAt least once a year; the Irvine Ranch Water District recommends yearly. A.O. Smith's manuals call for every 6 months. Follow your own heater's manual.
- How to test a water heater relief valveAt least once a year, according to A.O. Smith's manual. Do it when you flush the tank.
- How to descale a tankless water heaterAt least once a year, according to Rinnai and Noritz, and more often with hard water or heavy use.
- How to check your home's water pressureNo agency publishes a schedule. Check once when you move in, and again if a toilet runs on its own, faucets drip or your relief valve weeps.
- How to test a toilet for a silent leakOnce a year, and any time the water bill jumps. The EPA says flappers wear out and should be replaced at least every five years.
Heating, cooling and drafts
- How to change your HVAC air filterENERGY STAR says to check it every month and change it when it looks dirty, or at least every 3 months.
- How to clean your outdoor AC unitOnce a year in spring, and after a windstorm drops leaves around it.
- How to check your AC condensate drainCheck it at the start of cooling season and once or twice during summer. ENERGY STAR includes the condensate drain in the yearly cooling check.
- How to replace door weatherstrippingNo agency sets a schedule. Check every exterior door, and the garage door, each fall before the wind and rain, and replace a seal that is torn or flattened.
Kitchen, bath and laundry
- How to clean a dryer ventThe U.S. Fire Administration says to clean the lint filter every time you use the dryer and the vent ductwork every year.
- How to clean a bathroom exhaust fanNo agency gives an interval. A yearly cleaning, or whenever the mirror stays fogged long after a shower, keeps it working.
- How to free a jammed garbage disposalOnly when it jams. Keeping grease, fats and oils out of the sink every day is what keeps it, and the pipes after it, flowing.
- How to recaulk a tub or showerNo fixed schedule. Look at it when you clean the bathroom, and redo it as soon as it cracks, pulls away or stays moldy after cleaning.
- How to replace washing machine hosesWhirlpool says to replace fill hoses every five years. Kenmore's manual adds: replace them sooner if you find bulges, kinks, cuts, wear or leaks, so look whenever you are behind the washer.
- How to clean refrigerator coilsWhirlpool says to clean them regularly, as often as every other month in a greasy or dusty spot (GE names the garage) or a home with pets. GE says most of its refrigerators made since 2001 have a sealed condenser that never needs cleaning.
- How to clean a range hood filterMonthly for an over-the-range microwave (Whirlpool), every 3 to 6 months for a hood (Broan), sooner with heavy cooking. Charcoal filters get replaced about every 6 months.
Outside, roof and yard
- How to clean gutters before the rainAt least once a year in the fall, before the first real storm, and again after a Santa Ana wind event drops leaves on the roof.
- How to set sprinklers for the rainy seasonTwice a year: in fall before the rains, and again in spring when you turn it back up. Pause it after every real rain.
- How to seal roof rat entry pointsOnce a year, and after any roof, vent, solar or cable work that may have opened a gap.
- How to check your roof from the groundEvery spring and fall, as ARMA recommends, and after severe weather such as a strong Santa Ana wind event, which NRCA says is when to look from the ground.
- How to clear yard drains before the rainOnce in fall before the first big storm, and again after storms or windy days that drop leaves. NDS, a maker of yard drains, says to clean out catch basins at least twice a year.
By season
Every month
Fall, before the rain and the Santa Ana winds
Spring, before the summer heat
Once a year, any month
- How to anchor furniture and TVs
- How to put out a grease fire
- How to test a water heater relief valve
- How to descale a tankless water heater
- How to check your home's water pressure
- How to test a toilet for a silent leak
- How to clean a dryer vent
- How to clean a bathroom exhaust fan
- How to free a jammed garbage disposal
- How to recaulk a tub or shower
- How to replace washing machine hoses
- How to clean refrigerator coils
- How to seal roof rat entry points
Covered in the longer guides
- Finding the water, gas and power shutoffs, and checking water heater straps: new homeowner checklist.
- Clearing the first 5 feet around the house and screening vents against embers: Santa Ana wind and wildfire prep.
- Everything to do before the first rain and before heating season, in order: fall home maintenance in Southern California.
- The two-hour water meter test for a hidden leak: slab leak signs.