4 Essential Spring Home Maintenance Tasks

Spring is almost here! Longer days, warmer afternoons, bright sunshine, vibrant flowers – there’s so much to look forward to during these next few months!

Before you don your sunglasses and head outside to soak up the sun you craved all winter, take the time to prep your home for the season ahead and complete the spring home maintenance tasks below.

1) Spring start up of your irrigation system.

This needs to be done by the contractor that originally installed your irrigation system, but it’s helpful to know what the contractors are doing when they come to start up your system.

The contractor should check for broken heads – especially near concrete or any high-traffic areas where the heads could’ve been damaged by shoveling or snow-plowing – and adjust the heads for full lawn coverage.

They should also check the system clock and set the timers for how frequently the sprinklers will run. (Homeowners can reset this clock later in the season, if necessary.) This should be completed after May 1^st, or when it stops raining and getting below freezing at night.

2) Check air conditioning unit for seasonal damage.

Don’t wait until the last minute on this one! The last thing you want is to discover you have a problem with your air conditioning on the first sweltering day of the season.

Follow the steps below to check the functionality of your air conditioning unit:

1. Head outside and check the fan condenser (also known as the A/C unit, or the giant box with the fan outside your house) for debris.
2. If you cover your unit during the winter, make sure you remove the cover before turning on the A/C.
3. Go back inside and turn the wall thermostat to the cool position and set the temperature so it’s lower than the home’s current temperature.
4. Make sure you can feel the cold air coming from the vents, and the home’s temperature lowering.
5. Head back outside to check for any funny noises coming from the unit.
6. Once you’ve checked the unit, go back inside and turn the wall thermostat back to an appropriate temperature for the season.

3) Clean the sump pump.

Checking and cleaning the sump pump is a good idea as soon as the spring thaw begins, and before the season’s heavy rains hit.

Follow the steps below to clean your sump pump:

1. Take off the lid. (Some may be a bit more difficult and bolted down.)
2. Make sure there’s no sediment in the bottom of the sump crock. If so, vacuum out. (Stones and small debris can enter through the drain tile, causing the pump to jam – you want to get those out.)
3. Lift the float on the side of it to ensure it turns on/off properly.
4. Make sure overflow pipe on the outside of the home hasn’t settled, moved, or separated, and there’s no visible leakage.

Need more guidance? Check out ProHome’s guide to cleaning your sump pump.

4) Make sure humidifier is changed from winter to summer setting.

This will help your home maintain the proper humidity settings, which is essential for the overall health and comfort of your home. You can adjust these settings on the humidifier located on the furnace. The percent of moisture can be adjusted using the humidistat located on the furnace as well.

Be sure to check out our full list of spring home maintenance tips!