Vanderbilt Country Estates - Maintenance Tasks for the Homeowner

Vanderbilt
Country Estates

A Homeowner's Checklist

Spring Home Fix-up Checklist and Maintenance Schedule
• Check your furnace filter and change it as needed
• Clean gutters and downspouts by flushing with garden hose and clearing with a gutter scoop or wire brush; repair and seal joints as needed
• Pressure wash siding, check for damage, make repairs
• Caulk around windows and doors
• Inspect roof, replace or reattach loose shingles, repair flashing as needed
• Clean window and door screens using laundry detergent and hot water
• Clean wooden decks and outdoor furniture (use commercial deck cleaner to preserve finish, although hot water and laundry detergent with a little bleach should remove mold and mildew)
• Get your yard and garden irrigation system up and running, set automatic timers for adequate watering times, and replace system's back-up battery
• Clean up concrete areas such as driveways, patios and paths; use a commercial concrete cleaner-degreaser for big jobs
• Service your Air Conditioner before the heat wave
• Clean barbecue and replace grates if necessary

Fall Home Fix-up Maintenance Schedule
• Check your furnace filter and change it as needed
• Repair gutters and downspouts
• Improve drainage systems and make roof repairs (if needed)

Wood Stove & Chimney Care
Regular chimney inspections and good burning practices improve air quality and reduce risk of fire. The headline of a recent "Home" section article in a local newspaper read, "Chimney creosote not so neighborly." The point being that there are good ways of heating with wood and then there are poor ways. Burning green wood and garbage are not recommended. Both lead to high levels of creosote build-up. If you do install a pellet stove, a popular option in new home construction, you should realize it will need proper maintenance just like any heating appliance.

Here are some pointers for good wood burning habits:

• Burn only dry, seasoned wood.
• Burn hardwoods, such as fruit wood, oak or madrone, etc.
• Limit kindling to fir, pine and cedar; never burn soft woods such as cottonwood and poplar.
• Burn a small, hot fire.
• Never burn garbage or treated or painted wood.
• Check your chimney for visible smoke. The more smoke, the more pollution.
• Clean your chimney regularly.

Source: The Register-Guard, January 3, 2004

Contact Kittitas County Fire District No. 2 for more fire safety information and support your Fire District and its local volunteers.

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Vanderbilt Country Estates - An Exclusive Rural Residential Development
P.O. Box 877
Ellensburg, WA 98926
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