Caring For Your Home During Winter For every season your new Evans Coghill home will require some routine maintenance and up-keep to ensure your home stays as healthy as you do. Taking good care of your new home will help to preserve your home's value and avoid potentially costly repairs down the road. We have gathered a few helpful maintenance tips for you and have cataloged them by season. Make a selection from the seasonal options below to get started!
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| Appliances |
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When moving any appliance for regular cleaning or maintenance, be extremely cautious as finished vinyl or wood flooring can be easily damaged. |
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| Bathrooms |
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If the caulking around your bathtub, shower, or sink appears dried or cracked, remove the old caulking and replace it. If you do not have a caulking gun, caulking material can be bought in applicator tubes or in disposable caulking guns. It is a good idea to fill the bathtub before caulking. This is a high maintenance area and it is very important that all caulking joints be checked and maintained on a regular basis (every 3 months or as needed). |
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| Cabinets & Kitchen Countertops |
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Keep all countertop seams dry. Maintain caulking between wall and countertop backsplash to prevent moisture from accumulating behind cabinets. |
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| Check the Fireplace |
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In the spring make sure the Dante valve for gas supply is turned off. |
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| Check the Roof |
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Make sure the flashing around the chimney or vent pipes is watertight. |
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| Electrical Panel |
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The panel contains the main shut-off breaker to your home, along with individual circuit breakers to labeled circuits. An overloaded circuit breaker 'trips' and turns off power to the circuit, protecting the wire from overheating. To reset breaker, first switch breaker all the way to 'Off', then to 'On'. CAUTION: A circuit that continues to 'trip' may signify an electrical problem which should be repaired by a licensed electrician. It is advisable to maintain clearance around the panel for easy access in an emergency situation. |
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| Foundation/Crawl Space |
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Foundation vents should remain open at all time except in the event of extreme cold. |
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| Garage Doors/Optional Openers |
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Oil all moving parts on garage door every three months and tighten bolts on tracks every twelve months. |
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| Insulation |
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Your home has been designed to provide the proper insulation for our climate. Open doors, windows, fireplace flues and clogged filters are more often the cause of inadequate cooling or heating than deficient insulation. A lack of proper window treatments can also prevent the heating/cooling system from functioning properly. |
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| Lawn Care |
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Fertilize trees and shrubs in the spring and fall only. Use 60-80% slow release fertilizer. |
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| Louvers |
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If your home has a pitched roof, the space between the ceiling and the roof may have louvered openings. Louvered openings should remain unobstructed all year round. |
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| Paint Exterior |
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It is the homeowner's responsibility that the exterior caulking be checked and maintained as needed. It is the homeowner's responsibility to constantly access the performance of the exterior finish of the home and to repaint any areas as neccessary. |
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| Seal Around Doors and Windows |
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Add or replace worn weather-stripping around doors and windows. |
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Replace worn door sweeps at the bottom of doors. |
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| Smoke Detectors |
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Smoke detectors are wired directly to your house wiring system, and also have a battery backup for your safety. They are installed in locations specified by local building code. Smoke detectors should be tested and cleaned periodically. During a power failure, the smoke detectors signals a lack of power by an intermittent beeping. |
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| Termite Treatment |
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Termites cause major damage to structures. It is highly recommended that you maintain an inspection and treatment program after the first year. |
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