Many of us have that person we call when we need help with car issues, home maintenance or remodeling projects, equipment that won’t start and millions of other problems. That dad, uncle or grandpa that just seems to know how to do everything. That’s Bowie. Bowie is our family’s go-to, and I’m sharing him with you in this ongoing feature called, Ask Bowie. So, need to rewire an outlet? Snowblower won’t start? Furnace won’t fire? Wondering what that strange tool in your toolbox is used for? Submit your questions in the Ask Bowie topic on our Brew City Dads Forum and check back to view this feature often for answers and general wisdom.

Spring Home Maintenance Checklist Part 1

With the snow starting to recede and temperatures warming, it’s a good time to start tackling those items on your spring home maintenance list.  Over the coming weeks, we’ll discuss steps you can take to ensure everything in and around your home is functioning properly and survived the wear and tear of our Wisconsin winter.  Today we look at three really simple checks you can do in and around your home that may save you money and headaches in the long run.

 First, take a tour around the perimeter of your home to check your gutters and downspouts.  It’s not uncommon for downspouts to become disconnected.  If that happens, water can collect and pool around your home and could eventually end up in your basement causing water damage.  Check that all downspouts are connected and clear of debris and carrying water far enough away from your house.  It’s recommended that your downspouts extend at least five feet from the home, depending on the slope of your yard. 

 Hopefully you cleaned your gutters in the fall after all the leaves fell.  If not, now is the next best time.  All you need is a ladder, gloves and a leaf bag if you don’t want the debris in your yard.  Simply grab the leaves, twigs, and any other surprises you find in the gutters and throw them in the bag.  It’s a tedious job, but will save you headaches down the road.  Once cleared, you can check that your gutters are properly pitched towards the downspouts by running water through them with your garden hose.  If they are not properly pitched, water will collect in one spot and eventually overflow the gutter.  Again, this will cause water to pool near the foundation of your house, risking eventual water damage to your basement. 

If you have a sump pump in your basement, the next item to check is that your discharge hose is properly flowing away from your house.  You can do a simple test to find out.  Your sump pump has a float in the well that turns on the pump when the well is full of water.  To test that the system is working properly, simply pull up on the float by hand.  The pump should start.  Then, release the float.  The pump should turn off.  If that happened, you’re good to go.

 The third simple task is checking the lint filter on your washing machine discharge hose.  If you don’t have one, get one.  You can pick up a package of them for just a few bucks at any hardware store.  You would be surprised at how much lint can go down your drain over the course of a couple months, especially if you are constantly doing laundry.   The lint can collect in your pipes over time putting you at risk of a clog and potential water backup in your basement.  You wouldn’t throw socks down your drain, and you shouldn’t let lint down there either.  If you do have a lint filter already, check to see if it needs replaced.  If the filter is too full of lint, it can prevent water from flowing through the discharge hose which means it will back up into your house.  Speaking of lint and pipes, it’s also a good idea to inspect your dryer vent pipe for lint as it is another place that lint likes to hang out.  That is usually located behind your dryer.  Simply detach the hose and suck out any lint in the pipe using a vacuum cleaner. If you have an electric leaf blower, that works as well. Reattach the hose when done.      

That’s it for now.  I’ll be back soon with more simple maintenance tasks you can do around your home to avoid future issues that could hit your pocketbook hard. 

Got a question for Bowie? Submit your questions to publisher@brewcitydads.com!