Spring and fall home maintenance checklist
Most of a house’s upkeep lands in two windows: spring, when it warms up, and fall, before the first freeze. Here’s what goes in each, plus the handful of jobs that come around all year.
Spring
Once the last hard freeze is behind you. Mostly cooling and outside work.
AC tune-upUsually a pro
Every year · spring
A technician checks the refrigerant, cleans the coils and tests the capacitor. A weak capacitor is the classic reason an AC quits on the hottest day of the year. It’s a cheap part to swap before it fails.
Rinse the outdoor AC unit
Every year · spring
Grass clippings, leaves and cottonwood fluff mat onto the fins of the outdoor unit. It then can’t shed heat, so it runs harder and longer for the same cool air.
Flush the AC drain line
Every 6 months · spring
Your AC pulls water out of the air and drains it through a small pipe. Algae slowly clogs that pipe. When it backs up, it overflows into the ceiling or basement, or trips a float switch that shuts the AC off on a hot day.
Switch the ceiling fan direction
Every 6 months · spring and fall
Looking up at it, the blades should spin counterclockwise in summer, pushing air down so you feel a breeze. In winter, clockwise pulls air up and sends the warm air that collects at the ceiling back down. Fans cool people, not rooms, so turn them off in an empty room.
Clean the gutters
Every 6 months · late spring and late fall
Clogged gutters overflow right beside the foundation, and that means wet basements, rotted fascia boards, and ice dams in winter.
Look over the roof
Every year · spring, and after big storms
Small problems like a lifted shingle or cracked flashing let water in slowly, and you won’t notice until there is a stain on the ceiling.
Start up the sprinklers
Every year · spring, after the last hard freeze
Winter cracks heads and loosens fittings. A broken head or a leaking joint wastes water every time the system runs, and it’s easiest to catch while you watch it come back on.
Clean and reseal the deck
Every 2 years · late spring
Once the sealer wears off, the wood soaks up water, then it greys, cracks and splinters. If water soaks in instead of beading up, it’s time.
Tune up the mower
Every year · early spring
A dull blade tears the grass instead of cutting it, and old oil and stale gas are why a mower won’t start in spring.
Fall
Before the heat comes on and before the first hard freeze. Mostly heating and water.
Furnace tune-upUsually a pro
Every year · early fall
A technician cleans the burners and flame sensor and checks the heat exchanger for cracks. A cracked heat exchanger can leak carbon monoxide into the air you breathe, and it gives no sign of it on its own.
Boiler serviceUsually a pro
Every year · early fall
A yearly service checks combustion, the venting and the pressure-relief valve. A poorly burning boiler wastes fuel and can produce carbon monoxide.
Bleed the radiators
Every year · early fall
Air gets trapped at the top of a radiator. The top stays cold while the bottom is warm, you hear gurgling, and the boiler works harder to heat the room.
Replace the humidifier pad
Every year · fall
Minerals from the water harden the pad until it stops absorbing water, and a crusty, damp pad grows mold that gets into the ducts.
Switch the ceiling fan direction
Every 6 months · spring and fall
Looking up at it, the blades should spin counterclockwise in summer, pushing air down so you feel a breeze. In winter, clockwise pulls air up and sends the warm air that collects at the ceiling back down. Fans cool people, not rooms, so turn them off in an empty room.
Chimney sweep and inspectionUsually a pro
Every year · before the first fire of the season
Burning wood leaves creosote in the flue. It builds up and it is flammable, and it is what starts chimney fires. The fire safety standards (NFPA 211) call for a yearly inspection.
Clean the gutters
Every 6 months · late spring and late fall
Clogged gutters overflow right beside the foundation, and that means wet basements, rotted fascia boards, and ice dams in winter.
Winterize the sprinklersUsually a pro
Every year · fall, before the first hard freeze
Water left in the lines freezes, expands and splits pipes and valves, and you find the damage at spring startup.
Shut off and drain the outdoor faucets
Every year · fall, before the first hard freeze
A hose left connected traps water that can freeze and split the pipe inside the wall, even on a frost-free faucet. The leak only shows when you turn it on in spring.
All year
These don’t wait for a season. They come around every month or every few months.
Change the air filter
Every 3 months
A clogged filter chokes the airflow, so the system runs longer, the AC coil can ice over, and the furnace runs hot. A 1-inch filter usually lasts one to three months, sooner with pets. Thick 4-inch media filters last six months to a year.
Test the smoke and CO alarms
Every month
An alarm with a dead battery or a worn-out sensor looks exactly like a working one. Carbon monoxide has no smell or color, so the alarm is the only warning you get. Fire safety groups (NFPA) say to test once a month. It takes about a minute a floor.
Test the outlets with reset buttons
Every month
GFCI outlets are the ones with test buttons, in kitchens, baths, garages and outdoors. They cut the power before a shock can hurt someone, but the safety part can fail and keep the power on. Makers and the CPSC say to test them monthly, so that’s the default. You can stretch it from the task if you need to.
Degrease the range hood filters
Every 3 months
Greasy filters stop catching smoke, and a layer of grease right above the stove is fuel for a kitchen fire.
Clean the dishwasher filter
Every month
Most newer dishwashers have no grinder, just a filter you clean by hand. When it clogs, you get gritty dishes, standing water and a bad smell.
Test the sump pump
Every 3 months · before the wet season, then every few months
A sump pump can sit idle for months and then has to work during the worst storm of the year. A stuck float or a dead motor means a flooded basement.
You won’t have all of these. No boiler, no sprinklers, no deck? Skip them. The app only gives you the jobs that fit your house.
The intervals follow common guidance from manufacturers and safety groups like the NFPA and EPA, for a typical home. Your house and your manuals know better.