7 Things Every Homeowner Should Check

Unfortunately this is something we had to address a few months ago. The loss of a local father and son back in December is still impacting the community today. There were no smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors in the Acushnet home. You should have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors on each level of your home, near every sleeping area, and change the batteries every 6 months.

After you change the batteries, hold one or two matches that have been put out near the smoke detector unit. If it is working properly, the alarm will go off. If nothing happens, it is time to replace it.

If the carbon monoxide detector is working properly, the alarm should sound off when you press the test button. You can actually buy a can of "Solo C6 Carbon Monoxide Detector Tester" to make sure the unit can actually detect CO.

Unfortunately, a furnace leak is what caused the tragic passing of two area residents back in December. Please make sure your family is safe by checking for gas leaks in your home. If you smell a rotten egg odor, hear a hissing sound coming from pipes, or have dead plants near a gas line, it may be an indication that you have a leak. It may be wise to purchase a natural gas detector for your home as well.

You should also have a full inspection of your system once a year.

Good rule of thumb is to have your fireplace inspected every 6 months. Build-up can cause smoke inhalation, smoke damage, fires and many more issues. Hire a professional to sweep your chimney.

No one likes water damage, bugs, or rodents. However, that’s what your future holds if you don’t clean out your gutters. Take care of this once in the spring and once in the fall.

While not required by law, having a working fire extinguisher in your home is an extremely useful safety tool, God forbid you should ever need one.

Shake the extinguisher once a month so the chemicals don’t settle at the bottom. Check the pressure once a year. Green means go. Make sure there are no dents or chemical buildup on the outside as well.

When spring is finally here, take a walk around your home to inspect the foundation. Call a professional structure engineer if you see crack wider than 1/16th of an inch. This could compromise the structure of the entire home. Also - beware of termites!

Cleaning the HVAC vents every 90 days (or more frequently if you have allergies) is important so you can allow harmful airborne bacteria to filter out of your home. Also, check the outdoors unit to ensure debris has not clogged up the intake.