Building Department

Maintenance Tips for 2022

Now that we made it through the holidays it’s time to conduct an annual maintenance inspection of our homes and properties. Here are a few helpful tips which can help to reduce costly future repairs and improve the safety of your home.

Exterior Areas:

1. Check the condition of your gutters and downspouts. Look for and clean out all debris in the gutters which will plug up the downspouts, rot the facia board and wood wall sheathing, and intensify the effects of ice damming. There are products available which will keep debris out of the gutters and which will keep the water from freezing over the unheated areas of the roof and prevent Ice Dams.
2. Check around window and door openings looking for voids and improper flashing installation. Fill voids with a quality exterior caulk. The flashing needs to be able to shed water, upper flashing needs to be overlapping the lower flashing. A general rule of thumb is never tuck your rain coat in your pants, if lower flashing overlaps the upper flashing, wall sheathing will become wet and over a short period of time will rot. Because wall sheathing is an essential structural component of the exterior wall system, a simple leak around a window or door can become a catastrophic and costly defect for any wood structure.
3. Exterior concrete flatwork, including service walks, driveways and public sidewalks located adjacent to your property need to be kept clean and free from hazards to avoid personal injury events. There needs to be a maintenance plan for snow and ice removal even if you are away for long periods of time. Be careful with ice melting products such as salt and chloride, many of these products will damage the surface of the concrete and result in an unsafe walking surface. Consult your local hardware store for products that will not damage these surfaces and to avoid costly future repairs.

Interior Areas:

1. Inspect all-natural gas line connections by spraying a solution of dish soap and water onto all such connections. If there are any leaks it will produce bubbles. If you suspect any leaks using this method, vacate the building immediately and call a licensed mechanical contractor. This action can save lives.
2. Replace the batteries in all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors whether or not you suspect low batteries. This should be done every year. Also, most of these devises have a 10-year max shelf life. All devises over 10 years of service should be replaced. This could be a life or death maintenance procedure.
3. Perform regular furnace filter replacement. This will ensure efficient heating and cooling operation and will protect you from unsafe air quality and expensive equipment repairs. Also, it is highly recommended to have all of your fuel fired heating equipment inspected and certified every five years by a licensed mechanical professional.

All of these items can save you repair/replacement expenses and potentially save lives. Please have a very safe 2022 and if you have any questions regarding these items please feel free to call the City of Grand Ledge building department at 517-668-0278.