Being a new-home owner or first-time buyer can feel a little overwhelming at times. Especially when you think about some of the maintenance, you’re in charge of now. To keep your new home running smoothly, you will need to know when to have certain systems serviced. Things like plumbing, heating and cooling, and other systems may need routine check-ups and maintenance.

Heating and Cooling or HVAC

No matter what time of year it is, you want the temperatures in your home to maintain a comfortable level. This means it’s important to keep your HVAC system up to date. If you have one system for the whole house, you would be wise to have it checked out twice a year before the temperatures change. It’s also a good idea to change out the filters regularly which you can do yourself. If you do these things, it’s much less likely that emergency repairs will pop up and the system will run better.

Septic System

If you have purchased an older home, or in an area where public sewer isn’t available you are probably on a septic tank. So instead of wastewater leaving the house through the town’s sewer system, it goes through the septic. It’s advisable to have the septic serviced once every other year to ensure there isn’t any back up. The previous owner should have kept a record of when it was last serviced.

Plumbing Issues

First, being a homeowner means you need to know where the main shut of valve for the water coming into your house is. This will save you a lot of headaches should an emergency arise. Second, the big difference between one leaky faucet and all the drains in the house draining slowly is the faucet would be a localized problem only effecting one place, but multiple drains failing to work would be systemic. Although the leaky faucet needs to be repaired to avoid wasting water, something effecting the whole house will more than likely require you to get a professional involved. If drains aren’t working properly, it could be a block in the main sewer line, or something else entirely. 

Electrical Needs

Your home is powered though an intricate electrical system controlled by an electrical panel located in the house. When circuits trip, you would need to reset the breaker. If you notice a specific circuit has problems, you will want to have it checked out by an electrician. It’s possible the circuit is overloaded.

Being a homeowner for the first time is exciting, despite some of the new responsibilities it brings. But taking care of your property becomes much easier when you take the time to understand your home systems. So, if you want to avoid emergency repairs, keep up with a good maintenance routine to help your systems run more efficiently. And if there is ever something you don’t understand, call a professional. We at the Endsley Team have a list of professionals we work with regularly. Contact us today and we would be happy to share that list with you!