The craftsmanship on homes built before the 1960s is superior to what you can find today. However, original heating and cooling, plumbing, and electrical wiring don’t fare so well. Owners of older homes should budget for unplanned repairs or replacement of major equipment. Creating a schedule of preventative maintenance for older homes is essential as well.
What to Include in Your Checklist of Preventative Maintenance for Older Homes
People didn’t have the expectation for indoor comfort when your older home was built that they have today. In fact, most didn’t have central air conditioning. If you don’t have the budget to install central air or the time to figure it out, a whole house fan will do. Place it in the ceiling on the second floor to get a breeze in each room of the house.
Many older homes have inefficient boilers installed. You will save money over time by replacing it with a more modern and energy-efficient heating system. Once installed, be sure to arrange for annual preventative maintenance. It’s also essential to change air filters quarterly.
Another problem with older homes is that they often have hot water pipes wrapped in asbestos. Since this material can cause serious health hazards, arrange for a professional HVAC company to remove it as soon as possible. An inexperienced person completing the job could cause you to have asbestos in the air of your home.
Upkeep of your wiring system is an important part of preventative maintenance for older homes. If your home has knob and tube wiring, plan to upgrade to a modern system. Older types of wiring are not always grounded, which means you could get a shock just by touching it.
Steel plumbing pipes prevalent in older homes clog easily from internal rusting. Plan to replace them if you don’t want to deal with frequent clogs or unexpected pipe bursting. Once the new pipes are in, use as little toilet paper as possible and don’t place anything in the toilet other than that to prevent future clogs.
