Fall Preventive Maintenance: 7 Tips That Will Protect Your Home

This past week I was on the receiving end of bad news-we had to replace a bad boiler that was 19 years old. This stinks!!The first few quotes were $4200, $4100, and $3895. I don't know about you but that's a lot of money to me.How can you save money on such an expensive home item?Fortunately I was able to call up the original installer of the boiler. I gave him the serial and model number. He then called the manufacturer and they were able to prorate the cost of the new unit because it was under warranty. So instead of paying close to $4000 we're paying $2500. Always check to see if your heating source is still under warranty if it needs substantial repair work.Here are some additional tips +Heating system maintenance should be done 1 month before it gets cold in your region+Add a carbon monoxide alarm to your home if you don't have one+Replace carbon monoxide alarms that are 7 years old+Add new batteries to carbon monoxide alarms and test them+Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old, but check to make sure they're working properly+Add new batteries to smoke alarms+Buy a fire extinguisher if you don't have one and make sure it's the correct type+Make sure existing fire extinguishers are fully charged and ready for action+Clean your gutters & downspouts+Change your furnace filters every 4-6 weeks+Swap out your thermostat's old batteries for new onesDo you have more suggestions? Or, do you have any horror stories you'd like to share (Halloween is right around the corner)?My latest blog post has some other useful info and you can check it by clicking on this hyperlink http://www.homerepairtutor.com/preventive-maintenance-checklist-7-home-tune-ups-for-the-fall-season/