INDIANAPOLIS — As January settles in over Indiana, the weather outside puts limits on what chores a homeowner can accomplish.
But now is when Pat Sullivan from Sullivan Hardware and Garden turns his focus to the inside of the house, starting in the basement and utility closet. That's where a home's critical systems are housed and where a homeowner can make use of the indoor time to perform routine maintenance on mechanical systems.
Furnace filters
Furnace filters are critical to keeping a house warm through the winter, and Pat recommended you check yours now to make sure it's clean and allowing air to flow efficiently through your house. A clogged filter can lead to an expensive service call, so make sure you replace a dirty filter right away.
If your furnace has a humidifier filter, now is a good time to change that, too.
Water heater
Ideally, you should drain your water heater tank twice a year. But if you haven't been doing that, Pat recommends not to start now because the sediment that's already built up will likely cause more problems if it's stirred up.
Sump pump
If your basement has a sump pump, you can expect it to fail without warning. Pat recommends replacing the pump every five years rather than waiting for it to stop working and dealing with the flood on your basement floor.
If you have a finished basement, you might want to protect that investment by installing a battery backup pump in case the main pump cannot work during a power outage.
Watch Pat's full segment from 13Sunrise in the video player.