Phoenix, AZ · hot, arid region

Phoenix, AZ home maintenance schedule

Relentless summer heat sets the agenda — cooling, water heaters, and sun-baked exteriors. Hard-freeze tasks don't apply. Below is the maintenance a typical Phoenix, AZ home has on its plate right now - 22 tasks, ranked by urgency.

Overdue - do these first

Clean the dryer vent

~1 yr late

Lint packed in the duct is the leading cause of dryer fires - and it's making every load take longer.

You can do this · 20 min Keep waiting: fire risk

Flush the water heater

~2 yrs late

Sediment has been baking onto the tank floor, driving up your gas bill and shortening the tank's life.

Call a plumber · ~$120 Keep waiting: ~$1,200 to replace

Due soon - next 60 days

Test smoke & CO alarms

This month

Batteries fade silently. Press the button on each, swap any that chirp.

You can do this · 2 min Keep waiting: life safety

Inspect the chimney

Due soon

Creosote builds with every fire. A yearly look is cheap insurance against a flue fire.

Chimney sweep · ~$150 Keep waiting: flue fire risk

Clean the gutters

Due soon

Clogged gutters push rain straight into your foundation and basement.

Gutter service · ~$160 Keep waiting: foundation water damage

Get the furnace tuned up

Due soon

A fall tune-up catches a cracked heat exchanger before you're relying on it in January.

HVAC tech · ~$100 Keep waiting: mid-winter breakdown

Look over the roof

Due soon

A few lifted or missing shingles now is a $300 fix; the leak they cause is a $5,000 one.

Roofer · ~$0–200 Keep waiting: interior leak damage

Test the well water

This season

Wells drift out of safe range without warning - an annual test is the only way you'd know.

Water test · ~$60 Keep waiting: health risk

Service the AC before summer

~6 weeks

A spring tune-up catches a weak capacitor before the first heat wave, when every tech is booked.

HVAC tech · ~$90

Replace the furnace filter

~3 weeks

A clogged filter makes the system work harder and burn money - and strains the blower motor.

You can do this · 5 min, ~$15

Refill the water softener salt

This month

An empty brine tank quietly lets hard water back in, scaling up every appliance it feeds.

You can do this · 10 min

Swap the AC filter

This month

A dirty filter chokes airflow and ices the coil - the system runs nonstop and barely cools.

You can do this · 5 min, ~$15

Upcoming - plan ahead

Pump the septic tank

Plan this year

Skip it and solids reach the drain field - a failure that runs five figures to fix.

Septic service · ~$400 Keep waiting: ~$15,000 drain field

Test the sump pump

Upcoming

You find out a sump pump failed at the worst possible moment - a flooded basement during a storm.

You can do this · 5 min Keep waiting: basement flooding

Check the water heater anode rod

Plan ahead

The anode rod corrodes so the tank doesn't. Once it's gone, the tank starts rusting from inside.

Plumber · ~$150 Keep waiting: early tank failure

Test the garage door auto-reverse

This year

The safety reverse is what stops the door on a car or a kid. Springs and sensors drift over time.

You can do this · 5 min Keep waiting: injury risk

Deep-clean behind the dryer

This year

Lint collects under and behind the machine where the vent connects - a quiet fire load.

You can do this · 15 min Keep waiting: fire risk

Reseal the deck

Late summer

Bare wood greys and splits. A reseal now is a tenth the cost of replacing boards.

You can do this · a weekend Keep waiting: board replacement

Check grading & downspout splash

This spring

Soil that's settled toward the house steers every rain into the foundation.

You can do this · 30 min Keep waiting: foundation seepage

Reseal tub & window caulk

This year

Failed caulk lets water behind tile and trim, where rot and mold start out of sight.

You can do this · an hour Keep waiting: hidden water damage

Start up & check sprinklers

Late spring

A head that snapped over winter sprays the siding - or nothing at all - until you check.

You can do this · 30 min

Vacuum the fridge coils

This year

Dust-caked coils make the compressor run hot and die years early.

You can do this · 15 min

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Maintenance by system in Phoenix, AZ

Furnace / central heat Central AC Water heater Water softener Septic system Clothes dryer Garage door opener Irrigation / sprinklers Well water Deck / exterior wood Gutters