Your 12-month plan for Thurston County

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Pop the metal filter out and soak it in hot water with dish soap and baking soda, or run it through the dishwasher if the maker allows.

Run fans 20 minutes after showers, check the attic for frost or damp sheathing on cold mornings, and wipe window condensation.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Turn the system off, slide the filter out, and match the size printed on its edge. Arrow on the frame points toward the blower.

Twist out the filter at the bottom of the tub, rinse it under the tap and scrub gently with a soft brush.

Run hot water at the tap closest to the heater for a minute and measure with a kitchen thermometer; adjust the dial in small steps.

Use a short-term test kit in the lowest lived-in level, keep windows closed per the kit, and mail it to the lab. EPA recommends fixing at 4 pCi/L or more.

Narrate as you go, open closets, and save the file somewhere off the phone (and to My Home).

Check the model’s filter part number in the manual or on the filter itself.

Run bath and kitchen fans, turn down a humidifier, and wipe sills. EPA suggests indoor humidity between 30 and 50%.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Unplug the dryer (and shut the gas valve on a gas dryer), disconnect the duct, brush it out, and check the outside flap opens freely.

It is usually where the line enters the house or near the meter. Close it, open a faucet to confirm, then reopen it fully.

Use a flashlight: feel supply lines and the shutoff valves, look for stains, warped cabinet floors or a toilet that rocks.

Check ceilings under valleys, skylights and the chimney, and the attic after a long rain.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Lay a 2x4 flat under the door and close it. It should reverse on touching the board. Also wave something through the photo-eye beam while it closes.

Turn the heater to vacation or off, attach a hose to the drain valve, run it to a drain until the water runs clear, then refill before turning it back on.

Place a bucket under the discharge pipe and lift the lever briefly; scalding water should flow and stop when released. If it drips afterward or does not open, call a plumber.

Clear debris and check for sagging runs and leaking seams.

Pop the metal filter out and soak it in hot water with dish soap and baking soda, or run it through the dishwasher if the maker allows.

Look with a flashlight from the access hatch; note puddles, wet insulation or sagging duct wrap.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Turn the system off, slide the filter out, and match the size printed on its edge. Arrow on the frame points toward the blower.

Plug in a lamp, press TEST (the lamp should go off), then RESET. If it does not trip, have an electrician replace it.

Walk the whole perimeter. Note anything lifted, missing or rusted and photograph it. Stay off the roof.

Replace the filter first and clear leaves from the outdoor unit.

Two metal straps (upper and lower third) into studs; anchor bookcases and dressers.

Twist out the filter at the bottom of the tub, rinse it under the tap and scrub gently with a soft brush.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Use a flashlight: feel supply lines and the shutoff valves, look for stains, warped cabinet floors or a toilet that rocks.

Open the indoor valve, run the outside faucet for a minute, then check the wall behind it and the basement ceiling for drips.

Stop the fan and flip the direction switch on the motor housing; you should feel a breeze standing under it.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Pull the washer out and check both hoses near the fittings. Replace bulging or cracked rubber hoses with braided ones.

Pop the metal filter out and soak it in hot water with dish soap and baking soda, or run it through the dishwasher if the maker allows.

Turn off power at the outdoor disconnect, clear 2 feet around it, and gently hose the fins from inside out if the maker allows.

Probe suspect spots with a screwdriver; anything soft needs repair and fresh paint or sealant.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Turn the system off, slide the filter out, and match the size printed on its edge. Arrow on the frame points toward the blower.

Twist out the filter at the bottom of the tub, rinse it under the tap and scrub gently with a soft brush.

Check the model’s filter part number in the manual or on the filter itself.

Pour a cup of distilled vinegar in the cleanout tee and confirm water drains outside.

Scrape and prime bare wood first; follow the product’s temperature range.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Use a flashlight: feel supply lines and the shutoff valves, look for stains, warped cabinet floors or a toilet that rocks.

Unplug the fridge, remove the bottom grille (or pull it out to reach rear coils) and vacuum with a brush attachment.

Use a deck or siding cleaner and a soft brush; low pressure only on siding.

Remove hoses, close the indoor shutoff valve for each outdoor faucet if you have one, and open the outside faucet to drain it.

Close the irrigation shutoff, then drain per the system’s design or book a compressed-air blowout.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Lay a 2x4 flat under the door and close it. It should reverse on touching the board. Also wave something through the photo-eye beam while it closes.

Brush moss off from the top down with a soft brush, or hire a roofer; zinc strips at the ridge slow regrowth.

Pop the metal filter out and soak it in hot water with dish soap and baking soda, or run it through the dishwasher if the maker allows.

Cut out cracked or moldy caulk, clean and dry the joint, and apply a bead of kitchen-and-bath silicone.

Turn off power at the outdoor disconnect, clear 2 feet around it, and gently hose the fins from inside out if the maker allows.

Hold the test button until it sounds. Anything silent or chirping: replace the battery, or the whole alarm if it is past its date.

Turn the system off, slide the filter out, and match the size printed on its edge. Arrow on the frame points toward the blower.

Plug in a lamp, press TEST (the lamp should go off), then RESET. If it does not trip, have an electrician replace it.

Walk the whole perimeter. Note anything lifted, missing or rusted and photograph it. Stay off the roof.

Change the filter first. Ask for a written list of what was checked and the readings.

Clear debris and check for sagging runs and leaking seams.

Twist out the filter at the bottom of the tub, rinse it under the tap and scrub gently with a soft brush.