Reminders
Maintenance reminders for your place
Pick the systems you own. You get a short email on the days something is actually due: the chimney sweep in September, the generator oil at six months, the filter elements by the gallon, the cylinder dates, the winterizing before the first hard freeze. The schedule is the same one in the spares reference and the printable calendar; this is the version that remembers for you.
The schedule
What the reminders cover
Month-based items go out once in each month listed; interval items restart their clock each time they are sent. Northern-hemisphere heating season; if your winter runs differently, the printable calendar is easy to shift.
Backup generator (gas, propane, dual fuel) (4)
- Run the generator under load for 30 minutes (every 30 days)
Start it, put a real load on it (a space heater or the battery charger), and let it reach full temperature. Monthly runs keep the carburetor wet, the battery charged, and the seals soft. If it did not start on the first three pulls, that is your answer about the carburetor before winter, not during it. Reference - Change the generator oil (or check hours: 100 h / 6 months) (every 180 days)
Small sumps degrade oil fast. Honda and Champion both say every 100 hours or 6 months, whichever comes first; every 50 hours under heavy load. Check the plug gap and clean the foam air filter while it is apart. Reference - Pre-winter generator check: fuel, plug, LPG hose, battery (October)
Fresh fuel with stabilizer (or drain and run the carb dry if it stores), spare plug gapped and in the kit, leak-check the propane hose with soapy water, charge the starter battery, and confirm the spare pull-rope is on the shelf. Reference - Post-winter: drain stale fuel, inspect the LPG hose, run it (April)
Gasoline left over from winter is the number one no-start in spring. Drain it, refill fresh, run it. Propane hoses crack in cold; Champion says replace every 3 years. Reference
Wood stove and chimney (6)
- Sweep the chimney and inspect the pipe before the season (September)
Brush the flue top to bottom with a brush that matches the flue size and type (wire for masonry, poly for stainless), inspect single-wall pipe for pinholes, replace any section that is thin, and check the cap and screen. If you burned more than 3 cords last winter, plan a mid-season sweep too. Reference - Dollar-bill test the door gasket; replace if it slides out (September)
Close the door on a dollar bill. If it pulls out with no resistance, the rope gasket is done. Measure the old rope diameter and replace with the matching Rutland kit; let the cement cure before the first fire. Reference - Check firebrick and baffle; swap cracked bricks (September)
Cracked but in place is fine; crumbled or missing exposes steel to direct flame. Keep a box of six on the shelf. Reference - Mid-season chimney check (creosote, cap, thermometer) (January)
Pull the cap, look down the flue with a light, brush if there is more than an eighth inch of glaze. Check the stove-pipe thermometer still reads sensibly. Reference - Order or cut next winter's firewood now, so it seasons (April)
Hardwood needs a year or more split and stacked to get under 20 percent moisture. Wood bought in fall is rarely dry. Run the firewood calculator with last winter's real use. Reference - Summer: empty ash, leave the door cracked, check the roof flashing (May)
Ash holds moisture and rusts the firebox over summer. Clean it out, leave the door slightly open for airflow, and check the roof flashing and storm collar before the fall rains. Reference
Solar array, charge controller, battery bank (6)
- Clean the panels and check the array for hot spots and loose MC4s (April, October)
Soft brush and water, early morning. Look for browned or cracked MC4 connectors and backsheet bubbling. Torque the controller terminals (Victron: 1.6 Nm) and the battery lugs. Reference - Seasonal tilt: steeper for winter, flatter for summer (if adjustable) (March, October)
Latitude plus 15 degrees for winter, minus 15 for summer. On a fixed mount, at least clear snow off and check the winter shading line, which is lower than summer's. Reference - Lithium cold check: can the bank charge below freezing where it lives? (November)
LiFePO4 refuses charge below about 25 F. If the bank is in an unheated space, add a heating pad on a thermostat or move it. Check the BMS low-temp cutoff settings and the charge profile on the controller. Reference - Monthly: log the bank state of charge, check the shunt, sniff for heat (every 30 days)
Write down the state of charge at the same time of day, confirm the shunt is reading (a fused sense wire fails silently), and feel the lugs after a heavy load. Warm lug means a loose or corroded crimp. Reference - Fuse and spares inventory before winter (October)
Two of every fuse in the system (MRBF, MIDI, Class T, PV), MC4 pairs, a spare VE.Direct cable. Winter is when the mail stops. Reference - Lead-acid only: equalize and check water levels (March, June, September, December)
Flooded lead-acid wants an equalization charge every 1 to 3 months and distilled water to the line. Skip this and the bank sulfates by year three. Reference
Water: well, pump, filters, storage (6)
- Scrub gravity-filter elements; log the gallons (every 90 days)
Scotch-Brite the outside of the Black Berkey or Phoenix elements when flow slows. Each element is rated 3,000 gallons; PF-2 fluoride elements are done at 1,000 gallons or a year regardless of flow. Reference - Replace PF-2 fluoride elements (1 year or 1,000 gal) (January)
They saturate silently with no flow-rate warning, so this one is by the calendar. Reference - Clean the pump strainer and check the pressure switch (every 180 days)
Twist off the inline strainer, rinse the screen, check the bowl for cracks. Listen for rapid cycling, which means a tired switch or a waterlogged accumulator. Reference - Annual water test (bacteria, nitrates; arsenic and radon if your state has them) (May)
Spring is when surface water runs into shallow wells. A state-lab test is cheap and it is the only way you know. Reference - Winterize: heat tape, drain exposed lines, insulate the pump house (October)
Check heat tape with a meter, drain anything exposed, insulate the pressure tank and pump house. A frozen pump house in January is a week without water. Reference - Inspect and clean storage tanks; check the rain first-flush (April)
Drain, scrub, sanitize with dilute bleach, rinse. Clean gutters and the first-flush diverter before spring rains. Reference
Propane system (4)
- Leak-test every fitting; inspect pigtails and the regulator vent (October, April)
Soapy water on every joint after the fall tank fill, and again in spring. Look at the pigtails for cracking, the regulator for frost or a clogged vent. Write the regulator install date on it; budget replacement at 15 to 20 years. Reference - Fall fill: check the tank level and schedule delivery before the rush (September)
A 500-gallon tank fills to 400. Run the propane calculator with this year's appliances so you know how many fills winter takes. Reference - Check 20 lb cylinder dates (12 years, then 5-year requalification) (May)
The date is stamped on the collar. Exchange cages refuse expired cylinders; rotate so none lapse. Reference - Test CO and propane alarms; replace batteries (November, May)
Every fall and spring. Propane is heavier than air; the detector goes low. Reference
Composting toilet (3)
- Check the vent fan and fuse; clean the screen (every 90 days)
The fan is the only electrical part and the one that dies. If there is any odor, check fan, fuse, and seals in that order. Keep a spare fan assembly and three fuses. Reference - Restock coco coir (and check the liquids-bottle seal) (every 120 days)
Out of coir, out of toilet. A 35 L bag is about four charges. Replace a hardened bottle seal before it leaks odor into the room. Reference - Inspect the vent hose for kinks, cracks, and condensation (October)
Cold and sun crack the hose; condensation inside means a low spot. Keep 5 ft of spare hose and two ends. Reference
Chainsaw and small engines (3)
- Pre-season saw service: chain, bar, plug, fuel filter, fresh mix (August)
Two sharp chains, a spare bar, a gapped plug, a new in-tank fuel filter, fresh 50:1 (ethanol-free if you can), and a full gallon of bar oil before the cutting season. Reference - Stale-fuel day: stabilize or drain everything that sits (November)
Mowers, tillers, pumps, the saw. Stale ethanol gas is the number one no-start. STA-BIL for storage, or run them dry. Reference - Sharpen or rotate chains; check the bar rails and sprocket (every 60 days)
File the spares at the bench; flip the bar; check the clutch drum for a groove. Reference
Cabin, roof, and site (4)
- Roof, flashing, gutters, and snow load check (October)
Clear gutters, check flashing around the chimney and vents, look for lifted shingles or screws on metal. Know your roof's snow rating; check the ridge after big storms. Reference - Grade the driveway, clear culverts, stock sand and a spare culvert end (April, October)
Spring mud and fall leaves. A blocked culvert takes the driveway with it. Reference - Wildfire and defensible space: clear 30 ft, clean the roof, check hoses (May)
Ladder fuels off the walls, leaves off the roof, a charged hose that reaches every side. Reference - Update the systems binder: serials, part numbers, what you changed this year (December)
Ten minutes in December saves an hour on the phone in February. The binder template is on the downloads page. Reference
Missing a system you own? Tell me and I will add its schedule. See also the spares reference and the printable maintenance calendar.
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