House rules: Your guide to creating a homeowner's manual
By Colin McCullough
MANY OF US HAVE a drawer full of owner’s manuals for home appliances, electronics and even furniture. If we have an owner’s manual for something as straightforward as a blender, doesn’t it seem strange that most of us don’t have one for our home?
As a home energy auditor, I find that it can be challenging for homeowners to keep track of the many different aspects of their houses—from what kinds of regular maintenance are required to the type of hot water heater or insulation they have.
Staying on top of maintenance can improve your home’s energy efficiency and prevent potential safety hazards. For example, the exterior port of the clothes dryer should be cleaned at least every three months, but I often find that lint buildup has clogged or blocked open the vent flap, opening a pathway for cold air to come into the house. When people complain that their laundry room is cold, this is often a culprit! It can also create a fire hazard.
Creating a home owner’s manual compiles all the important information in one place, making it easier to maintain your house and be more aware of the systems that make our homes work.
Here are some tips on how to create an owner’s manual for your house:
Write down all the systems in your house: the heating and hot water system(s), the kitchen and laundry appliances, and anything with a filter, like whole-house water filters, dehumidifiers, or heat pumps. Take a picture of each unit, then take a close-up photo of the manufacturer’s label with information, including the model number.
Make a note of the surfaces inside and outside of the house: everything from the countertops, flooring and walls to the exterior siding, gutters and driveway. These surfaces all require maintenance at some point and some of them fairly regularly.
Keep information in both print and electronic forms. Create a Table of Contents for your print version, listing all the systems and surfaces for the house. Then create a document with a page for each item listed in the table of contents, inserting the photos you took throughout the house. Include a picture or note of what size filters your appliances use so ordering replacements is easier.
If you have an appliance without an owner’s manual, use the manufacturer and model number to search for the owner’s manual online. A digital version of the manual can usually be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website and will list the recommended maintenance for each appliance. Keep your digital appliance manual files together in a desktop folder. Update the manual when you update appliances.
Once you’ve created your home owner’s manual with photos, print everything out and put it in a three-ring binder. I recommend also storing your document and all the downloaded manuals on a USB thumb drive stored with the printed manual in a kitchen drawer or close to your house’s electric panel.
With many appliances and systems in your home, it can be a challenge to remember to clean the filters and have the heating system serviced regularly. So, after you’ve created the manual, create a schedule of automated reminders with an online calendar to help you keep track.
With your new home owner’s manual, all the information about the systems in your house will be in one place. The next owner will thank you, too! Maintenance reminders will help you stay on top of keeping your systems clean and serviced, extending the life of your house’s mechanical systems.
Pro Tip
As a home energy auditor, I see plenty of dirty filters that need to be changed. Forced hot air furnaces, heat pumps, and heat pump water heaters need regular filter cleaning. So do dehumidifiers and vacuums. They’re all cleaning the air that we breathe. Whole-house and under-sink water filters are tucked away and are easy to forget about, but they’re cleaning the water we drink, and many need to be replaced every three months. Your home owner’s manual should include a picture or note of what size filters you have so that ordering replacements is easier, and your online calendar reminders will help keep you on a regular schedule.
This article appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
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