Climate zones 3 and 4
Home maintenance checklist for mixed climates (zones 3 and 4)
Zones 3 and 4 get both seasons in full: real summers that work the AC and winters that can freeze a hose bibb. The checklist is the longest here because almost every system gets used hard at some point in the year.
Typical places: The Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, north Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Maryland, much of California and the Pacific Northwest coast. Zones are drawn by county, so check the IECC map if you are near a boundary.
What shapes the schedule here
- Hard freezes in most winters
- Both heating and cooling seasons
- Hurricanes on the Atlantic coast
- Spring snowmelt and storms in moist 4A
Spring (March to May)
Test the sump pump in March (zone 4, moist areas)
Snowmelt and spring rain are when a basement floods.
Sump pump sizingGet the AC ready in April or May
Zone 3 starts in April, zone 4 in May. Book the service before the first heat wave books every tech.
Prepare for hurricane season in May on the coast
The Carolinas and Virginia coasts sit in zones 3 and 4.
Fall (September to November)
Get the heat ready in October
Run it once early to find a failed igniter or a bad thermostat.
HVAC filter MERV guideBlow out sprinkler lines in October (zone 4)
Buried lines and backflow valves crack when the ground freezes.
Sprinkler system sheetInsulate exposed pipes in October
Pipes in crawl spaces, garages and outside walls freeze first in a cold snap.
Winterize outdoor faucets in November
Disconnect hoses and drain the bibbs before the first hard freeze.
Plumbing cheat sheetClean gutters in November
After the leaves are down, before winter rain.
These are the jobs that change with the climate. The full seasonal checklist has the ones every home needs, like smoke alarms and the dryer vent.