Most home-maintenance lists are written for somewhere else — places with long deep winters or dry summers. West Tennessee runs its own calendar: two tornado seasons, a summer that works air conditioners half to death, and a handful of hard freezes that catch crawlspace pipes napping. Here's the year as we actually see it from the truck.
Spring (March–May). Get the AC tuned up BEFORE the first 90° week — problems found in April get fixed on your schedule; problems found in July join the line. Walk your outdoor spigots and hose bibs: a freeze split from January often doesn't show itself until the first time you connect a hose. Peak tornado season arrives with the warm air, so review the family severe-weather plan — safe spot, shoes, helmets, weather radio — and if you have a standby generator, confirm its self-test is passing before storm season leans on it. Clean the gutters — spring downpours here are no joke.
Summer (June–August). Check the air filter monthly; a system running near-constantly eats filters faster than the box promises. Pour a cup of water into the condensate drain area and make sure it's flowing — a clogged condensate line is one of our most common July calls, and it announces itself as water on the floor. Keep the outdoor unit clear of grass clippings by a couple of feet.
Fall (September–November). This is the season people skip, and it's the busiest one on this list. Heating tune-up with a carbon monoxide check before the first cold night — not after. Flush the water heater (our hard water makes this an annual chore, not a suggestion). Disconnect every garden hose before the first freeze. And remember: West Tennessee gets a second tornado season in late fall — re-run the severe-weather plan you set in March, and have the generator serviced before outage season.
Winter (December–February). Know where your main water shut-off is before you need it. When a hard freeze rolls in: drip the faucets farthest from the meter, open cabinet doors on exterior-wall sinks, and close the crawlspace vents. Leaving town? Heat stays at 55 minimum, main valve off.
The honest shortcut: two of these — the spring AC visit and the fall heat visit — are exactly what our maintenance plan schedules automatically, with priority when the seasons hit hard. The rest is a Saturday morning here and there. Questions about anything on this list? (901) 699-7763 — straight answers, kitchen-table style.
