Home safety maintenance checklist: the tasks that prevent fires, carbon monoxide and radon exposure, and how often to do each

The safety tasks are the ones that keep a fire, a carbon monoxide leak, an electrical fault or radon from going unnoticed: smoke and CO alarm upkeep, dryer vent cleaning, annual servicing of gas appliances and chimneys, fire extinguisher checks, radon testing and periodic electrical inspection. Maintainly’s task library sets a default interval for each.

The table lists each task with the default interval and accepted range from Maintainly’s task library. These are the app’s planning defaults, set to match the agency guidance quoted in the sections below. Where a manufacturer’s instructions or a local law says something different, follow that instead.

Radon testing appears in the library for the US, Canada, the UK and other countries with radon programmes, but not for Australia. The electrical inspection task (EICR) is offered for UK homes only. If you are setting up a new home, the first 90 days checklist for new homeowners shows where these tasks fit among everything else.

Test every smoke alarm monthly, replace 9-volt and backup batteries at least once a year, and replace the whole alarm 10 years from the manufacture date. That is the US Fire Administration’s guidance. Alarms with a sealed 10-year battery have no battery to change: the whole unit is replaced on the manufacturer’s schedule.

The NFPA report on smoke alarms in US home fires covers reported home fires from 2018 to 2022. It found that nearly three out of five home fire deaths (59 percent) were in properties with no smoke alarms (43 percent) or alarms that failed to operate (16 percent). The death rate per 1,000 home fires was about 60 percent lower where working alarms were present.

The same report says that when alarms failed, the usual reason was a disconnected or non-working power source, and battery problems were the most common of those. That is why the yearly battery change is on this list. See how often to replace smoke alarm batteries for the task itself.

The US Fire Administration’s smoke alarm guidance also covers placement: on every level of the home, and inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area. The manufacture date is printed on the alarm, so check it when you change the battery.

Follow the date in the manufacturer’s instructions. The CDC’s fallback is every 5 years, and Gas Safe Register says most CO alarms last between 5 and 10 years. Maintainly’s task library defaults to 5 years, so change the interval to match the date on your own unit.

The CDC’s carbon monoxide overview says more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires. More than 100,000 visit an emergency department and more than 14,000 are hospitalised. The most common symptoms it lists are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.

The CDC advises checking CO detector batteries when the clocks change in spring and autumn. In the UK, Gas Safe Register’s page on carbon monoxide alarms advises an audible alarm in every room with a gas appliance, fitted to the manufacturer’s instructions.

An alarm is a backup, not the fix. Energy Safe Victoria makes the point directly: a CO alarm is a useful precaution but no substitute for correct installation and maintenance of the appliance. The guide on how often to replace a CO detector unit covers the replacement task.

Clean the dryer vent ductwork every year and the lint filter every time you use the dryer. That is the US Fire Administration’s advice, and Maintainly’s task library uses the same yearly interval for the vent, plus a deep clean of the lint trap housing every 3 months.

The US Fire Administration’s appliance fire safety page reports that failure to clean was the leading factor contributing to the ignition of clothes dryer fires in homes from 2018 to 2020, at 31 percent. The yearly ductwork interval comes from its basement and garage fire safety advice.

The yearly vent task applies to vented dryers. Condenser and heat pump dryers have no external duct, so their upkeep is the filters and housing described in the maker’s manual. The steps for a vented machine are in the guide on how often to clean a dryer vent.

Once a year is the standard advice in the US and UK. The CDC says to have heating systems, water heaters and other gas, oil or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year. Gas Safe Register says the same for UK gas appliances, and the US Fire Administration says it for chimneys.

Gas boilers, furnaces and heaters

Gas Safe Register’s advice on checking gas appliances is to have every gas appliance checked once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It explains that an appliance that is badly fitted or maintained, or has a blocked flue or vent, can produce carbon monoxide. A full service can add combustion gas analysis and a check of seals and heat exchangers.

Gas Safe Register lists warning signs that mean you should call an engineer straight away rather than wait for the annual visit:

• The appliance is not working properly.
• The flame is floppy and yellow instead of crisp and blue.
• There are black or brown marks on or around the appliance.
• The boiler pilot light keeps going out.
• There is more condensation than usual inside the windows.

Chimneys and flues

The US Fire Administration’s heating fire safety page says to have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected each year by a professional. It reports an estimated 32,200 home heating fires in the US in 2021, causing an estimated 190 deaths, 625 injuries and $442 million in property loss.

Gas work and flue work are jobs for a registered or licensed professional, and the licensing rules differ by country and state. The guides on the annual boiler service and the chimney sweep and inspection cover what each visit includes.

Test at least once, with a long-term kit, because testing is the only way to know a home’s level. Health Canada asks for a test of at least 3 months. Maintainly’s task library then repeats the task every 2 years, which is the app’s planning default and not an agency rule.

The EPA’s page on the health risk of radon describes radon as the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers and attributes about 21,000 US lung cancer deaths a year to it. The level at which it says to act is 4 pCi/L.

Other countries measure in becquerels per cubic metre. Health Canada’s guideline for homes is 200 Bq/m³, and it says measurements should be made on the lowest lived-in level of the home. The UK Health Security Agency sets an Action Level of 200 Bq/m³ and a Target Level of 100 Bq/m³.

Australia is the exception among the four countries. ARPANSA’s national survey found the average level in Australian homes is about one quarter of the worldwide average, which is why Maintainly does not add this task for Australian homes. The guide on how often to test for radon explains the test itself.

In England, landlords must have the electrics in rented homes checked at least every 5 years by a properly qualified person. Owner-occupiers have no such duty, but the charity Electrical Safety First recommends an inspection at least every 10 years. Elsewhere, ask a licensed electrician what applies to your home.

The UK inspection produces an Electrical Installation Condition Report, or EICR. The UK government’s guide for landlords on electrical safety standards sets out the 5-year rule under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. The guide notes that 2025 amending regulations extend the rules to the social rented sector.

Electrical Safety First’s guidance for owner-occupiers gives the 10-year recommendation. Maintainly’s task library offers the EICR electrical safety check for UK homes on a 5-year default, which you can lengthen if you own and live in the home.

The US figures show why wiring belongs on a safety list. The US Fire Administration estimates 24,200 residential building electrical fires in 2021, causing an estimated 295 deaths, 900 injuries and more than $1.2 billion in property loss. Electrical inspection and repair is work for a licensed electrician in every one of the four countries.

Look at it regularly: Maintainly’s task library sets the check to monthly. The US Fire Administration says to make sure nothing blocks your reach, that the pressure gauge is not reading too high or too low, and that the can, hoses and nozzles are not damaged, dented or rusted.

The US Fire Administration’s fire extinguisher page adds that some extinguishers need to be shaken monthly and others need pressure testing every few years. The label and the manufacturer’s instructions say which applies to yours, and when the unit should be serviced or replaced.

The same page says young children and older adults should not use fire extinguishers.