Summer has come and past, a new season is upon us and it reminds us that we must prepare ourselves for winter. This fall make your home maintenance life simpler with this checklist of 10 items, most are easily accomplished if you have arms and legs, others may require a professional, but all are beneficial to the extended life of your home and it’s appliances.
- Clean your eavestrough and downspouts of leaves and debris. This provides proper water management as your roof carries snow through winter, and a clean eavestrough helps prevent ice dams building up and potentially damaging your eavestrough.
- Give your roof a visual inspection for missing shingles or degradation. Your roof is your home’s first protection from water, make sure the roof system is complete and sealed off properly, if you have any visual sign of degradation or in need of repair, call a roofing specialist to make sure it is ready for winter.
- Check windows and doors for drafts. By holding your hand around the edges of windows and doors you can feel cool drafts blowing in through seams in the trim and mouldings, these can be sealed off by simply caulking with an interior latex caulk. For bigger gaps on doors, purchase some 3M weather stripping that easily cuts and sticks to your desired location.
- Get your heating system inspected. Whether you have a forced air furnace, hot-water radiant heat, or a wood burning fireplace, get your heating system inspected at least once every 2 years to ensure proper operation. This extends the life of your heating appliance and keeps it running efficiently.
- Turn your ceiling fans the proper direction. There tends to be some confusion on this issue, but you want the hot air pushed off the ceiling and down the sides of the walls, turn your ceiling fan on clockwise (pulling air up) in order to force the hot air off the ceiling. When standing underneath the fan you will hardly notice a breeze.
- Walk around your home and check the foundation and siding for cracks or holes where pipes or wires enter the building and make sure they are sealed properly. Caulking is a simple easy way for do-it-yourselfers to seal off possible entrances for water to cause interior damage.
- Properly shutdown your cooling unit by having an HVAC service company come to clean and inspect for next spring before they get overbooked, and cover your air conditioner to keep clean and dry from snow.
- Check all steps and railings on the home exterior for loose or shaky sections, you want a firm railing to grab on to if you slip on a patch of ice. Having level steps and walkways makes for easier cleaning and less likelihood for slipping in wetter weather.
- Clean and store your outdoor furniture. If you can’t store your outdoor accessories indoors, give your furniture and equipment a good cleaning and cover them with a well sealed tarp, however indoor storage is best.
- Take care of any lawn cleanup while you can. For a full list of yard cleanup tips, check out Backyard Built’s Fall Yard Care Tips.
As the coming months tend to be cold and wet outside, the ultimate goal is the keep those elements outdoors and not affecting your home’s operation. Following this checklist will help ensure your home stays dry and warm. Want your home operating great and looking to update? Contact Tucker Construction to discuss your home renovation project.
