The cold weather is upon, the color of the leaves changing, daylight shortening. Fall is officially upon us. We have constructed a list of tasks and ideas to ensure your house is ready for the seasons change!
Replace Furnace Filter
This idea isn’t glamorous or world breaking but it’s never a bad idea to change the furnace filter. A task that can easily get missed.
Seal Concrete Drive & Walks
The fall is the best time to seal a concrete driveway and/or walks, right before the winter. This action will help preserve the longevity of the driveway and should be done so every few years. Use a broom to remove any loose debris on the driveway, follow that up with a pressure washer to remove oil stains that may have accumulated, then let driveway dry for at least 24 hours. Then spray, roll or brush the sealer onto the driveway. Keep cars off driveway for an additional 24 hours.
Clean Gutters/Downspouts
One of the funnest tasks when the leaves begin to fall as well as one of the most challenging. Make sure to use safety first, have the right tools to remove leaves and tree debris, wear gloves to protect hands from any rough gutter edges, inspect gutters for any cracks or leaks while cleaning.
Check Window Wells for Debris
If you have a window well or wells, it’s a good place to check with the dropping of leaves and debris, pine combs. Window Wells are a gold mine for the collection of these elements.
Replace Smoke Alarm Batteries
Like furnace filters, replacing smoke alarm batteries is a maintenance task but still very important!! Especially with the usage of the fireplaces, it’s important that smoke detectors are working.
Disconnect Outdoor Hoses, Turn Off Water Spigots
With the cold weather moving in, it’s a good time to disconnect and store away outdoor hoses. Apply any spigot covers if necessary or shut off any water valves that connects to the spigot if applicable to prevent freezing of the spigot pipes.
Check Various Items/Areas of Home
The fall is a good time to check windows and doors to make sure there’s no cracks, leaks or air coming through the window sills or door frames. Replacing these issues early on will save a ton in energy cost. Check fireplace to ensure it fires up. Fireplaces can be tricky to troubleshoot and probably a good idea to check before it’s really needed when it gets cold!
Preventing Frozen Pipes
The Fall season is a great opportunity to prevent frozen pipes. Checking for seal cracks and openings in the walls, attic, basement or crawlspace, weather strip and or caulking around basement windows and doors, checking for proper insulation in areas where pipes are located, sleeving pipes, replacing basement windows or installing storm windows over basement windows. Again, these steps are precautionary to preventing frozen pipes.
Set Mouse Traps in Garages/Basements
With the weather getting colder forcing us inside to stay warm, the weather also forces critters to come inside our homes to stay warm! Make sure to set traps in garages or unfinished basements to eliminate any critter ecosystems forming in your home.