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Fall Maintenance Projects for Your Home

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Maintenance Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Fall means colorful leaves, Halloween, and breaking out the jackets for cooler weather!  It also means that winter is coming, it’s time to start those fall home maintenance projects in preparation for the freezing temps and first blanket of snow or ice.

Here are a few of the important projects for the interior and exterior of your home that will help you prepare for the cold temperatures and also help save you some money:

Cedar shake house cape cod style in fall. Flour season series.Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts.  Your roof’s drainage system annually diverts thousands of gallons of water from your house’s exterior and foundation walls.  That’s why it is so important to keep this system flowing smoothly.  Clogged gutters can lead to damaged exterior surfaces and to water in your basement.  Before the leaves begin to fall, have your gutters cleaned and covered with guards to keep debris from returning.

Seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors with weather-stripping and caulk.  A home with air leaks around windows and doors is like a coat left unbuttoned.   Weather-stripping is the most cost-effective way to rein in heating and cooling costs.  This also reduces drafts and keeps your home more comfortable year-round.  Because weather stripping can deteriorate over time, it is important to inspect it periodically.

Check your roof for problems.  Inspect your roof from top to bottom for damaged shingles or leaks.  A leaky roof can be a headache. Once a leak starts, finding the source of the problem can be time-consuming.  Stop problems this fall before ice and winter winds turn them  into disasters.

Step-Sidewalk-and-DrivewayLook for damaged sidewalks, walkways or driveways.  Take time to repair damaged sidewalks, driveways, and steps.  Damaged walkways, drives, and steps are a hazard year round, but their dangers are compounded when the weather turns icy.  Fixing problems in the fall is also crucial to preventing little problems from becoming expensive headaches.

Drain and winterize outdoor faucets and irrigation systems.  The Triangle area gets a good deal of freezing weather, take steps to ensure that outside faucets and inground irrigation systems don’t freeze and burst.

Have a professional inspect your heating system.  Clean or replace dirty furnace filters.  Clogged filters make it harder to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, and can dramatically increase your utility bills.  A simple monthly cleaning is all it takes to keep these filters breathing free and clear.  Once a year, it’s a good idea to have your heating system inspected by a professional.

furnaceBe aware of gas problems.  If you have a gas-fired room heater, you need to have a professional inspect this annually and also have them maintain routine maintenance of the heater.  A heating system that doesn’t seem to work as well as it once did could be a sign of various problems.  Your heating ducts might be blocked, the burners might be maladjusted, or the blower motor could be on its last legs.  Keeping a gas heater in good shape is both a safety and a cost issue.  An improperly maintained heater can spew poisons into the air of your home, or it may simply be costing you more to operate.

For those with wood burning stoves. Wood stoves are making a comeback. They add nostalgia and warmth to your home.  Be sure to inspect yours before firing it up this season to avoid a deadly situation.  Even if your fireplace is only used occasionally, you should check it annually for damage and hazards.  Regular inspections are needed to ensure that these devices don’t become a safety hazard.

Have your chimney inspected.  These need to be inspected for soot or creosote build-up annually.  Creosote is a flammable by-product of burning wood.  For most people, the best option is to have your entire chimney system inspected by a chimney sweep.  Birds love to nest at the top of an unprotected chimney, a chimney cap can prevent this from happening.  Inspect brick chimneys for loose or broken joints.

General safety for your family at home.  A home safety check should be an annual ritual in every household.  Test smoke and CO monitors and replace the batteries.  If you haven’t already, install a smoke detector on every floor of your home, including the basement.  Inspect (or install) fire extinguishers, every home should have at least one fire extinguisher rated for all fire types (look for an A-B-C rating on the label).  Annually, check the indicator on the pressure gauge to make sure the extinguisher is charged.  Make certain that the lock pin is intact and firmly in place, and check that the discharge nozzle is not clogged.  Note: Fire extinguishers that are more than six years old should be replaced.  Review fire escape plans, and rid your home of old newspapers and other fire hazards such as hazardous chemicals and old cleaning products

See a project you could use some help with? Let ECI help you with your fall maintenance projects. Visit our website to learn about our Free Home Maintenance 25 point checklist or feel free to contact us with questions.

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