Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Fall is such a wonderful time of the  year. A welcome reprieve from the heat of summer, fall is a good time to prepare for the cold winter ahead. A fall home maintenance checklist is essential if you want to be prepared for winter and avoid costly and unexpected accidents or breakdowns in your home. What’s on your checklist? There are the obvious things like making sure your furnace runs or insulating outdoor spigots, but what about less obvious things like your humidifier or gutters? Check out this handy fall home maintenance checklist to keep your home in order:

Furnace

Schedule a professional tune-up of your furnace during the fall to address any issues that may have developed over the summer. Some common issues that homeowners face are noisy belts and inconsistencies in heating. These could be signs of more serious issues that a professional HVAC company can diagnose and fix. Also, don’t forget to change your air filters. Dirty filters will put more strain on your furnace plus circulate dust into your home causing allergies and sickness.

Gutters

Snow and ice will really do a number on gutters, especially if they are still full of summer and fall leaves. Overflowing gutters can cause damage to your home’s foundation by dumping water too close to the house. Take advantage of the cool, but not too cold, fall weather to check over your gutters. Make sure they are cleaned from all debris and are rust-free. Install mesh guards to keep any lingering leaves from building up again.

Freezing water

Freezing water can burst pipes and deepen cracks in your driveway. Take a two-fold approach against freezing water: first, insulate outdoor spigots using styrofoam caps that you can buy at any home store. Drain the lines leading to the outdoor spigots first to prevent any pipes bursting. Secondly, take a walk and look for any small cracks in your driveways and paths. Repair small cracks before they get bigger and pose a trip and fall threat to you and your guests.           

Humidifier

Dry air during the winter makes hardwood floors and furniture more susceptible to cracking. Give your humidifier a thorough check out before cold temperatures arrive. Keeping your humidity at an appropriate level (between 40 and 50 percent) will keep you healthier during the winter months as well. Your humidifier will make your home feel more comfortable and even help you to spend less money on heating.

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