Fall Home Maintenance
With the short days of winter just around the corner, fall is the perfect time to inspect and maintain the outside of your home, before the weather takes over. We’ll help you organize (and complete) your seasonal home maintenance to-do lists without breaking the bank – or your back.
We’d like to note that if you’re not sure that you can or have the means to perform these tasks, call a professional to help. The extra cost will pay off down the road.
Inspect Window and Door Seals
Everyone aims for having an efficient home, and one of the best ways to make sure your money isn’t flying out the window is by inspecting the condition of the seals and caulking around all the doors and windows in your home.
Chances are if you’ve lived in your home for a few years, you already have a good idea of where the ‘cold spots’ are located – make sure to tackle these areas right away. Then spend some time inspecting the rest of the windows and doors in your home to ensure they’re sealed properly. If you’re feeling any sort of draft or cold air coming through any of the window seals, it’ll need to be re-caulked/sealed.
If you have the budget, it may be a smart idea to hire a professional to test your home’s efficiency. They have access to tools and technology that can quickly and accurately pinpoint trouble areas of your home.
Clean Gutters
We recommend cleaning out your rain gutters at least twice a year – typically in the spring and in the fall. Clogged gutters can cause damage to your home’s foundation, roof, landscaping and act as a breeding ground for annoying insects.
If you’re anything like us, you’ll want to get a head start on this job before the leaves fall. So, put on some gloves, grab your ladder and start scooping the debris out of your gutters. A quick go-over should keep you covered through most of the fall.
Inspect Your Roof
As your roof is always exposed to the hot sun, wind, and precipitation, an annual roof inspection is vital to the upkeep of your home.
It’s best to start inspecting from on top of your roof – do you see any broken shingles, worn areas, popped nails or cracked caulking? If so, these issues are easily fixed in an afternoon with a bundle of shingles, caulking, and a roofing hammer.
If you notice bigger problems while on your roof, including sagging, soggy areas, or even holes, you’ll need to look at the underside of your roof for a closer inspection. If you see any issues that you would consider major, then it’s probably time to hire a professional inspector to look over the issues.
Install Outdoor Lighting
As the days get darker, lighting around your home becomes even more important. Map out the areas of your yard that have lights, as well as the areas that don’t. This will give you a visual representation of the distribution of lighting in your yard, allowing you to fill in the area most in need of light.
Tune-up HVAC System
As a rule of thumb, the filter(s) in your HVAC system should be replaced 2-4 times per year (depending on the frequency of use and climate), this equals out to about once per season. We always recommend using a high-quality HVAC filter that removes even the smallest particles from the air. These are typically a little more expensive, but well worth it. Shop HVAC Filters>
Here’s how to replace your HVAC filter:
1.) Turn off the power to your HVAC system.
2.) Locate and remove your filter cover.
3.) Remove the old filter.
4.) Note the air-flow arrow illustration on the new filter
5.) Install the new filter with the arrow pointing towards the HVAC system.
6.) Turn the HVAC power back on.
While you have access to your HVAC system, we also recommend checking the connection of all electrical cords and piping, wiping away any dust from the cooling coils, and even lubricating all moving parts. If you’re feeling extra motivated, seal off any unused heating/cooling ducts around your home to help save even more on energy costs.
Conclusion
Self-sustainability is invaluable in today’s economy. It’s even more important when you find yourself paying to have something fixed, over and over. That’s why learning to perform common home maintenance at the appropriate times of the year is so important. You’ll actually look and act like the handy-man everyone wants around their home.
Don’t put it off, tackle your fall to-do list today with this article to keep your home cozy and vibrant throughout the cold months.
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