It’s officially that time of year. The leaves are starting to turn colour and there is a slight chill in the morning air, signaling the beginning of fall and it’s time to prepare your home the chilly months that are to come. Like a regular health check-up, a home’s fall maintenance schedule is important for every upkeep of every house. Continuing to check on your exterior, appliances, heating and cooling, plumbing, security, and electrical systems will help prevent breakdowns, save money, and keep your home looking its best.
Gutters and Downspouts
To prevent moisture making its way into your home’s foundation make sure to check your gutters and downspouts as they tend to clog with leaves and other vegetation. Take a ladder and put on a pair of gloves and hand-scoop the vegetation that has made its way into the gutters. Take a hose or wait for it to rain to verify that there are no clogs that still exist. This should be done once a season to ensure that no clogs have accumulated and that everything is properly installed.
Chimneys
Chimneys are often neglected, but a crumbling chimney can cause significant damage to your roof. Once a season you should check your chimney for any nests or animals and cracks. Examine the brick and mortar and see is you can spot any cracks or fissures. While chimney caps should prevent nesting birds and rodents, they are sometimes smarter than we think. It is also important to ensure that the chimney is cleaned. A good visual indicator that the chimney needs to be cleaned are black streaks on the outside of the chimney.
Windows and Doors
Replace window screens with storm windows. Removing interior screens will allow more sun into your home making it more energy efficient and prevent condensation by improving airflow around the windows.
HVAC: Attic Insulation
There should be at least 12-inches of evenly distributed insulation throughout your attic in order to keep heat inside your home and decrease energy bills. How can you determine if you need more insulation? Look across the span of your attic, if the insulation that you see is level or below the floor joists, you should add more. Insufficient insulation will force your heating and cooling system to work harder and that puts added strain on expensive house components. Keep your insulation topped up and you’ll reduce the wear and tear on these systems, and you can reduce your energy costs by up to 15% per year.
Replace Furnace Filters
Filters should be changed every three months to help keep your furnace running more efficiently. Keeping a dirty filter means your furnace has to work twice as hard to push out heat. How can you check your furnace filter? Easy! Slide your old filter out, slide a new filter in! If the filter is not disposable, just a quick hand wash will do the trick. When in doubt check the furnace manual.
Dryers
Every three months lint should be removed from the lint ducts as they can become a fire hazard. To remove the lint simply turn the gas valve off or unplug the dryer, remove the lint filter and vacuum it and surrounding areas.
Use this home maintenance checklist to help schedule your seasonal updates, repairs, and cleaning, along with a handful of monthly tasks.
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