Fall Home Maintenance

10/26/2020 (Permalink)

Gutter cleaning

Tips for Fall Home Maintenance

Fall shouldn’t be the only time you protect your home but fall is a good reminder to make sure your home is ready to combat the changing weather and potential dangers.

Check All Safety Devices

To ensure safety inside your home, take a moment and check all of your safety devices, making sure the batteries are new and working properly. For example, test all your smoke alarms inside your home. Also, make sure to replace used or expired fire extinguishers.

Fire up the Furnace

Turn your furnace on before the temperatures start to plummet so you can ensure it works. Contact a technician to inspect that it’s operating properly if you suspect it needs servicing. Keeping all flammable materials away from your furnace including clothing, paint products, toxic materials, and cardboard are a good way to minimize the dangers of a house fire.

Inspect the Insulation

Keep the cold air out by checking your insulation around your home in the fall.  Minimizing the cold drafts will allow your furnace to not overwork itself trying to heat your home and minimizing heating bills. 

Give the Heater Some Space

Heaters need space to vent and warm an area without warming things that they shouldn’t like clothing, bedding, drapery, and furniture.   These items should never be left near any type of heater.  Make sure that you read the instructions provided with your heater to ensure that the heater doesn’t require special venting. Remember to always shut them off when you leave the house and do not leave them unattended if you have children or pets.

Fire Safety

Before you relight your fireplace after the warmer seasons, check your chimney to confirm it’s free of debris and has proper ventilation. Make sure the bricks, mortar, and liner are in good condition. Lastly, use a fireplace screen to keep the sparks from flying all over the place.

Preventing dryer fires by cleaning the filters after each load of wash and removing lint that collects in dryer vents. Just like burning candles, it is never advised to leave a load of laundry in the dryer unattended either.

De-clutter the Gutters

The falling leaves can leave you with quite a mess to clean by removing all debris and leaves from your gutters you can minimize the possibility of damage to your home due to overflowing gutters. If deciding to burn leaves and debris removed from your gutters, check your city’s regulations, as it may be illegal where you live.  If you burn them, do so away from the house and use proper containers.

Trim the Trees

As plants begin to die in the cold weather, make sure you remove any dead branches or decaying limbs on the trees of your property. When weighed down by ice and snow, or blowing in the wind, they can become hazardous and fall on your house or vehicle.

Fall is a time for fun and family. Put these tips into practice today to ensure a safe fall and winter season.