Winterizing Your Home in the Fall

With the weather starting to cool off and the leaves beginning to fall, autumn is the perfect time to winterize your home for the changes ahead. Whether you choose to do it yourself or hire outside professionals, it will be worth your time and money to protect your home for the upcoming months. Here are great tips to prepare your home for the unpredictable winter weather:

Check for Drafts

Complete a quick walk through around the interior of your house to check for drafts or breezes that might be seeping through cracks around your doors and windows. If you come across any of these leaks, be sure to use weather-stripping or caulk to block that air-flow. This will help keep in the warmth as the weather cools and help keep your heating bill low.

Cleaning Gutters and Downspouts

As the winds begin to whirl and the plants change with the season, you will need to be sure to check and clean your home's gutters before the rainy season starts. If there are any clogs in your homes gutters it could cause a rain water overflow which can potentially lead to damaging the exterior of your home. After removing unwanted debris, I recommend running a light stream of water through the gutter to check for leaks.  If you notice any leaks as the water travels through the gutters be sure to dress the leak as soon as possible with a variation of gutter sealant.

Inspect Your Roof

Inspecting your roof should be of high priority before the first rain hits your region. Check for missing or curled shingles, rotten areas or damage of any kind and address any areas of concern by replacing or sealing the impaired roofing. The smallest leak in a roof can cause major damage to the integrity of your home and cost more money to fix after the moisture has entered.

Replace/Clean Furnace Filter

Autumn is the perfect time to inspect your furnace filter. Be sure to clean or replace your filter before it's too late and the cold fall weather starts to affect the temperature of your home. Also walk through your home to dust the vents and make sure that they are not blocked or closed. It is worth the expense to have your complete system checked by HVAC professionals to ensure that you and your family are kept warm in the months ahead.

Clean Fireplace and Chimney

It's time to call your local chimney sweepers for this project. When hiring an outside professional make sure that they are certified and take a look at their online reviews and prices. Before they arrive clean out any old wood, soot or ash from the fireplace and leave the rest of the job to them. It's beneficial to have your chimney cleaned to avoid any dangerous smoke that would build up in your home if there are any clogs.

Keeping Your Family Safe

Before the holidays and family festivities, make sure that everyone is safe by checking all fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, CO monitors, and locks on your windows and doors. Replace any old batteries in the detectors/monitors and check the indicator on your home fire extinguisher in case it needs to be replaced.  Make sure that all locks are working properly on your homes window and doors and tighten or replace if necessary. Doing these small tasks will give you peace of mind in knowing that your family is safe and prepared for the holidays.

For other additional tips on routine maintenance around your home, check out our "Routine Maintenance Will Protect Your Home" blog post.