As a homeowner, you should invest in early home maintenance to prevent the formation of heavy snow on your roof, icicles on your gutter, frozen pipes, and ice dams that could leave your family out in the cold during the winter. Simple fall maintenance chores allow you to save on time and money.
Cleaning Gutters
The winter season brings rain, snow, and ice. Ensuring your rain gutters remain seamless and clean prevents rainwater from causing damage to the roof, foundation, and interior of your home.
In the winter, clogged rain gutters can be exacerbated with the creation of an ice dam. An ice dam refers to the formation of ice that can prevent water and melting snow from draining off the roof. Cleaning gutters in the spring or fall prepares the gutters to collect roof drainage and direct water and ice particles away from the house. You should consider contacting roofers for help improving gutters and eliminating the risk of ice dam formation.
Checking Exteriors
Critters often enter homes to build nests during the fall in preparation for the coming cold weather. Before this happens, take the time to explore your house’s exterior and seal off openings where small animals can crawl or enter through. Tiny spaces, in particular, are attractive for small creatures to enter and stay at during the winter.
While exploring your house’s exterior, be on the lookout for other areas that need attention. These include sections of rain gutters that need maintenance, wood decay, and rotting exterior sides. Have rotting wood replaced before the winter to prevent insects and critters from entering your home.
Consider coating your stairs with textured paint if they were slippery from snow and ice buildup in previous winters. Remember that masonry can deteriorate if salt is used to melt icy masonry stairs and pathways. Instead, shovel snow away as cleanly as possible and pour sand to improve traction.
These repairs, upgrades, and replacements should be finished before the end of fall. Early checkups and maintenance prevent problems from getting worse in the winter.
Heating System
Have your heating system checked and serviced before the start of winter. Make sure heating units are functioning well to ensure they do not break when you need them most. Professional cleaning of heating systems provides additional relief for people with allergies as it eliminates the potential accumulation of dust and dirt.
Fireplace and Stove
A home’s fireplace and wood stove can be professionally cleaned and inspected. The fireplace damper is a device meant to seal a fireplace shut when not in use by preventing heated air from escaping into the chimney. You should make sure the fireplace is shut during other seasons and opened only when used as leaving it open takes heat away from the house and allows critters from getting inside.
In addition, check that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors remain in good working order and have working batteries.
Conducting all kinds of seasonal preventive maintenance can extend the life of your systems and ensure you are prepared for the winter.