A key to protecting the investment you’ve made in your home is by following a regular maintenance schedule. By performing preventative maintenance on an on-going basis, you’ll avoid many of the big ticket repair items that can lower the value of your home.
Here is a helpful checklist for fall maintenance:
Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide Detector
- Test your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector.
- Change the batteries in both. This should be doen twice a year.
Furnance/Heating System
- Have your system services by a qualified service company.
- If you have electric baseboard heaters, cavuum them to remove dust.
- Remove the grills on fored air syustems and vacuum inside the ducts.
- If you use a portable humidifier, it’s time to clean it.
Water Heater
- Extend its life expectanvy by draining a gallon or two of water from your hot water heater at least twice a year.
Windows and Doors
- Put up storm windows.
- Remove screens from the inside of casement windows to allow air from the heating system to keep condensation off window glass.
- Ensure windows and skylights close tightly.
- Make sure all doors to the outside shut tightly.
- Renew weather stripping as required.
Outside
- Check your chimney for obstructions, such as bird’s nests.
- Clean gutters and test downspouts to ensure proper drainage from the roof. – Make sure the ground around your home slopes away from the foundation wall. Remove mulch from the foundation wall as well. This helps prevent water damage.
- Drain and store outdoor hoses. Prepare your outdoor faucets from winter freezes.
- Protect young trees and bushes for winter and winterize.
Gardens
- Trim shrubs and trees so that they clear the foundation, exterior walls, and roof of the house.
- Fertilize lawn grass to ensure strong root formation and growth.
- Store outdoor furniture.
Well Water/Septic Tank
- If you have well water, test the water quality.
- Testing for bacteria twice a year is suggested.
- If you have a spetic tank, measure the sludge and scu, to determine if the tank needs to be emptied before spring. As a general rule, septic tanks should be pumped out at least once eveery three years.
