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Fall is in the air. 9 Safe ways to prepare your home for Winter
Searching for a new home It’s time to prepare your home for cold weather.
Things to do in Fall!
ATTENTION: Fall is time to check your smoke alarms.
Having smoke alarms with dead batteries is just as bad, by the way, as not having them at all. Can’t remember when you last changed the batteries? The best practice to do it is every fall.
Tune up your heating system.
For less than $100, a technician will inspect your furnace or heat pump to be sure the system is clean and in good repair.
Fall is a good time to reverse your ceiling fans.
If your ceiling fan has a reverse switch, use it to run the fan’s blades in a clockwise direction after you turn on your heat (remember, hot air rises).
Keep the Warm Air In and the Cold Air Out. Even newer homes can have leaky doors and windows. Trying to regulate the air in a home when the heat is escaping and the cold air is invading is tough on your HVAC system.
Check the roof.
Scan it closely with binoculars, a walk through the roof (ONLY: IF IT’S SAFE, remember safety is first), or use a drone. Look for damaged, loose, or missing shingles that may leak during winter’s storms or from melting snow. If need be, hire a handyman to repair a few shingles.
Caulk around windows and doors.
Silicone caulk is best for exterior use because it won’t shrink and it’s impervious to the elements.
Fall best time to clean the gutters.
If your gutters are full of detritus, water can back up against the house and damage roofing, siding, and wood trim plus cause leaks and ice dams.
Divert water.
Add extensions to downspouts so that water runs at least 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation.
Turn off exterior faucets.
Undrained water in pipes can freeze, which will cause pipes to burst as the ice expands.
Inspects your trees. Check for cracked branches and trim them off.
Mulch leaves when you mow. Mow your leaves instead of raking them.
Prepare to stow your mower.
As the mower sits through the winter, the fuel remaining in its engine will decompose, causing difficulty to run your mower in the spring.
Check the siding for signs of wear. Add new caulking if necessary.
Don’t prune trees or shrubs until late-winter.
You may be tempted to get out the pruning shears after the leaves fall when you can first see the underlying structure of the plant.
