Fall Home Maintenance Checklist and Schedule

Prepare your home for the coming cold of winter. The fall house maintenance checklist below will ensure your home for the subzero temperatures by taking a look at the heating systems, water systems, and energy efficiency. Depending on your house and region, some tasks may have a greater value. Some may not not be applicable at all. Try to focus on what is relevant to you. The fireplace is an absolute must for maintenance and inspection. Buildup from smoke of the chimney from smoke. It happens to be a highly flammable byproduct and can start a chimney fire with an ignition source. A lot of small chimney fire occur without the homeowner even realizing! Gas burning fireplaces burn much cleaner and should only require an inspection each year. But, a wood burning fireplace needs to be inspected and cleaned each year. Check the flashing around the chimney if you perform the sweep from the roof (i.e. top-down method). The brick and mortar should be inspected for cracks, too At the fireplace do a quick inspection and cleaning. Visually check for cracks and smoke marks. Cracks should be repaired by a professional. Smoke marks could indicate blockage in the chimney (e.g. bird’s nest). Remove smoke marks with a vinegar and water. Keeping a home well sealed can tremendously improve the heating efficiency. The most common spots for air leaks around the windows and doors. Visually check the caulk seal around the outside edge of every window for gaps. Use a putty knife to remove the damaged seal and insert new caulk. Cracks will reappear if the caulk is applied too thinly. Inspect the weatherstripping around the perimeter of the doors. Replace any damaged areas with new material. Replace the entire seal, if required. Feel for drafts by running your hand around the edge of each door. If the weatherstripping is in good shape and there is still a draft, there might not be enough material to bridge the gap. It is possible to layer the strips on top of each other to seal larger gaps. For homes in colder climates, one of the most important tasks is winterizing water systems. Not all homes are in an area that requires winterization. Sprinkler systems and pools are two systems that should be winterized for any area where the temperature hovers near freezing or lower. All sprinkler systems need to have the timers shut off, pressure valves opened, and drain any components near or above ground. Most often the pressure vacuum breaker is caught by a freeze and breaks. This component prevents water from entering the water supply and causing contamination. It is above ground and any plastic parts inside the metal housing are susceptible. It is easy to drain by using the drain valves. To winterize a pool you'll need to setup a specific chemical program. The general outline is balancing the chemicals, removing loose or moving parts, lowering the water level, and draining the pumping system. The pumping system might not have to be drained but pool antifreeze (i.e. not the same as the chemical for solution for cars) should be added to the water. Also, many homeowners will add algaecide to help keep the pool clean. Homes is colder climates must winterize faucets, but any homes in mild climates should be fine. The water supply should be shut off to start. Then pull off any attachments or vacuum breakers. Open up drain valves and leave the faucet in the open position for the winter. The most important task for colder climates is servicing the furnace system. It is generally best to have a professional service this system. Furnace maintenance includes blower motor lubrication, burner cleaning, sensor checks, and carbon monoxide measurements. In between service calls be sure to regularly change the filter every couple months. Both the heating and cooling systems utilize the air filters so this will be a year-round task. Luckily, it is an easy DIY job and cheap. Make sure to schedule fall maintenance on your calendar so your home is ready for winter.