House Maintenance: Fall
Just like that summer was over. Is it just me or is this year flying by?
Summers are short here on the Canadian prairies. September usually marks the beginning of fall. Leaves begin changing color, over night temperatures are cool and the days start getting shorter. Cooler temperatures make getting the house ready for winter a bit more manageable.
We’ve been through spring house maintenance and summer house maintenance, now we’re onto fall. Here are a few things to do this fall to make sure your house is in great shape for the winter ahead.
1.Sprinklers and hoses. Once your garden is finished doing its thing, drain all hoses, sprinklers and nozzles. Depending where you are, remaining water may freeze and cause these things to burst. Remove hoses from faucets and store for the winter. Make sure you can hit the ground running next spring by taking a few minutes to make sure you’re water free.
2. Gutters. Clear gutters of all leaves, twigs and other debris. Remove downspouts or lift them up so they aren’t damaged by heavy snow.
3. Outside taps. Turn off exterior valves in basement and open bleeder valve to prevent pipes from bursting.
4. Sump pump. Typically there’s not much work for a sump pump in the dead of winter. Remove exterior hose and store inside for the winter.
5. Operate heating system. Fall is a great time to test your furnace. If there is a problem you still have time to get it repaired before it gets bitterly cold.
6. Vents. Adjust registers to point towards windows. Double check that nothing is blocking fresh air vents.
7. Humidifier. If you have a humidifier now is the time to clean it. Remove the filter and water basin and give it a good clean.
8. Weather stripping. Adjust or replace weather stripping on exterior doors as needed. This simple maintenance step can save you a lot of money on heating costs.
9. Doors. Double check the fit of exterior doors at their thresholds and adjust or repair as needed to get a good fit.
10. Fireplace. If you have a gas or electric fireplace turn it on to burn off the dust. This is best done in fall so you can still open windows as needed and not freeze.
11. Roof. Inspect the roof and ventilation pipes for nests or other signs that animals might be shacking up for the winter. Fix and call animal control as needed.
12. Garage door. Check garage door, tighten bolts and lubricate springs with motor oil.
13. Yard. Check the foundation, concrete slabs and your yard in general for settling or low spots. Back fill with top soil as needed.
14. Caulking. Check exterior caulking and repair or touch up as needed.
15. Windows. Wash windows and screens and lubricate tracks as needed. Make sure you have a good seal around windows that open to prevent heat loss in the winter.
16. Lawn. For the final time this year give your yard some TLC. Spread some grass seed in areas of your yard that have received damage this summer, these are usually high traffic areas or where animals are let out. Fertilize your yard for the last time this year to give it a kick start in spring.
17. Shower and bath. Inspect shower and tubs’ caulking and repair as needed.
18. Pool. Cooler weather means no more dips in the pool. Time to close it up. Follow your pool closing regime if you have one and of course contact a pool specialist to address any specific questions or concerns you have.
19. Garden. Fall is the perfect time to plan for a beautiful spring garden. Bulbs do best when they have been winterized so get outside and plant your tulips, lilies, and hyacinths. You’ll thank me in April.
I hope these give you some ideas on what to do in the next couple of months to get your house winterized. Of course these won’t apply to everyone and the list is by no means exhaustive. What have I missed? What home maintenance will you be doing this fall?
See also:
Household Shortcuts And Handy Hints
Quick Clean Your Home In Under 20 Minutes
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Hi Sherri
We have just cleaned the gutters, not for winter but for summer rain so we will have rainwater filling up our water tanks.
Great way to stay in integrity with important things in your life.
It is all about keeping things in order so they function well and keep you well housed and that is a great habit.
Best wishes for preparing for winter.
Love Wilma
Wilma Ham´s last blog ..My daughter and I on ‘why should you?’.
Hi Wilma,
You certainly get what you put in. If you maintain things they will last longer and save you money in the long run. It does take a bit of time but I think it’s well worth the effort.
I hope this isn’t presumptuous, but I just feel like I need to add something.
If you have a wood burning heat source or anything (furnace, hot water heater, stove, oven, ANYTHING) that burns natural gas, please install a carbon monoxide detector. If yours is more than 7 years old, it will need replaced.
My daughter and I asphyxiated last winter and are only here to tell about it through divine intervention. Had we fallen asleep, we wouldn’t have woken up. We even had a CO detector, but it was old and did not do its job.
They are fairly cheap and super easy to install (you just plug it in to an outlet).
Okay, thank you for allowing me a soapbox. I discovered your blog a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed it.
MaryBT´s last blog ..Shelby’s 2nd Birthday.
Hi MaryBT
Thank you so much for this important addition. I don’t have natural gas any more so this didn’t make my list but it’s a fantastic addition. Thank you for the reminder and for sharing your story. Very scary indeed.
Better yet, try avoiding the use of gas stoves and slowly change to using, say, alcohol fuel to cook your food. Doing this yields some sort of ripple effect with effects ranging from the limiting of the types of food to be regularly cooked, the change to easier to cook and healthier food for the family that can easily be cooked using alcohol fuel, the change of diet of people from high-cholesterol red-meat diet to healthier stuff such as vegetables and fish. The list goes on, and only from a simple change of cooking system. Great post you have here, btw, really humbly helpful.
Chris´s last blog ..London Airport Taxi