Friday, November 14, 2014

Using Fall To Prepare Your Home For Winter

By Orville Pratt


Summer can seem to pass by so quickly some years. Hopefully, you have been able to take advantage of the warm months and make some pleasant memories. But now, fall is here, and winter is on the horizon. Fall be the perfect time to perform some maintenance on your home and make sure that you are ready for the cold and snow.

One of the obvious things that should be done before things start freezing is to make sure that any outdoor structure with water is taken care of. This includes things like bird baths and, of course, swimming pools. If possible, clean and empty them and then put a protective cover on top. You can also check the level of insulation on the pipes. If the pipes that carry warm water are warm to the touch, they could stand to be insulated more. You can buy pipe insulation at most hardware stores. Not only will this preserve the water's heat on its way to the faucet or shower, it will make them less vulnerable to freezing.

In most of the inland states, winter equals lots and lots of snow. To prevent complications with your roof and gutter, make sure that the gutter system remains unobstructed. When the leaves start falling, they can blow around and start to build up in the water runoff. Once all the leaves have fallen, it's time to grab a ladder and make sure nothing will get clogged during the rain and snow.

If you rely on a window-mounted air-conditioner to keep cool during summer, you won't have much use for that during fall and winter. It should maintained and stowed away. If you have a central air system, now would probably be a good time to change the filter. Even the dryer may be in need of a new filter, and more dry air increases the risk of fires.

Drafty homes can be an enormous drain on home energy use. If heat keeps escaping, the furnace has to work harder to keep the temperature up. You can check the seals on your doors and window to make sure they aren't letting in a cold draft. You can use the time-tested "draft snake" to plug up the bottoms of drafty doors. Just roll up a blanket or towel and stuff the gap with it.

The grass will enter a dormant state, so you won't be needing the lawnmower and trimmer until spring. They should have a maintenance check done on them, and then be stowed away in an area where they'll be protected from the cold and moisture. And once all the leaves have fallen, it's a good idea to get them raked up and removed before the snow starts coming.

Any patio furniture should cleaned according the manufacturer instructions and stowed or covered. You'll probably be relying a lot on your water heater and fireplace, so you'll want to make sure they are in tip top shape.

Fall can be a perfect time to take care of what needs to be done before winter.. You never want to wait until the last minute to make sure you're ready for winter. If the snow comes early, you could be caught off guard, and be forced to deal with bigger problems in a cold and wet environment. How much better it is to get things done when the weather is mild.




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