I don’t know about you but I find that the 3 months of summer pass faster than any other season of the year. It must be the perfect weather and multiple activities that many of us take part in (except perhaps when there is a pandemic, of course) that help summer fly by soon.
Now, as we start autumn – when leaves and temperatures fall and cheers for the Seahawks rise – it is time again to pay attention to our house and home. There are always items on the to-do list when it comes to homeownership, particularly this time of year when you can still get outside almost every day.
Pull out that honey-do list and take note of a few suggestions from different online sources to consider addressing September-November. In no particular order:
HVAC maintenance – This is arguably the No. 1 job of the season. Inspect and maintain the heating system before temperatures drop and maintenance potentially becomes an outright repair or replacement. You can’t go wrong with replacing furnace filters every 6 months to improve airflow and remove impurities (especially after smokey summers). A visit from a HVAC pro can also take care of lubricating moving parts in the furnace or air conditioner, check drains and controls, and review connections to energy sources (oil, gas, electric).
Fireplace maintenance – If you have a fireplace in the home, prepare the hearth before the winter months. That includes checking the wood stove, chimney pipes and fuel supply. You don’t want to wait to work on that heat source when you have a power outage or guests arrive and you want to show off this centerpiece. The Chimney Safety Institute of America estimates there are more than 22,000 chimney fires each year; a good fireplace and chimney cleaning can help keep your home from becoming a statistic. Creosote buildup can impede the normal flow of smoke and lead to fires or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Pipe maintenance – Even though most of us are months away from freezing temps (if we ever receive them), it’s wise to spend the late-autumn weeks closing off exterior faucets and shutting their water supply to prevent blocked or burst pipes. At the same time, roll up hoses and get the outside ready for the harshest months of the year starting in December.
Leaf relief – You may want to hold off until late October before you tackle the roof and gutters. By then, the area will likely have leaves, limbs and/or cones to remove. The objective is to avoid blockages, spilling over eaves and pooling of water around the home’s foundation. In addition, take advantage of your lawnmower’s mulching mode to grind up leaves to help nourish the soil and limit use of plastic bags to collect leaves.
Seal the deal – One of the best ways to save on home energy bills is to seal air leaks in and around the home. That includes walls, windows, doors and ductwork. If you’re handy around the house, consider adding caulk, foam, expandable sealant and/or weather stripping to plug air leaks wherever you feel a draft. Carefully use a match or lit candle around “leaky” areas to determine when and where to treat trouble spots. Consider hiring a specialist for bigger jobs such as sealing and insulating attics, crawl spaces and ducting. In addition, look for cracks around the exterior foundation and patch them with cement, caulk or other sealants to prevent water intrusion.
If you missed the other parts in this series, here are links to winter, spring and summer maintenance tips. Now, get to work!