Many people look forward to fall, especially if they live in an area where the leaves turn spectacular colors. Fall also is the start of the holiday season, bringing friends and families together. However, there are a few things you’ll need to do before fall, to ensure that your home is safe and warm once the weather turns cold.
If you have a fireplace, it’s a good idea to call a chimney sweep. They’ll clean out the flues and clear away any carbon deposits. If this isn’t done, it’s possible for the interior of the chimney to catch fire, or, blow smoke into the interior of your home. Doing this will ensure you can safely enjoy your fireplace all season long.
Heating Services
It goes without saying, you want your furnace or HVAC unit ready to go once the temperatures drop. Heater maintenance includes cleaning the combustion chamber, changing the oil filter and air filters, checking the flue pipe, cleaning the room vents, and adjusting the burner.
Heating services and associated maintenance are the most important tasks you have before fall begins. A well-maintained furnace is not only energy-efficient, it’s also much safer.
Tree and Lawn Care Service
While most gardening chores are associated with spring and summer, there are a few things you’ll need to do for fall. While red, yellow, and orange leaves are beautiful, once they hit the ground they need to be raked up. You can have a lawn care service rake those leaves and have them turned into mulch. Be sure to keep your rain gutters and downspouts clear of dead leaves too. Also, it’s a good idea to have the lawn aerated. Finally, this is the time of year to plant flower bulbs, like crocus and daffodils, for early spring color.
Seal Windows and Doors
Inspect your windows and doors for cracks in the caulking or damaged weather stripping. You can either reseal the caulking and replace the weather stripping yourself, or have a handyman do it.
You may also want to replace your curtains with heavier, insulated ones. You can even add an extra layer of thermal curtains, to keep the cold out.
Winterize Your Exterior Plumbing
Finally, you’ll want to ensure that your exterior plumbing, such as garden spigots, doesn’t freeze over the winter. They’ll need to be drained and insulated. If this is not done, the pipes could freeze solid and crack.
You can do some of these things yourself, but, some things, such as heating service, are best left to a professional.
