What you Need to Know About This Year’s Fall Checklist
As the leaves begin to fly this fall in Beverly, MA, it’s tempting to retreat indoors to enjoy the warmth of your heating system at home. However, before you curl up in front of the fireplace, there are a number of jobs to be done to prepare your home for the coming winter.
Winter can be harsh on your home. That’s why it’s well worth your while as a homeowner to spend some time now to make sure that your home is ready.
Jobs to Tend to Outside
Power wash your patio furniture and put it away. Clean your BBQ grill and cover for the winter. Wrap bushes and plants that may be prone to frost. Trim back hedges and branches which could potentially cause a problem for your home in the event of a winter storm.
Trim back hedges and branches which could potentially cause a problem for your home in the event of a winter storm. Rake and bag all falling leafs. Make sure that your walkways are in good repair. Be on the lookout for cracks and fill them in.
They may not look like much, but that is where rodents and other animals love to nest when it gets cold. Clean your gutters and inspect your roof for wear and tear. Replace any loose tiles before the colder weather hits. Turn off the valves to exterior hose bibs. As the temperatures drop, leaving these valves open could pose a risk for burst pipes.
Replace any loose tiles before the colder weather hits. Turn off the valves to exterior hose bibs. As the temperatures drop, leaving these valves open could pose a risk for burst pipes.
Professional Services
Now is the time to get your furnace tuned up. The technician will clean and inspect all the parts, as well as replace the filter. This is important for a couple of reasons. It will set your system up to work the most energy-efficiently during the colder weather. You also get to identify small problems and fix them before they evolve into big problems, which is generally less expensive.
You also get to identify small problems and fix them before they evolve into big problems, which is generally less expensive. You also get peace of mind knowing that your system will be reliable when you need it the most when it gets cold outside.
Jobs to Tend to Inside
One of the more important things that you can do is tend to your fireplace before the chilly season starts. Check that your chimney is intact and make sure that the flue closes tightly. If you’ve got a gas fireplace, ensure that the pilot light is ignited.
If you’ve got a gas fireplace, ensure that the pilot light is ignited. This is a good time to double check that your smoke and CO2 detectors are operating.
Ensure that you’ve got a working (and not expired) fire extinguisher on each floor. Do an inspection of windows and doors, checking for drafts. Caulk up any leaks to make your home airtight.
