Although fall and winter months mean fun decorations or delicious foods, it also means colder nights and freezing temperatures. In the industrial or commercial setup, it’s easy to stock up on cartridge heaters to ensure unhampered operations during wintertime. At home, besides decorating your home for the holiday season, you also need to consider more essential preparations to keep your family warm and comfortable throughout fall and winter.
Here are five home repairs that you should do before fall and winter to ensure safety and warmth.
Inspect Your Home Heating System
Check the vents and ensure that there’s no blockage, get rid of the dust and specks of dirt from the filters. Move anything from the vents that can cause obstruction such as furniture, curtains, or carpets.
Clean the Gutters and Drainpipes
Gutters channel a lot of rainwater from the roof, diverts it from your house’s exteriors, and its foundation walls. This prevents the mold-growth and fading of paint on your exterior walls. Uncleaned gutters can lead to clogging, rusting, and corrosion of the gutters and downspouts caused by the acids from the decomposing leaves.
So it’s best to clean the gutters before fall or winter. Get rid of all the leaves and other rubbish debris from the gutters and drainpipes. Make sure that there are no obstructions in the pipes so the water can flow freely. After doing this, protect the gutters with mesh covers to prevent the leaves from accumulating inside the drains.
Check the Chimney and Fireplace
Clean your chimney regularly, remove the ashes, and burn wood residues. Check every part of the chimney and fireplace. Inspect for any blockages in the flue. Uncovered chimney top is one of the bird’s favorite spots for nesting, so make sure that you have a chimney cap to prevent unwanted obstruction. It’s best to have your chimney checked by a professional at least once per year.
Check the Roofing
Inspect the roof and ensure it’s in good condition by making sure there are no loose shingles or any leakage. It’s better to check, find, and repair any leakage and loose roof shingles before fall or winter than to discover it during heavy rain or snow, leaving your home damp, wet, and cold.
Seal Doors and Windows
Check for cracks around doors and windows and seal them to prevent drafts. Doing this helps you save energy and reduce your electric bill during the fall. If your window has a removable screen, detach and replace it with sturdy storm windows. To save more energy and electric bill, unplug and store your air conditioner and clean them before storing.
Secure Your Garden
Clean the leaves from your lawn and reseed the blank areas. Remove garden hoses and store them properly, and do not forget to turn off and drain your sprinkler system to keep it from freezing, which will ruin your garden.
It’s best to do these projects before shorter days, or ice and snow buildup, making outdoor repairs challenging. Keep your home warm these holidays, and enjoy the festive season with ease.