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Summer is winding down and even though the temperature outside is still warm, you will definitely want to do a few things to get your home ready for the cooler months before fall hits. These four maintenance tips will ultimately help you save money and can even help prevent damage to your home in the case of a real emergency. Keep your home in prime condition, and you will be able to enjoy it for years to come.
Get Your Furnace Ready
Ensure you call your furnace or HVAC repair person to perform annual maintenance on your unit long before you plan to turn it on. Once the cooler temperatures hit, these professionals will be quite busy helping those who waited too long to discover that their furnaces do not work properly. A simple checkup could cost as little as $100 and can give you peace of mind for the upcoming season. While you are at it, change your furnace and A/C filters as well.
Seal Your Doors and Windows
A tube of caulk and a roll of weather-stripping can keep your home toasty during the colder months and can save money on heating bills. Go around the outside of your home and caulk up any cracks you see, such as those around wires and pipes that lead into the home and between siding and trim. Replace cracked or cheap weather-stripping on windows and doors.
Turn off Outdoor Water Systems
You will want to remove hoses and sprayers from your outdoor spigots as well as turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets. Hoses can swell and burst, sprayers can crack and pipes leading outdoors can freeze and crack, which can lead to costly repairs and plenty of flooding in the spring. In addition, be sure to have your sprinkler systems turned off and blown out by a professional, particularly if you live where temperatures go below freezing.
Check the Roof
Whether by you or a professional, have your roof checked for missing or broken shingles. These should be replaced immediately. You will also want to check for moss buildup that can lead to decay and for any sagging in your roof. Snow can cause additional weight and moisture that could cause your roof to buckle.
Be sure not to neglect these items simply because you do not want to put any time or effort into fall home maintenance. While it may be tempting to hope that everything will work fine throughout the fall and winter, you may find yourself with costly repairs on your hands should you fail to prep your home and yard for colder temperatures. Instead, after a few simple jobs, you can enjoy a warm and worry-free cold-weather season.
What items do you have on your fall home checklist? Share with us in the comments below.
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About the blogger: Angela Caban is former USAA Community manager, an Army National Guard spouse, published author and branding expert. In 2010, she founded the Homefront United Network, a military spouse and family support blog created to assist spouses who do not live near an installation, but also focusing on bridging the gap between National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty spouses. She has an extensive background in Human Resources and Communications, with her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Human Resources. Angela resides in the beautiful Garden State of New Jersey with her husband and two children.
Post originally published September 2018 and update June 2022
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