Cooler temperatures, fall foliage and gray skies mean it's time to get your home ready for the long winter months ahead. During the fall, there are several tasks you can perform around your house to make sure it's prepared for freezing temperatures and snowy weather. The following tasks should be part of your fall maintenance checklist.
Clear out your gutters
Fall leaves and debris from rainy and windy weather can fill up your gutters, causing clogs to occur. It's important for your gutters to be free of clogs, so rain water can pass through them and reach the ground. Keep in mind your gutters help protect your home from damage by moving water away from the exterior. Clean out your gutters each fall to make sure they're ready to handle rain water, as well as melted snow and ice.
Check your roof
Making sure your roof is in good shape is highly important during fall. Loose or missing shingles or other roof damage, such as damaged flashing, can leave your home vulnerable to leaks from snow and ice during winter. Finding these problems now means you can have them fixed before winter weather arrives.
Drain outdoor faucets
Colder weather can cause outdoor faucets, hoses and other equipment to freeze, which could lead to damage. While you're outside enjoying mild fall days, drain your outdoor faucets and turn them off until spring. Close shut-off valves and store garden hoses and other outdoor irrigation equipment as part of your fall maintenance checklist.
Replace smoke detector batteries
It's important to replace smoke detector batteries and carbon monoxide detector batteries every fall and spring. While replacing the batteries, test your detectors to make sure they work. You'll want to have reliable carbon monoxide and smoke detectors during fall and winter, since you might be using your gas furnace, wood-burning fireplace and other heating equipment more often.
Inspect your furnace
Before using your furnace in the fall, inspect it to make sure it's in good condition. You can do a few tasks on your own, such as changing the filter, checking your thermostat and checking the pilot light. However, have a professional HVAC technician perform maintenance to ensure your furnace works properly and doesn't need any repairs, so you can have dependable heating throughout the season.
About the Author
Judy Szablak
With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.
She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.
Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”
Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com
