The leaves falling is a sure sign to start prepping your home for the fall and winter seasons. To maintain your home means regular checkups to save energy and prevent costly damage at the most inopportune moments. Bomanite has a few tips to proactively get you started and ensure everything is in good working condition
It’s best to tackle these before while temperatures are still mild. This way you can sit back and truly enjoy everything autumn brings. Here is your checklist.
Interior of the home:
- Keep warm air inside by checking for air drafts in all your windows
- Replace smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detector batteries.
- If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace, it is possible to clean your chimney yourself with proper tools and assistance. Just make sure you are following protocol. Otherwise, contact a restoration expert to give your chimney a good sweeping and remove any creosote in the passageway, which may reduce the risk of chimney fires.
- Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system should be inspected yearly, and fall is the perfect time to do so!
- Get your furnace inspected and cleaned from a certified professional and replace your furnace filters. Depending on your home, filters should be replaced every 3 to 6 months.
- Prepare your home for the cold by pulling out blankets, candles and anything that will make the space feel cozy and warm and also have these on hand in case of electrical failure or furnace breakdown.
Exterior of the home:
- Recaulk exterior windows and doors to prevent drafts.
- Prevent pipes from freezing and bursting by turning off water valves and draining all exterior hose bibs.
- Clean clogged gutters of leaves and debris. Doing this helps prevent ice build-up and allow precipitation to flow smoothly and not weigh down the eavestroughs. Ensure downspouts are clear and drain water a minimum 4 feet away from your home. Make sure someone else is there to help, or hire a professional.
- With assistance, examine your roof for any holes, cracks or leakage that can lead to damage of interior ceilings and walls, or hire a professional to do an inspection. Generally, the life span of asphalt roof shingles is roughly, 20 – 30 years depending on quality and location. In a new home this may not be necessary, but an older home should be inspected.
- Bring patio furniture inside or cover it with a tarp.
- Cover your air conditioning unit.
- Despite the dropping temperatures grass still grows, so fertilize your lawn to ensure it is alive and healthy when spring comes. Rake leaves and undergrowth thoroughly.
- Lubricate garage doors and check garage door openers batteries.
- Cut off dead or diseased branches from trees, especially ones that come close to your home.
- Fix any cracks on driveways or walkways that can be a safety hazard during heavy rain and snow falls. You don’t want water freezing in cracks that will make cracks worse. Make a note to check around the perimeter of your home to be sure you don’t notice any cracks in basement walls.
Do a thorough check of your home so you’re well prepared for the colder seasons.
Bomanite specializes in providing stunning decorative concrete driveways and walkways that are capable of withstanding the Fall and Winter seasons. Bomanite also offers Heated Driveways which is convenient so you do not have to shovel your driveway. The weight from the snow and ice pressing down for long periods of time can potentially erode your driveway.
Contact us today at 905.265.2500 or visit our website https://bomanite.ca/