Fall Home Maintenance: Are All Systems ‘Go’ for Winter?
November 19, 2019
With the leaves changing color and nights continuing to get chillier, homeowners have a clear reminder that it’s time to get started on fall home maintenance. This annual maintenance routine involves inspecting, repairing and sealing your home, which is essential to preparing your home for winter and the rain, wind and snow that comes with it.
To help you with these tasks, Renewal by Andersen of Northeast PA has compiled the following fall home maintenance checklist:
- Inspect and replace worn weather stripping. A vast amount of air can escape through improperly sealed windows and doors. Weather stripping is a cost-effective way to stop these leaks and save money in the process. When installing weather stripping, apply it in one continuous strip so that it’s compressed when the door or window is shut but doesn’t interfere with operation.
- Seal gaps around the house. Closely examine your home’s exterior, looking for any gaps where plumbing, air ducts and electrical wiring come through walls, floors, ceilings and soffits over cabinets. Don’t forget to inspect attics, basements and crawl spaces, as well. Use caulk to seal any gaps and cracks you find. If existing caulking looks dry or cracked, remove it and re-caulk.
- Get a furnace tune-up. Yearly preventive maintenance by a qualified HVAC technician will prolong the life of your furnace, save energy and decrease health risks such as carbon monoxide leaks. Experts estimate that up to 75% of furnace breakdowns in the winter are due to lack of maintenance, which is why an annual furnace tune-up is so important.
- Check the roof and rain gutter system. Whether you do the job yourself or hire an experienced contractor to do it for you, roof and gutter maintenance are a vital fall chore. Problems such as damaged shingles, leaky flashing and clogged gutters that result from neglected maintenance can lead to extensive water damage that will be far more expensive and inconvenient than paying for maintenance and minor repairs now.
- Insulate plumbing. It’s important to insulate pipes in unheated spaces such as garages, basements and attics to prevent them from bursting when temperatures start to dip below freezing. Don’t forget to disconnect garden hoses and shut off and drain outdoor water supply lines, as well.
Do You Need Better Windows & Doors?
If you think it might be time to replace your windows or patio doors before the arrival of another harsh winter, Renewal by Andersen of Northeast PA is ready to help. For more information about window and door replacement in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre or any location in the Lehigh Valley, contact us online or call [company_phone] to schedule a free consultation.
