8 Essential Home Items to Inspect This Fall

One: Interior and Exterior Water Pipes

Before cold weather begins in the autumn, there are several essential home maintenance tasks that are required to help avoid disasters that require emergency repairs. Plumbers suggest that homeowners inspect a home’s interior and exterior water pipes before temperatures begin to drop. Outside a home, make sure to drain valves and remove garden hoses to prevent a frozen water pipe.

Two: Roof and Rain Gutters

Climb on a tall ladder to inspect a home’s roof to see if there are missing or loose shingles that require replacement or repair. In addition to checking the roof from outside, go inside a home’s attic to look for rotting ceiling boards. Make sure to remove debris such as leaves from rain gutters and downspouts after verifying the devices are in excellent condition.

Three: Heating Vents and Duct work

Walk through a home to make sure the heating vents are open and not covered with rugs or furniture. Use a vacuum cleaner’s attachments to suction debris from the ductwork and vent cover before replacing the device. Install a carbon monoxide and smoke detector in your home before winter.

Four: Furnace and Air Filter

Put a new air filter in your home’s furnace and use a cloth to dust away debris from components. Replace the furnace’s cover and turn on the device at the thermostat. Listen carefully for odd noises that indicate that something requires a repair or lubrication.

Five: Siding Materials

Walk around your home to look at the siding to verify that there is no damage that requires repair. Bring along a tube of liquid caulking material to fill crevices and holes near utility lines where cold air can enter in the winter.

Six: Lawn and Tree Care

Check the trees and shrubs next to your home to make sure there are no hanging branches that can damage the exterior of a home. Rake up piles of leaves to bag for garbage collection to prevent rotting foliage next to a home.

Seven: Windows and Window Frames

Verify that there are no broken windowpanes in your home that require replacement before winter. Make sure that you can close windows completely and lock the devices to keep out cold air. Add liquid caulking around crevices to prevent the moisture from snow and rain entering to damage walls.

Eight: Chimney and Fireplace

If you have a fireplace, then open its damper to ensure smoke can rise up the chimney shaft. Light a fire before climbing onto a ladder and verifying that smoke is exiting through the exterior chimney. When smoke is not exiting from the chimney’s shaft, contact a professional chimney sweep for expert cleaning.