Here’s an abbreviated list of projects to complete to prepare your home for winter. For the complete list, give me a call or email and I will send it to you.
Exterior
- Recaulk siding, trim, steps and pipe penetrations as necessary
- Keep gutters and downspouts cleaned out to prevent ponding or water back-up.
- Every few years, hire a roofing inspector to evaluate your roofing system
- Make sure no blisters or breaks exist in tar and gravel roofs, as these areas may become areas of leak problems someday.
- Reattach loose or missing shingles
- Keep trees and foliage away from chimney flues, make sure spark arrestors are installed, and keep chimney flues swept
- Install or replace weatherstripping at doors and windows as necessary
- Examine retaining walls, patios, steps and floors for cracks, settlement, creeping and lifting
Safety
Carbon Monoxide from cracked gas fired furnace chambers can kill. The gas is odorless, and a detector is the only thing that will warn you of a leak. The best action is to have the furnace checked, install a carbon monoxide detector and make sure the detector has fresh batteries in it at all times
- Replace the furnace filter
- Trip and reset circuit breakers at least once a year to prevent freezing of the switches
- Test smoke detectors monthly to make sure they are in working order. It is better to try the test with smoke rather than the test button, for testing accuracy
- Recharge fire extinguishers yearly; the “full” indicator gauge could be broken
- Examine electric blankets for charred spots and cracked wiring-replace as necessary
- Install motion sensors or photosensitive lights in exterior locations to prevent falls and assist in security