Prep Your Home for Colder Months with Easy Fall Maintenance

Fall is in the air! Colder weather will be here before you can say “it’s pretty cold in here.” Preparing your home now for the colder months ahead could save you headaches, money and chattering teeth. Here are a few fall home maintenance tasks to complete:

1. Shut Down Outdoor Faucets – Remove any hoses and turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets. This helps prevent pipes from bursting in freezing weather and is a lot easier to do now than when things are stiff and frozen.
2. Check Your Weather Stripping on Doors and Windows. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the costs of properly applied caulking and weather stripping can usually be recovered in energy savings within one year. For window and door frames, make sure you’re reapplying exterior caulk to gaps ¼” or larger. Additionally, adding weatherstripping around doors keeps the comfortable air from leaking outside, which saves you money on your heating bill.
3. Tune up your furnace and/or change your filter. Having this important home appliance checked by a licensed technician is beneficial not only for the comfort of your home, but also for your health and safety.
4. Clean Out Your Gutters – Use a garden trowel or gutter scoop to clear out loose debris. If you don’t feel comfortable using a ladder, you may want to contact a professional to do the job. Gutter cleaning can cost anywhere from $50-$250, depending on the linear footage of your home. Cleaning out gutters will keep water from backing up in your gutters and from seeping indoors.
5. Install Outlet Insulation Pads – This is a cheap, easy way to fix drafty electrical outlets and switches on the exterior walls of your home. These pads – also called foam gaskets – can be purchased online or in home improvement stores. Just unscrew the outlet or switch cover, press the foam pad around the outlet and reattach the cover. If you still notice a draft, you can add caulk or putty to the space causing the air leak.

The more upkeep and preventative measures you take now, the better shape your home and bank account will be in for years to come. So, take advantage of the warmer fall weather to get your house ready!