Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

With each passing day of sweltering afternoons and sweaty evenings, you’re probably feeling more and more mentally prepared for fall. But is your home ready for the onset of cold weather? Use this fall home maintenance checklist of six essential maintenance tasks to ensure your house is as ready as you are for the temperatures to cool off.

Bonfe’s Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

#1. Sealed & Secured

Using exterior caulk that’s color-matched to your home, seal up any cracks you find between trim and siding or around window and door frames. Sealing these cracks will prevent moisture from getting inside your walls and air from leaking out. You don’t want to wake up shivering from a cold draft sneaking in through a crack in the caulking around your bedroom window.

#2. Batten Down Your Pipes

To prevent frozen and burst pipes, it’s crucial to winterize your exterior plumbing. Remove and drain hoses, cut off water supply to exterior faucets, and shut down your sprinkler system by turning off the main valve. If you do discover a frozen pipe this winter, make sure you act quickly to thaw the frozen section of pipe before it bursts and makes the problem worse.

#3. Climb On Top of Roof Repair

Your roof is your first line of defense against heavy snowfall and leaks from snowmelt during the winter, so make sure you inspect your roof for any signs of damage or decay. Be safe! If you have a steep roof or multi-story house, use binoculars rather than climbing up yourself.

Shingles that are buckling, cracked, or missing should be replaced immediately. Call a professional for an inspection if you find any moss or lichen growing on the roof. It may conceal decaying patches of roofing.

#4. Turn Up The Heat

Fall is the best time to schedule a preventative furnace inspection from a heating and cooling professional. It may seem premature to start thinking about your furnace in August when temperatures still routinely creep into the 80’s and 90’s. We hear you! But having your furnace checked out before the cold weather hits will ensure that you stay warm all winter long–not to mention the money you’ll save on costly breakdowns!

#5. Change Direction

Back-to-school season is always a time when change is in the air. Even your ceiling fan needs a little change of direction! Ceiling fans are well-known to be a godsend during the summer, cutting energy costs by creating a breeze in stuffy rooms. What many people don’t realize is that ceiling fans can also help regulate indoor temperatures during the winter!

In the winter, your fan should rotate counterclockwise in order to create an updraft that disperses hot air that has risen to the ceiling. This draft will redistribute the warm air throughout the room, keeping you comfortable by heating the room more efficiently. Using your ceiling fan during the winter can help reduce heating costs by up to 15%.

#6. Get Into The Gutter

Gutters clogged with leaves and other miscellaneous debris can freeze over into ice dams that will cause expensive damage. If you clean them out too early in the season, falling leaves will re-accumulate before the first major snowfall. For that reason, save this task for last on your fall home maintenance checklist.

Read more: 5 Ice Dam Prevention Tips That Will Save You Hundreds of Dollars

If you discover something that needs replacement or repair as you work through this checklist, contact Bonfe to schedule a service visit.

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