Fall Home Maintenance: Time to Get Busy

Fall is a transitional time of year, when the cooling season is over and heating season is on the horizon. Now is the time to prepare your home for the winter weather ahead and start ticking the items off your fall home maintenance checklist. Here are some great annual preventative maintenance projects to get you started.

Exterior

• Inspect the foundation. Cracks or gaps in your foundation walls can let in moisture, resulting in ice damage or mold. Walk the perimeter of your home and fill in any affected areas with caulking.
• Clean your gutters. Once all the leaves have fallen, remove the debris from your gutters and flush them with water to help clean the downspouts. Check all the joints and repair or tighten brackets.
• Seal your garage door. Weatherstrip the sides and bottom of your garage door, to prevent drafts and help keep small animals out.

Interior

• Perform annual preventive maintenance. Your contractor will clean, inspect, lubricate and service your heating equipment, helping to increase its efficiency and life span, and prevent costly repairs down the road.
• Change your batteries. As part of annual fall maintenance, change the batteries on your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to help ensure your family’s safety.
• Beef up your insulation. Check attic insulation levels to prevent heat loss through your ceiling. Aim for an R-value of R-38 or between 10 and 14 inches.
• Check for air leaks. On a windy day, take a strip of tissue paper from room to room checking for movement around doors, windows or wall outlets. Seal the affected areas with caulking or weatherstripping where applicable.
• Change your filters. Regular filter changes help keep your heating system and whole-house humidifier running efficiently and may help cut down on repairs. Once a filter is dirty it can no longer trap particles such as dust and mold, which may continue to circulate through your indoor air and damage your equipment.

For more tips on fall home maintenance, furnace tune-ups, or to schedule annual preventative maintenance, contact the experts at Fred’s Heating & Air. For more than 25 years we have been providing quality service to the residents of Omaha and the surrounding areas.