Alison Lundie
Exceptional Properties Specialist
860.868.0511
lundiea@raveisre.com
Archive for October, 2010
Fall Maintenance Tips for Your Home
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010- Get your furnace cleaned and inspected and clean air ducts. Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
- Buy a programmable thermostat.
- Check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors.
- Inspect and clean your chimney annually to prevent dangerous chimney fires. Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
- Check the roof for damaged, loose or missing shingles. Check and repair breaks in the flashing seals around vent stacks and chimneys.
- Install weather stripping or caulking around windows and doors to prevent drafts and to lower heating bills. Don’t forget to check: exterior openings including electrical outlets, phone lines, outside faucets, and cable TV lines; around heating and/or cooling units; the seals around room air conditioners; openings around drain pipes in bathrooms and kitchens.
- Change summer screens to storm windows and doors.
- Prevent pipes freezing and bursting, by making sure that pipes are well insulated. Know how to locate and turn off the water shut-off valve in case pipes do freeze.
- Clean the gutters and add extensions to downspouts so water runs at least 3 to 4 feet away from the foundation. Install gutter guards to prevent additional debris from building up.
- Disconnect all garden hoses and drain water still in faucets. Undrained water that freezes in pipes will expand and can burst.
- Trim back trees and bushes. Clear the area at least 1 foot away from exterior walls, rake out corners and clear debris away from the foundation. Cut back tree limbs growing within about 5 feet of the house, or those that are touching the house or roof.
- Have your lawn-irrigation system professionally drained.
- Fall is the best time to fertilize and reseed your lawn.
- Properly Store Your Lawnmower so it will start easily in the spring. Completely remove all fuel, remove spark plugs, and wipe lawnmower clean of all grass and debris
- Test your emergency generator.
- If your home has a basement, protect its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
- Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
- Service or tune-up snow blowers.
- Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
- Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
