6 Easy Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Fall
As a homeowner, home maintenance is one of the most important aspects of keeping your household running smoothly and properly. Maintaining your home is possible by inspecting various items throughout as the fall season approaches each year. With this fall homeowner checklist, ensure your home is ready for changing temperatures, increased rainfall, and snow.
Rake Leaves and Clean Gutters
As the fall arrives, continue to rake your leaves consistently to avoid buildup and a larger hassle once the winter has passed. Raking your leaves frequently is advisable to provide your lawn with as much exposure to the sun as possible, keeping it in better health. Take time to inspect and clean all of the gutters that surround your home. Check your gutters for cracks and potential leaks or weak spots to replace the gutters before the winter weather arrives.
Aerate and Fertilize Grass and Soil
Aerate and fertilize your lawn in the fall to prevent your grass from dying or rotting. Aerating your lawn is possible by cutting your grass up until the first snowfall. Cut your grass using the lowest setting as temperatures begin to drop, exposing your lawn to as much sun as possible. When grass is short just before the first snowfall, expect healthier and richer green grass once the spring arrives again. Fertilize your grass and soil after raking your leaves and cutting your lawn. Fertilize brown spots and spots in your lawn that are currently missing grass. Fertilization in the fall helps produce healthier grass once the winter season has passed and warm temperatures begin to return.
Rearrange Your Shed or Garage
Rearrange your shed or garage as the fall approaches. Move summer tools, equipment, and accessories into another storage area such as your home’s basement. Dig out your outdoor shovel, snowblower, and additional winter gadgets to avoid feeling flustered when you are in need of the items during an unexpected snowfall or storm.
Inspect Your Roof
Inspect your home’s roof for potential damage, leaky spots, or cracks before the year’s first snowfall. If you are unsure of what to look for, consider hiring a professional roofing company to complete the inspection. Avoid layering your roof’s shingles and instead, opt for entire patches or a replacement roof. Roofing troubles can quickly become expensive, especially if you have a leaky roof. Leaky roofs have the potential to cause serious mold infestations throughout the home while damaging insulation and the structure of your home altogether.
Replace Smoke Detector Batteries
As you are completing your homeowner’s checklist in the fall, replace all of the batteries in each of your smoke detectors. Setting a specific time of year to replace all batteries in the detectors you have throughout your home is a way to prevent forgetting and to prevent keeping all of your detectors in proper and working order.
Inspect Your Home’s Furnace and Heating Setup
Inspecting your home’s furnace and heating setup is one of the most important tasks to keep in mind while you are prepping your house for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Take the time to inspect your furnace and consider its current age. If your furnace is older than 16 years, it may be time to invest in a new replacement. Check your previous years’ electric and gas bills to estimate your monthly expenses. If you notice your heating and gas bill is drastically higher than usual, it may be time for a professional inspection, repair, or replacement.
Test your home’s furnace to verify that it is producing a blue flame. Furnaces that have a yellow flame rather than a blue flame are often emitting carbon monoxide. If your furnace is releasing carbon monoxide, turn it off immediately and seek the help of professionals who specialize in home heating repairs and replacements. Other signs that a home furnace is releasing carbon monoxide include unexpected surrounding moisture, yellow streaks, and built up soot or mold on the furnace itself.
As the fall and winter seasons arrive, ensure that your home is ready to take on the weather changes without potential issues. Let Charleston Heating and Air help prepare your home for the winter months. Contact Charleston Heating and Air to learn more about the heating & air conditioning services we offer and to schedule your appointment today.
