We tend to get busy with things like raking leaves, covering or putting lawn furniture away and winterizing our lawn equipment that we sometimes forget the big things that can cause problems throughout the winter.
- Clean your gutters! Some people have their gutters cleaned when they notice a problem. Water overflowing in the front and even worse, the back, will cause damage you may not see for years. As the gutter overflows, water is wicked into the fascia where the spikes or screws are holding the gutter in place. Over time these keep getting wet and begin to rot. With the weight of leaves and water the gutter will pull away from the house and could fall to the ground. The repair is more than the gutter cleaning would have cost. Clean your gutters after the leaves fall in late fall and once again at the end of spring. Water will flow freely throughout the year.
Don"t neglect your gutters.
- Check your detectors! Better than checking them, Change the batteries every year when the time changes. Doing it at the same time every year even if the batteries are "good" could save your life.
- Check your windows for air gaps. Over time caulk can crack leaving small areas for wind and water to penetrate. Something as simple as a five dollar tube of caulk could save money in heating bills. See that all window sashes will close completely and will lock, By locking the window it makes a tight seal. Chances are, you won't be opening the windows for a few months.
- Remove hoses from hose bibs! Even if you have no freeze hose bibs, a connected hose will not allow the water to be released and could end up freezing your hose bib. Just unscrewing the hose from the hose bib and turning off the shut off valve to your hose bibs will save money and aggravation.
- Check the chimney! Make sure your chimney is clean before you start the fire. A small chimney fire could crack the liner leaving your fireplace unusable and leave you with a very costly repair.
