September is always a month that, to many, signals the end of the summer season and the coming of fall. However, before the leaves start to fall off of the trees, you should always take the time to follow a few basic home maintenance steps to help fight off any breakdowns that may occur in your home thanks to the onset of cold weather.
Here are seven of the best and most useful tasks that you should make note of. You can either handle all of these issues on your own, which can sometimes take a few hours, or you can contact a professional to handle them for you, which can cost you a decent amount of money, though this depends on how serious the issue you’re dealing with may be.
Check for Cracks in Your Walkways
This should always be done prior to any snow falling, or even before it becomes too cold for you to simply walk outdoors. If you notice any cracks, take the time to fix them, as slippery weather conditions can end up causing you or someone else to fall and injure themselves, and cracks in your walkways can make this issue worse.
Clean and Repair Your Home’s Siding
The siding on your home has the potential to become dirty and/or mildewed after a long summer; however, using a pressure washer to clean it, especially during the month of September, is a great way to counteract this, as well as check for more serious issues prior to the arrival of winter. Before washing, however, be sure to check for any areas of your siding that have become either rotted or warped. Additionally, check all of your caulking as well, as over time, this can shrink and crack.
Inspect and Repair Faucets That are Leaking
Prior to the onset of cold weather, take the time to check out faucets that may be leaking in your home. If you find any, deal with them immediately rather than waiting until later on, as the cold weather will only make the issue much worse.
Seal All of Your Windows Tightly
If you have windows in your home that are either double-pane or triple-pane, check to ensure that they have a tight seal around their entire perimeter, which is designed to separate the individual glass panes, as well as trapping inert gas between all of them. This helps to offer a break between the interior and exterior temperatures; however, if you notice that there is a frequent amount of fog on your windows, this is a sign that your seal is failing and needs to be replaced.
Sweep Your Chimney
When it finally becomes cold outdoors, chances are one of the first things you will want to do is light your fireplace in order to help keep yourself warm. However, you will first need to make sure that your chimney is completely clean prior to doing this, as any build-up in this area can create a risk for not only a chimney fire, but also releasing carbon monoxide in your home, which is extremely dangerous and deadly.
Change Your Air Filters and Tune Up the Furnace in Your Home
In reality, this is something that should be done every single month, as a dirty air filter will generally result in you having to pay higher energy bills. Furthermore, it can also cause a great deal of damage to your home’s HVAC system as well.
Service Your Lawn Equipment
Believe it or not, fall is actually the best time to provide the best service to all of your home’s lawn equipment before you finally store all of it away for the entire winter. For instance, a lot of harm can be caused to equipment such as lawnmowers if you leave old oil sitting inside them throughout the winter, so take the time to empty all of that out prior to putting everything away.
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