Tips To Prepare Your Home For Winter

As shadows get longer and the days get shorter, here are a few things you should be doing to prepare your home for the season ahead.

Outside

Gutters: Once the trees around your house have dropped the last of their leaves, have the gutters cleaned and inspected. You will want any necessary repairs to be done on gutters or downspouts before the winter cold arrives. Now would also be a good time to inspect the roof for anything loose or cracked.

Faucets and Sprinklers: Before the first hard freeze, drain and shut off your outdoor faucets to avoid a burst pipe. Ditto if you have a garden or lawn irrigation system; shut off the water supply to the system before freezing weather arrives and drain any remaining water from the system.

Firewood: If you use a wood-burning fireplace, have seasoned firewood delivered in the fall. You’ll want to stack it above moist ground on a rack or pallet. Don’t pack the wood too tightly lest you wind up with fungus growing, and keep it covered.

Inside

Air-conditioning: Fall is a great time for routine maintenance on your central air system at the same time you have your furnace or boiler serviced. If you have window units, they can stay in the window year-round if they are sealed without any gaps. Cover both the inside and the outside of the units to prevent drafts, provide insulation and protect the equipment from the elements. If you remove your units, store them upright, not on their sides.

Heating System: The benefit of having your boiler or furnace serviced is that a clean system will be more energy efficient, and an inspection will alert you to problems. After the service, test your thermostat to make sure it works properly.

Chimney: Your chimney should be professionally cleaned once a year as a safety precaution. In addition to preventing fires, cleaning your chimney can also help prevent blockages that can result in carbon monoxide poisoning. On that note, there’s no harm in checking your detectors twice a year, so while you might have tested them in the spring when the clocks went forward do it again when you turn your clocks back to standard time.

Dryer Vent: Trapped lint will not only cause your dryer to work inefficiently, but it can also be a fire hazard. Have an HVAC specialist who specializes in ductwork or dryer vents inspect and clean yours.

Home Improvement

Planning to update the bathroom, or paint the living room? Fall is the perfect time to get going on those projects. Contractors and painting companies will be wrapping up their outdoor projects for the year. Perhaps you are thinking about putting your house on the market? Talk to Higgerson & Company. Part of our service is guiding seller clients through comprehensive pre-marketing preparation, readying you and your home for a rewarding outcome. We focus on the greater Hanover , NH and Woodstock, VT real estate markets and our nearly three decades of experience and success speak for themselves.