If you’re a little late in readying your home for the ravages of winter, don’t fret – it’s not too late.
Maintenance is essential to owning a home, but when life gets super busy, finding the time to finish all those little jobs you promised to tick off your list is challenging.
Follow this checklist to keep on track.
Strip it down
Check the quality of the adhesive weather strips on your exterior doors. They probably need replacing if you haven’t changed them for a year or two. It’s one of the easiest ways to protect your doors and improve your home’s insulation.
Don’t be alarmed
Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Do you need to replace the batteries?
In the gutter
It’s not much fun, but you should check your gutters to ensure they’re not blocked, causing rainwater to spill into the house, potentially doing considerable damage. If you’re concerned about heights, schedule a tradesperson for this task.
Clean runners
If you have exterior sliding doors, then it’s essential you ensure the metal runners at the bottom of the doors are free of debris. These runners have weep holes to ensure rainwater run-off. If they’re blocked, the water will sit in the runners and slowly damage the doors.
Into the attic
Double-check the state of your roof insulation and that all the pipes are insulated to prevent water from freezing and splitting them.
Book inspections
If you haven’t done so already, book a service for your heating system and have the filters replaced. Also, schedule a chimney clean if this hasn’t been done in the past few years.
Don’t get into hot water
Spend five minutes checking the state of your water tank. Have you noticed it takes longer to get the water hot? Is your hot water running out quickly? These are tell-tale signs of sediment build-up and troubles to come. Also, check out the unit for rust around the seams and outlet.
Stow the mower
If moisture gets into your lawn mower engine, you’ll find it difficult to start it again next spring. Use a technique called fogging: spray oil mist into each cylinder after removing the spark plug. Aerosol fogging spray is available at stores that stock automotive parts.
Get a grilling
Your barbeque wasn’t built for a cold, wet or freezing winter. Detach the gas bottle and pipes. Brush or spray cooking oil over the metal elements to minimize rust. If the unit must be stored outside, ensure it has a protective cover. Never bring the gas tank indoors for storage.
Sprinkler solution
Avoid leaving water in your sprinkler system during winter. If it freezes, it will expand and possibly split the pipes. Use an air compressor to push the water out of the system. A pressure of 80 psi should be sufficient to get this job done. Disconnect the system from the water supply until spring arrives.