Around our house, the leaves on the maple trees start to turn in September. It's my favorite time of year, as sunsplashed 75 degree days turn to 65 degree days turn to 55 degree days followed eventually by... the first snowfall.
Fall is a very important time for homeowners in Colorado, as a number of important maintenance items need to be schedule to coincide with the changing of the seasons.
Here's the autumn edition of "Taking Care of YourHome in All Four Seasons".
EXTERIOR
- All those leaves that have accumulated in your window well need to go somewhere! How about bagging them up and composting them, or finding out when your city is sponsoring a leaf and branch dropoff day?
- To keep an eye on those beautiful fall colors, you'll want to wash and rinse your windows and screens.
HVAC
- Every couple of years (or more often if you have pets), it makes sense to have your home duct system professionally cleaned with a monster vac or other heavy duty cleaning system. Sucking all that dirt, dander and debris out of your vents means you won't be breathing it in.
- On the subject of vent cleanings, don't forget about your dryer vent. Lint that backs up or clogs your vent becomes a very real fire hazard. There are many professional services that will clean your dryer vent for under $100. Meantime (and I hope this isn't news to you), you always want to make sure your lint trap is cleaned and free of debris after every load of laundry.
- For most homes, a gas fired furnace presents a legitimate safety hazard if it's not regulary cleaned and serviced. Have a professional inspect your furnace components for damage and then clean those parts throughly. Doing so annually can add years of life to your furnace, as well as added safety and peace of mind.
- When you set your clocks back in the fall, it's also a good time to replace your battery backup in your home thermostat.
- We're kind of like a broken record on the subject of furnace filters. Change them often and use the cheaper ones from Ace or Home Depot.
ROOF AND GUTTERS
- By fall, wasps, hornets and nesting insects should be mostly dormant. Knock down any nests under your eaves or deck so that you don't have a larger nest in the spring.
- Walk around the perimeter of your home and take (yet another) look at the roof for evidence of lifting or torn shingles or flashing that may have come loose. If you see bruises (which look like spots) on your roof from a summer hail storm, call a roofer for an evaluation.
- You'll want to clean the gutters, probably more than once. As the leaves come down in the fall, your gutters fill up with leaves. And if your gutters are full of leaves, water will pool and freeze. I use a leaf blower to clean my gutters. If you have a better tool, let me know.
- Check inground drains to makes sure they are not clogged with leaves or debris. Remember that water is the enemy of houses, and if your drains aren't draining, that water must be going somewhere.
LAWN AND LANDSCAPING
- This is one of the easiest and most important things to do, yet so many people fail at this. Have your sprinkler lines drained and blown out professionally before the first hard freeze, no later than October 15 at the absolute latest. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars (literally) repairing damaged sprinklers through the years when clients either buy or sell homes where this has been done improperly, or not at all. Unless you live someplace in Colorado where the ground magically doesn't freeze, blowing out your lines is a non-negotiable fall maintenance item.
- Remove and store pond pumps. They're going to freeze and crack. Period.
FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES
- Test smoke detectors and if they are more than 10 years old, replace them.
- Winter means you're going to be inside. Colorado state law requires that you have functioning carbon monoxide detectors within 15 feet of any sleeping area. They are $30 at Home Depot, a cheap and easy life insurance policy if your furnace starts spitting out carbon monoxide.
- If you have a range hood filter, pop it out and drop it in the dishwasher. If you can't find it, it's the greasy, gross, dirty metal thing underneath your microwave and over your stove.
- Replace batteries for any remote control fans. Nothing is worse than pushing the overhead light button in the middle of the night only to have it be... dark.
- Don't forget to wipe down your ceiling fan blades. In the fall you can have warm days or cool days, but dust never sleeps.
- Flip your mattress. (Can you tell I'm compulsive about this?)
FIREPLACE
- If you have a gas burning fireplace, call a technician out to clean and service it. A clean burning gas fireplace will offer better energy efficiency, a safer experience and nice clean glass will make the whole notion of a warm fire on a chilly fall evening much more enjoyable.
- If you have a wood burning fireplace, have a chimney sweep clean and inspect it. And if you store firewood, don't pile it up against the side of your house unless you want critters, insects and spiders to spend their days searching for access points into your home.
WATER AND PLUMBING
- Disconnect hoses before temperatures drop below freezing. Frozen spigots are the worst!
- When the days get colder, turn up the settings on your humidifier. In Colorado 30% - 40% humidity settings are about right.
- Test the sump pump (if you have one). When the first big snow falls, all that snow is going to melt and end up in your sump, or possibly your basement if your pump isn't working.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Now that it's getting colder and most of us are wearing socks or slippers in the house, consider getting the carpets cleaned. All that barefooting around the house in the summer comes with a grimy aftermath, making autumn a great time to get your carpets cleaned.
- Sweep out the garage one more time before the first snow falls. Blow out any leaves or debris and get your garage ready to do its job for the next six months, which is to keep you and your car warm and safe and out of the cold that marks winter in Colorado.
