The fall season will be upon us soon. I thought this post would prepare homeowners for some maintenance tips as the fall season approaches. Some of these tips can be completed by homeowners while others may need to be contracted to a handyman or contractor. Home maintenance is important because it will protect your investment and help to prevent bigger problems down the line.
Fall Maintenance- Clean the Gutters
Cleaning the gutters and downspouts is one of the most important maintenance items for a home. This is one of those items that may need to go to a contractor or handyman. Clogged gutters lead to rotted fascia boards, damaged gutters, encourages ice damming, and encourages foundation damage and water intrusion. The most important issue is foundation damage and water intrusion. As water overflows the gutters it will end up near your foundation wall. Then, it has a chance to pool near the wall and enter your home. This can not only enter the home but also lead to increased pressure near the wall causing foundation damage.
The gutters should be cleaned as needed throughout the year. Typically, fall is the most important time as leaves fall from trees and enter your gutter system. Hiring a contractor to clean your gutters is a good step toward protecting your investment. Another option is to install gutters guards. Various products exists to cover your gutters with various warranties and effectiveness.
Fall Maintenance- Heating System Check
Having your furnace checked before the heating system is another maintenance item often overlooked by homeowners. When a service technician comes to your home they will clean the system from dirt and debris and make sure the system is operating properly. This may involve cleaning the burners, checking the gas pressure, cleaning the blower wheel, and checking the filter. Some technicians may also use a combustion analyzer. This is a device that reads the oxygen, temperatures, and carbon monoxide in the system to optimize efficiency. If you elect to not have a technician come out then at the very least make sure the filter is changed. The filter should be changed every 1-3 months depending on your system and living conditions. Some filters can last longer than this so ask your HVAC professional for guidance on this.
Fall Maintenance- Smoke Detectors
I remember growing up how often my mom would change the smoke detector batteries. We didn’t have a carbon monoxide detector back then. Maybe they existed but we didn’t have one. Smoke detector batteries should be changed at least once a year. We want to make sure these devices work when they are needed! Even hard-wired systems have battery backups. Why is this? Well, even if you lose power then you need the device to detect smoke to warn you. If you hear a chirping sound from the detector then this is the device telling you to change the batteries. If your detectors are yellow, then this is an indication that the detector is beyond its service life and should be replaced. You should also clean off any dust or debris from the detector. This is to assure that the detector can do its job, detecting smoke.
Maintain Gas Powered Tools
A very irritating Spring event is trying to start the lawnmower with bad, leftover gas from the previous year. Now, I’m not a mechanic so talk to a specialist regarding your gas powered engines in your garage. What I do is add a stabilizing material to my gas engines in the fall. Stabil is a product I’ve seen advertised over the years. What I use in my gas powered engines is a product called Seafoam.
Seafoam protects gas tanks from various issues that gum up your engines. Just add a bit of Seafoam to your gas tanks and then let the engine run for a few minutes prior to storing them. In the Spring, the engine will most likely start up without any of the headaches that you’ve encountered in the past. Of course, you may need to change filters, spark plugs, etc.
The Lask Inspection Group, LLC is an inspection firm specializing in home inspections, commercial inspections, radon testing, and thermal imaging. We hope this post is helpful in preparing you for this fall. If you know of someone needing a home inspection, please refer them to our website where they can easily schedule their inspection online. We serve Rockford, IL and other Illinois cities such as Loves Park, Machesney Park, Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, Geneva, Dekalb, Sycamore, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Arlington Heights, Crystal Lake, and other Chicago suburbs.
