Take a deep breath. You smell that? The air is blanketed in the sweet aroma of pumpkin spice! Leaves are slowly gliding down from the trees as we ride out these last, official days of summer. While you may have Jack-o-Lanterns and your epic, homemade Game of Thrones costume on the brain, if you’re a homeowner you’ll need to come back down to Earth just long enough to get your house winter ready.
Here is a checklist to adhere to before the fun really begins this fall:
1. Clean your gutters
Sure, it’s nobody’s favorite chore, but this imperative maintenance procedure should be performed twice yearly to avoid any resulting complications which would serve to cramp your holiday style. Take some time during these last few weekends of September to remove leaves and debris from your gutters. The few hours of invested time will be well-worth your peace of mind later, especially after Irma’s brief appearance here recently.
2. Don’t forget the chimney and fireplace
It’s likely that, at some point, you’ll want to rev up the ol’ fireplace for some good, old-fashioned warmth. But, before you can do that, you’ll want to ensure it’s clean in order to prevent disaster. The last thing you want is to have your chestnuts ready to roast... only to have your entire home filled with smoke and, potentially, fire. So, remove the ashes and old wood from your fireplace and call a professional to handle the chimney cleaning.
3. Make sure your heating system is ready to roll (or roar)
Now is the time to invest in new filters, replace the old ones, and dust your vents. Give a local heating and air professional a call and have them come out to do a check-up, just to see if everything is up to par for the winter. Neglecting to maintain your heating system ahead of time could result in bigger expenses down the line. While the aforementioned fireplace is a nice aesthetic piece to have during this time of year, central heating is more far superior.
4. Goodbye, air conditioning
If you’re one of the rare few southerners who does not have central air conditioning in your home, now is the time to take those window units out and get them cleaned and stored out of the way. Ceiling fans and portable fans should also be dusted and appropriately put away. If you do have central air conditioning, you may want to receive an inspection from the HVAC company when they come out to check your heating system. While you don’t necessarily need to handle any A/C issues right now, knowing what to expect in the spring will help you to prepare and budget for maintenance at that time.
5. Make sure you’re all sealed up
All of this talk about heating must be followed up with instruction to make sure that your windows and doorways are properly sealed. You can invest time and money in maintaining your system until the raven crows, but if precious heat is escaping through the cracks of your home, your energy bills will certainly be the biggest fright you’ll experience all year. Carefully inspect all of your windows and doors and seal where necessary.
6. Break out the storm windows
Although the Charlotte area isn’t exactly famous for having white Christmases, many homeowners will opt to replace screens with storm windows in the winter to reduce heating costs. If you’re one of these people, go ahead and take down the screens, give them a good cleaning and replace with storm windows.
7. Last but not least, check the hot water heater
You’ll likely be using your hot water a lot more often once things cool down. Naturally, you won’t want the shower to go cold when your mother-in-law comes into town for a visit. You’d never want that! *cue Grinch smile* But, seriously, it would be no bueno for your family to have to go without hot water when it’s 30 degrees outside. So, go ahead and get the tank ready by draining it in preparation for the cold.
