Preparing your home for Fall

Keep your home in tip-top shape inside and out

Early Fall is the time of year to prepare your home for the cooler weather.
It's extremely important to make sure that your heating system is working properly and safely. It is recommended that a heating and cooling specialist look over your system once a year at this time.

If you have a forced hot air system, your heating and cooling use the same filters. If they're dirty then filthy air will be circulating around your home. Filter changing is something that homeowners can do themselves. It should be done three or four times over the course of the winter.

If you have gas heat, your serviceperson should check the pilot light, burner and chimney flute. That is where carbon monoxide byproduct exists in your home and you want to make sure that it is not building up in your home.
Forced hot water heating systems (baseboard heat) should be checked and serviced as well.

There may also be things that need attending to beneath your property. Have your sprinkler system flushed before the cold sets in. The process involves blowing air into pipes to displace leftover water. This is important because water lines are typically only 6 to 8 inches below the ground and are prone to freezing.

Homeowners with septic tanks should think about having them pumped out now before the ground freezes and snow buries the yard. Septic tanks should be checked every year and cleaned no less than every three years.

More Fall maintenance tips in the next issue.