Here’s a list of things you should do this fall to prepare your home for winter:
Must-dos:
• Furnace servicing: change filter, humidifier panel
• Shut off outside taps
• Drain garden hoses
• Clean eavestroughs/gutters and downspouts to avoid flooding
• Check flashing along eavestroughs and the roof to ensure water cannot seep through
• Check carbon monoxide/smoke detector
• Roof repairs
• Fill holes on the exterior of the house to ensure critters cannot enter
• Make sure your winter supplies are ready and in good condition: shovels, ice scrapers, salt, fuel for snow blower
• Clean dryer vents
• Chimney cleaning
• Insulate exposed piping
• Rake the leaves
And if you have time, here is the full winter-prep checklist:
• Fall gardening: remove annuals, plant bulbs, split perennials
• Hire snow removal service • Winterize the sprinkler system
• Duct cleaning (every two or three years)
• Test sump pump & backwater valve
• Weather stripping
• Fill cracks in driveways, walkways and on steps (they can be trip hazards that get worse when water gets inside and freezes) • Add extra insulation to the attic
• Move sensitive plants indoors
• Cover your A/C
Information compliments of:
ODDS On Home Inspection
403 677 4924 –
www.HomeInspectionsCalgary.ca