Winter and Fall Home & Yard Checklist

With the days getting shorter & the nights getting cooler, fall is right around the corner! Here’s a handy & helpful checklist to prepare your home for winter inside and out:

Indoor Tasks

❑  Check grout and silicone around bathtubs and showers and seal if needed

❑ Change the furnace filter

❑ Have the furnace professionally tuned up and inspected

❑ Test the sump pump for proper operation and clean the pit if necessary and check the batteries if you have a battery backup system

❑ Inspect the ducts, seal holes, and leaks with water-based mastic or mastic-foiled duct tape

❑ Check indicator lights on all surge protectors

❑ Test every GFCI receptacle in your home, basement, bathrooms, kitchen, garage, and outdoors. This should be done annually for safety

❑ Change any whole-home water line filters

❑ Test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and replace them if necessary

❑ Test circuit breakers in electric panels or have them professionally inspected

❑ Reverse all ceiling fans to clockwise to help push heat down

❑ Flush water heaters to remove sediment at the bottom of the tank

Outdoor Tasks

❑ Clean gutters and downspouts. Make sure all areas are unblocked by leaves and debris

❑ Run the generator through a test cycle and get it professionally tuned up, if necessary

❑ Close or install storm windows

❑ Remove any window air conditioners

❑ Store outdoor furniture and cushions

❑ Test all outdoor flood lights and motion sensors

❑ Use a screwdriver to probe the wood trim around windows, doors, railings, and decks. Use caulk to fill the holes or completely replace damaged wood

❑ Lower humidity and cooler temperatures make fall a good time to paint exterior parts of your home

❑ Test the snow blower and have it professionally serviced if needed

❑ To prevent exterior water pipes from bursting when the weather gets below freezing, turn off the valves to exterior hose bibs. Run the water until the pipes are empty. Make sure all the water is drained from the pipes; if not, the water can freeze up and damage the pipes

❑ Remove hoses from spigots. Drain and store them indoors

❑ Inspect your roof or hire a licensed professional to examine your roof for wear and tear. If the shingles are curling, buckling, or cracking, replace them. If you have significant damage, it’s time to replace the entire roof. Also, check the flashing around skylights, pipes, and chimneys. If you have any leaks or gaps, heavy snow and ice will find their way in

❑ Remove lint from the dryer exhaust vent with a long, flexible brush