The Homeowner's Guide To Fall Maintenance - Part two

The shelves in stores are stocked with pumpkin-spiced everything and giant bags of bite-sized sugar treats are calling to you every time you go grocery shopping; it’s officially autumn. And while we all embrace the instinct to pull on knitted sweaters and ankle boots before hitting the trails to “ooo” and “ahh” over the blaze of colour creeping into all of the trees, it’s important to take some time to prepare your home for the new and the upcoming season.

Houses require regular maintenance to keep everything in good working order and to spot any small issues before they grow into large and costly problems. Fall is such an important season to do maintenance on your home that we’ve split it into two parts. Part one of the homeowner’s guide to fall maintenance can be found here. 

For part two of the guide, keep reading! 

Hose

It’s important to remember to deal with your hose in the fall before the frost starts. Once temperatures dip below freezing you’re at risk of water freezing inside of the hose or the faucet and bursting pipes or the hose, causing leaking once things warm up again. 

The first step is to take off your hose (if it isn’t already) and hold it up high, draining out any remaining water. Roll it up and place it into storage inside or in a shed. Next, shut off the water inside the home. Make sure you’re shutting off the water that flows to the outside of the house. Then head outside and open the valve to the tap outside. Let any excess water drain out completely. Then close the valve.

Exterior Outlets

Check all of your exterior outlets for spiders and other little critters. Also, check to make sure that they’re protected against the elements. You buy covers for your outside outlets that will protect them from bugs and weather. 

If you do happen to find bugs or spiders in your outlet, then you’re going to want to call an electrician to come and take a look. Some bugs are attracted to electrical circuits and if they cause an infestation they could have done damage to the wiring inside. (If there is an infestation you’ll probably also have to call pest control). 

Roof

When it comes to your roof, it’s important to check the flashing each year. The flashing is a material that is installed on any joints (like on chimneys, dormers, skylights, valleys, and where the roof connects with a wall) to keep water and moisture out. Check the flashing to ensure that it’s still holding up and is still weather-tight. If not, it’ll need to be replaced. 

While you’re up there, check your roof for damaged or loose shingles and replace any that you find. Remember to be safe while you’re checking the roof. Always use a ladder that is long enough and have someone else holding the ladder for you at the bottom. Avoid stepping on the roof as much as possible. 

Chimneys

Fall is another important time to inspect your chimney. Choose a bright and sunny day so that it’s easier to see any issues. Before you start your inspection, make sure that the chimney is off and cool. When you’re checking the interior, you’re going to want to use a flashlight and a mirror to be able to see up inside. 

On the exterior, check to make sure that the chimney is standing straight and isn’t leaning. Check for cracks and loose mortar, which will require fixing if you see any. Also, make sure that the chimney caps (the metal thing on the top of the chimney that keeps water and rodents out and sparks in) are still on and in good condition. 

For the interior, check for build-up. If you notice that the buildup is bigger than 6mm, then the chimney needs to be cleaned. If the buildup is glazed or hard, then you’ll need to call in the professionals to clean your chimney out. 

Gutters

With fall comes the bane of every homeowner’s existence–falling leaves. Leaves will fall on your roof and get stuck in your gutters. As these leaves pile up and get stuck they can stop the flow of water in your downspouts, which can lead to water damage! So near the end of fall, climb up and clean out those gutters before the snow falls. 

Pro-tip: Make sure to remove excess snow off of your downspouts (you can use a broom instead of getting the ladder out) so that the ice and snow don’t cause damage to your gutters. After any large snowfalls or snowstorms just perform a quick cleanup of those downspouts. 

Water your lawn

Okay while it may seem counterintuitive to water your grass in the fall when you know that snow is going to be falling soon, it actually will protect your grass. When the temperatures drop a bit, if you water your lawn, it will strengthen the grass, protecting it from the potential damage caused by frost.

Watering in lower temperatures is also good because the water helps the plants retain heat longer than if they were dehydrated, offering them further protection. 

So before you put your hose away and before the really cold weather hits, make sure to water your lawn.