When the fall jacket comes out of the closet, and you are tightening up the hoodie to ward off cool fall winds, it’s time to think about your fall home maintenance. To make sure the winter cold doesn’t catch you off guard, follow these tips and prepare your home for the season to come.

1. Clean Out Your Gutters

Gutters can be a catch-all for debris, twigs, and leaves. These items will clog them and can lead to ice dams when freezing temperatures hit. Ice dams can lead to expensive repairs. Once you see that most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, it’s time to make sure there are none left behind in your gutters.

While cleaning out your gutters, it’s a good time to inspect them for any damages. Make sure there are no sagging areas or broken downspout brackets. These items need to be replaced. Check for grit from your shingles inside of the gutters. This grit protects your shingles from ultraviolet rays, so make sure there are no damaged areas on your roof.

Cleaning out gutters can be dangerous as these are high areas of your home. Gwyndows can professionally clean your first and second-story gutters, safely and efficiently. We are able to clean and rinse downspouts, so you don’t have the risk of falling from ladders or your roof.

2. Seal Air Leaks Around Doors and Windows

Take a walk around your home with a tube of caulk and seal up cracks on your home’s exterior. Look around door frames and windows, where wires and pipes enter into your home, and between siding and trim. These are all high-risk areas for air to leak into your home during the cold season. Sealing these leaks will prevent moisture from getting into your home and close leaks that can waste energy.

3. Drain and Store Garden Hoses

Remove your garden hose from the faucet and make sure all the water is drained from the inside of it. If a hose is left attached to a faucet during cold weather, it can cause water to back up in the faucet, and from there into your plumbing pipes inside of your exterior walls.

When freezing temperatures arrive, the water will freeze and then expand causing pipes and faucets to crack. This fall maintenance tip is important and should be done early as we aren’t always ready for the dropping temperatures.

4. Check Your Furnace

Before the cold temps arrive, you need to schedule a furnace checkup. Fall is an excellent time to make sure your unit will get you through the winter months. Furnace filters should also be replaced every two to three months, but especially in the fall.

5. Protect Outside Faucets and In-Ground Irrigation Systems

If the temperatures in your area fall below freezing, you want to ensure your outside faucets and in-ground irrigation system will not freeze and burst. The faucets should be closed tightly, and if they have shut-off valves, these should be turned off. If you don’t have a shut-off valve, your faucets are not freeze-proof. For these types of faucets, you could benefit from styrofoam faucet covers.

If you have an in-ground irrigation system, check with the manufacturer’s procedures to drain and protect it from the winter cold.

Following these fall maintenance tips could prevent some serious breakdowns or damages that cold weather can bring. Other measures you should perform in the fall are checking to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working, as well as ensuring your fire extinguisher’s charge has not expired.

Where to Learn More About Fall Maintenance Tips

Gwyndow Window Cleaning offers the highest quality services in Austin and the surrounding area. We can help you get ready for fall with carpet and upholstery cleaning, cleaning the summer grime from your windows. Our other services include solar panel cleaning, or controlling damaging birds in your area.

Gwydnow Window Cleaning offers both residential and commercial services by using green products. Our business is locally owned with top-quality customer service and is 100% compliant with OSHA. Call today and learn how we can help you with your fall maintenance.