
Well, it’s supposedly fall, which we mostly know because they’ve already started busting out the Christmas stuff at Target. But regardless of the temperature, it’s still important to keep up with your seasonal home maintenance. In honor of the first week of fall, I’ve gathered some great advice from the inspectors so you can get a head start on your fall home maintenance this year.
1. Test Your Sprinkler System
While the column I referenced above was originally written for spring, it gives a step by step guide of how to test your sprinkler system, and as we head into fall it’s a great time to do that. We’re coming out of the season when your sprinkler system has had a major workout, and just before it will go dormant for awhile. So it’s the perfect time to find out if you have any leaks or missing heads.
2. Have Your HVAC Serviced
If you haven’t had your HVAC serviced recently, fall is a good time to do it. This is another piece of equipment that has had a major workout over the summer, and could probably use some love. And since you’re about to switch to heat, it’s always a good idea to do your service before the switch so everything is nice and clean.
3. Clean Your Gutters
This one was a classic: you won’t believe some of the things we find in peoples rain gutters! But in terms of fall home maintenance, cleaning your gutters is an ongoing task as the leaves start to fall, but it’s a good idea to check them now so you can start fresh. When you let leaves and debris pile up in your gutters, it can cause real damage to your home once the rainy season starts. The extra weight can pull the gutters and downspouts away from the house causing damage to your roof and eaves.
4. Visit Your Attic
This column was originally written for summer, but the advice is the same for fall. People tend to forget about the spaces in their homes that they don’t see regularly, and there is a lot of important stuff up there! Ductwork can get twisted or detached, water heaters or HVACs can start to leak, flues can come loose. Appliances need maintenance occasionally, and if you don’t ever look at them, you might not know anything is wrong until there’s a major problem.
If you have seasonal concerns about your home, or fall home maintenance tips you can have a home inspector out to your house anytime for a seasonal home check up. We’ll check out all the systems of your home and get you informed on any repairs or maintenance you need to be ready for the upcoming season.
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