With a new season comes new opportunities to make improvements around your home. Some of these fall home maintenance tasks will help you save energy and improve indoor air quality, while others will simply make your home look better.
Here are some of our favorites:
- Check below – There’s a good chance that you could have standing water in the crawl space under your home. This area can become a breeding ground for mold, which is especially harmful to household members who suffer from allergies or asthma.
- Check above – Debris that has gotten into the gutters and downspouts should be removed to get everything flowing properly again. Also check to see if any roof shingles or mortar around the chimney need to be fixed or replaced.
- Schedule an inspection – Hiring a professional HVAC technician to service the furnace or other heating equipment can keep it running longer and more efficiently, in addition to discovering potential problems early.
- Change the furnace filter – To keep the air flowing, replace the air filter whenever it gets dirty. On average, this means a monthly replacement during the colder months of the year.
- Get rid of dust – During the summer, areas such as cold-air returns, baseboard heaters, the dryer vent, ceiling fans, the stove hood, and floor fans likely have a built-up layer of dust. Use a microfiber cloth in these areas for the best results.
- Add insulation – Proper insulation is essential if you want to keep your home comfortable without the heating equipment running too long. This includes your home’s exterior walls, basement and attic.
- Inspect your home’s exterior – This is the perfect weather to check areas that need repair or replacement, such as the paint on siding or trim, or damaged bricks or stucco. You also need to make sure that outdoor electrical outlets are properly sealed against water.
For more expert advice on fall home maintenance, or if you have other home comfort concerns, please contract the professionals at James Lane Air Conditioning & Plumbing Co. We’ve been servicing the needs of Vernon and the surrounding areas since 1957.
