Fall Home Maintenance Checklist: 5 Top Things to Do Every Year

🍁 Fall officially begins today

Get Your Furnace Ready
Ensure you call your furnace or HVAC repair person to perform annual maintenance on your unit long before you plan to turn it on. Once the cooler temperatures hit, these professionals will be quite busy helping those who waited too long to discover that their furnaces do not work properly. Fireplaces, chimneys, and heating equipment are some of the biggest causes of home fires, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Make sure the professionals examine the condition of the chimney—brick periodically needs upkeep to prevent water from leaking in—as well as the cap, which keeps heat-seeking animals out.

Seal Your Doors and Windows
A tube of caulk and a roll of weather-stripping can keep your home toasty during the colder months and can save money on heating bills. Go around the outside of your home and caulk up any cracks you see, such as those around wires and pipes that lead into the home and between siding and trim. Replace cracked or cheap weather-stripping on windows and doors.

Turn off Outdoor Water Systems
You will want to remove hoses and sprayers from your outdoor spigots as well as turn off the water supply to outdoor faucets. Hoses can swell and burst, sprayers can crack and pipes leading outdoors can freeze and crack, which can lead to costly repairs and plenty of flooding in the spring. In addition, be sure to have your sprinkler systems turned off and blown out by a professional, particularly if you live where temperatures go below freezing.

Check the Roof
Have your roof checked for missing or broken shingles. These should be replaced immediately. You will also want to check for moss buildup that can lead to decay and for any sagging in your roof. Snow can cause additional weight and moisture that could cause your roof to buckle.

Emergency Supply Checklist
We all remember the super storms and being without power. October 29, 2017, Hurricane Sandy comes to mind and remains an example, especially to New Jersey residents, that it doesn’t take a category five storm to wreak incredible destruction. The North Jersey area sees heavy snow most winters, getting an early start is a smart idea.

• Bottled water (at least one gallon per person per day, for at least three days)
• Shelf stable milk
• Canned goods, especially cozy, warming foods like soups and stews
• Snack foods like chips, crackers and cookies in sealed packages
• Cereal and granola
• Anything jarred, from jellies to pickles to meats
• Canned tuna and salmon
• Peanut butter and other shelf-stable nut butters, a vegan-friendly source of protein
• Dried pasta and jarred sauce
• Wax-sealed hard cheeses
• Salted butter, which lasts longer at room temperature than unsalted butter
• Dried fruit
• Energy bars
• Shelf-stable juice
• Coffee, tea and hot cocoa mix (and maybe some marshmallows)
• Extra paper products like toilet paper and paper towels
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Battery operated radio
• Back-up energy sources like portable power banks and solar chargers
• Can opener
• First aid kit
• Thermal blankets
• Some members of your household may have unique needs, so make sure they’re factored into your shopping list
• At least a one-week supply of prescription medication and medical supplies
• Pet food and medicine
• Baby food and formula
• Diapers

Be sure not to neglect these items simply because you do not want to put any time or effort into fall home maintenance. While it may be tempting to hope that everything will work fine throughout the fall and winter, you may find yourself with costly repairs on your hands should you fail to prep your home and yard for colder temperatures. Instead, after a few simple jobs, you can enjoy a warm and worry-free cold-weather season.

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