Fall Maintenance Tips from KHS Inspection Services

Its that time again to start preparing your home for the cold winter months.  It’s  forecast to be a harsh winter so if you prepare now you can save money on energy bills and keep your family warm and safe.

Exterior Maintenance Tips:

To save money on energy bills and prevent unwanted moisture entry, vermin entry, and possible mold growth within walls, be sure to inspect your homes siding thoroughly. Any damaged siding or old caulk should be repaired or replaced.  Pay close attention to sealant around utility penetrations, if the sealant is cracking and falling apart it’s time to replace.

Gutters and downspouts should be cleaned.  If you have trees around the house plan to clean the gutters several times during the fall months. Quality seamless gutter guards can help reduce the amount of cleaning.  Moisture entry in the basement can often be associated with clogged gutters.

Check trees around the house for dead limbs that can be a danger to the structure and occupants in the event of a strong wind or snow storm.

Any exterior water faucet that are not a frost proof type should be winterized by shutting water off from inside and fully opening the faucet on the outside. Make sure all hoses are disconnected. Also, if you have a sprinkler system now is the time to have the lines blown out to prevent freezing pipes.

Interior Maintenance Tips:

Be sure to change the batteries in you smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and change the air filter in the furnace.  We recommend having a licensed HVAC technician inspect your heating system for gas leaks and proper operation.

If you have a chimney it’s a good time to have the flue, damper, and firebox inspected. It is recommended that the chimney be swept if more then 1/8” of creosote build up is present or if glazing is present.

It is very important to clean the lint from your dryer venting.  We recommend have this done several times a year. According to the US Fire Administration more then12,000 residential fires are caused by lint build up in dryer vents. Also if you have plastic vent pipe be sure to change to metal.  Plastic has been banned for use with dryer venting due to fires.

Neil Kinser ASHI Inspector #262132