Friday 25 November 2011

Fall Season Means It Is Time For Your House To Be Winterized

By Joel Thieran


Once you learn what spring cleaning means, it is likely you have some notion what it means to winterize your home. When autumn arrives you need to inspect your home's readiness for the upcoming winter. Fall, with the attendant dying out of leafy growth, is a good time to examine your house's walls, since it will be easier to spot any shrubs that are becoming invasive. Clinging vines and the roots of plants harm siding and even bricks, so it is good to keep them cleaned off.

If you have completed your last watering, drain, roll up and store all the hose. The exterior faucets need to have the water turned off, and then helped to drain dry. After you believe you won't use the garden furniture again that year, get it cleaned and stored in a dry place. In case you have any trees which are still developing, and especially those that have not endured a winter, shield them by placing mulch around the base of their stems. All drainage ditches should be cleared to enable them to cope with any heavy rains.

As soon as the weather starts to get colder, it is time to start thinking of fireplaces. Masonry sweeps usually are in high demand wih the initial cold spell, so avoid the queue and get in early. If you are most likely to need firewood, find a source and put in a good stock early. Try rural areas when it's convenient, where local people may sell firewood without the cost of advertising. Check out and verify that all the smoke alarm systems are working, irrespective of whether you light fires in winter or not. The cords to the Christmas lights can get brittle and break if you don't ever take them down, so check them for sufficient flexibility. When you use storm windows, they should be installed. Warm weather dries out weather-stripping, therefore check if they need updating.

Throughout the winter months, the windows are still closed most of the time, so make sure that the filters in your range hood are in good working order. Check that the incline of the soil around your house will still allow water to flow away. You don't want the problems connected with water getting into the basement or the foundation. To begin with it may cause wet rot, which in turn could cause dry rot, which isn't something you want in your home anywhere. On a regular basis check out your home for signs of seepage.

It is apparently inevitable that water leaks come, and the most likely places are the roof, the gutter and down-spouts, and the inside plumbing. Make it a priority to get any sort of leaks you discover fixed. Wrap any outside pipes, certainly so if your house is older, and cut down drafts by placing a cover over air-conditioning units. Dust is more effortlessly noticed in the winter, so shampooing the carpets is recommended. End by cleaning the house windows.




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