Home Fall Maintenance Checklist

  Furnace Inspection

• Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace

• Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly

  Fireplace

• Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep rodents out

• Call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote

• Check the mortar between bricks and tuck point, if necessary

  Doors and Windows

• Inspect the exterior for crevice cacks and exposed entry points around pipes, seal them if necessary

• Use weather striping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows

  Plumbing

• Locate your water main in the event that you need to shut it off in an emergency

• Drain all garden hoses

• Drain air conditioner pipes and if your AC has a shut-off valve, turn it off

  Foundation

• Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation

• Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house

• Secure crawlspace entrances

  Roof & Gutters

• Add extra insulation to the attic to prevent warm air from creeping through your roof and causing ice dams

• Replace worn roof shingles or tiles

• Clean gutters/eaves troughs from debris

• Ensure downspouts are in good condition and drain water away from the house

  Emergency Kit

• Buy indoor candles and matches/lighter for use during a power outage

• Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and keep them near the phone

• Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies, blankets and first-aid kits in a dry easy-to-access location

  Safety

• Change batteries in smoke alarms

• Inspect carbon-monoxide detectors

• Rehearse emergency procedures with other family members

  Things to watch-out for:

• Structural sagging, wavy roof frame and sheathing

• Damaged, worn or missing shingles, moss growth

• Corroded flashing

• Raised shingles along the bottom of the roof

• Icicles hanging from the gutters in winter (indicating poor drainage)

• Stained, discoloured or delaminating sheathing, damp or discoloured insulation

• Rusted nails and rust stains on sheathing

• Water spots or black marks on the ceiling or at the junction between the ceiling and the wall

• Water marks around ceiling fans

  Rain or wind - some roof problems occur when wind forces rain under the edges of the roof or shingles

  Ice dam – is an accumulation of ice at the lower edge of a sloped roof. They form when there is a layer of snow on the  roof which, melts due to heat loss from the house into the attic

  Moss – wood and built-up roofs are vulnerable to deterioration by moss because of its ability to retain moisture

  Water vapor – ex-filtration of warm, moist air to drier, colder air results in condensation, mold and mildew, and wood decay.