Home with Teresa

Fall home maintenance checklist

· Check all window and door locks for proper operation.

· Check your home for water leaks and repair as necessary.

· Review your fire escape plan with your family.

· Make sure there are working nightlights at the top and bottom of all stairs.

· Have a heating professional check your heating system. Wood burning stove connector pipes and chimneys should be inspected by a certified chimney sweep annually.

· Protect your home from frozen pipes. 

· Replace or clean your furnace filter monthly.

· Run all gas-powered lawn equipment until the fuel is gone before storing. This removes flammable liquid storage from your garage. At the same time, make sure you aren't storing dirty, oily rags in a pile; they can ignite spontaneously.

· Test your emergency generator if you have one.

· Have a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the flues and check your fireplace damper. Soot and creosote, which build up inside the chimney, can ignite when a fire is lit in the fireplace.

· Remove any bird nests from chimney flues and outdoor lighting fixtures as they are a fire hazard.

· Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace batteries. 

· Re-caulk around doors and windows to reduce heat/cooling loss.

· Check for cracked or missing caulk around the base of your toilet, bathtub, and bathroom cabinets. Properly sealing gaps between your bathroom fixtures and flooring material can prevent damage to the sub-floor.