7 Household Tasks to Do This Fall

September 1, 2016

By Baker Brothers

Posted in: Preventive Maintenance

It sure doesn’t feel like fall, but it’s almost here. Don’t wait until the leaves fall off the trees to take care of these household chores.

1) Clean debris from your roof, gutters, and downspouts. If you let this stuff go unattended, it can pile up and cause blockage and other issues later. And when it’s cold outside, nobody wants to deal with blockage on the roof. Trust us.

2) Fix cracked or broken walkways and entryways on your property before leaves, ice, or even snow (rare, but ice and snow DO happen here, and you don’t want to bank on them not happening!) cover them. You do NOT want to hurt visitors who don’t know what they’re walking over.

3) Repair leaky faucets or pipes now. Don’t wait until things are frozen – doing it now will be less work, and less time or expense for you. We promise.

4) Get your fireplace primed and ready, if you’ve got one. Clean out old ashes as best you can – you don’t want to start a bigger fire than you intend. Test your damper to make sure it opens and closes properly. An unventilated fire is a lot less fun than a ventilated fire, and that’s a lesson you don’t need to learn.

5) Drain your water heater and make sure it’s clear of sediment. Sediment collecting in heater can make your heater overwork, heating less efficiently and costing you more money, plus risking burnout over time.

6) Check the caulking around you windows and doors for drafts – after all, you aren’t paying good money to heat the outdoors!

7) Make sure all your fall lawn care is taken care of. Fertilize, aerate, and weed your grass. Need some tips on how to take care of these? Check out our post: http://bakerbrothersplumbing.com/2012/10/3-keys-to-fall-lawn-care/

These aren’t particularly attractive tasks, but they all need to be done. And trust us, in retrospect, you’ll be much happier that you did them in fall, rather than catching up on them in winter. And if you need any help fixing pipes or draining your water heater, give Baker Brothers Plumbing a call!