Fall Maintenance and Safety Tips
Fall Maintenance and Safety Tips for your Home
First of all, Smoke detectors save lives, so change up the batteries in your smoke detectors in October which is Fire Safety Month. The winter months usually bring on higher number of household fires due to heaters. Next take a look outside. Trim your trees and bushes, keep the branches away from siding, rain gutters and shingles. Keeping your landscaping neat and trim will add curb appeal plus value to your home. Added value comes from the curb appeal but also from the depreciation that can occur when trees are allowed to scrape at your siding, windows, rain gutters or shingles. However, be SAFE. Each year the hospitals admit a great deal of folks from tree related accidents. If you do not have the proper equipment and safety tools, hire the job out. A professional will know the proper trim for your landscaping needs. While preparing to store your patio furniture, now is a great time to drain the gasoline and oil from lawn mower and weed eater. Properly storing patio furniture, lawn mower, weed eater and other outdoor equipment will add years to the life of the equipment. Getting the garden hose disconnected from the house and stored is a simple yet extremely important chore that will save you a huge headache come spring. Another important, yet simple chore is making sure the rain gutter extensions are getting the rain/snow melt away from your home’s foundation. Negative drainage and foundation cracks should be repaired to keep water out of your crawl space or basement.
Inside the home, you will want to change the air filter. Having your furnace serviced by a licensed HVAC will cost you between $85-175, depending upon your area. Annual servicing of your furnace will add years of warmth to your family home. In addition, if you have and use your wood burning fireplace, a phone call to the Chimney Sweep is appropriate. Again, we had this done at a cost of $65 in our area. As mentioned previously, check the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Insure that they are operative and have working batteries. Every home should have a working fire extinguisher, find yours or make sure your home has an operating extinguisher.
By doing a few fall maintenance chores you will add years to the life of your home. In addition, the maintenance you do will add value and enhance your bottom line. #homesafety #fallMaintenance #firesafety #homehealthy #billingsMT #liveBillings #realestate #DIY
