Fall in Chicago is a wonderful time of year, with leaves coloring the landscape, football games, and holidays just around the corner. However, it also means that winter is coming and that you need to prepare your home for freezing temperatures and more precipitation.
Here we’ve compiled a list of 20 tasks that every homeowner should complete during the fall season.
1. Clean Your Gutters
In Illinois, precipitation increases during the winter, so keeping your gutters clear of falling leaves is important to ensure proper drainage. Cleaning debris from your gutters and downspouts ensures that water doesn’t fall near your foundation and get into your basement or crawl spaces. Water intrusion can cause damage to your belongings and to your foundation.
Additionally, if water accumulates in your gutters it can freeze, which is extra weight that your gutters have to hold. That can cause your gutters to become loose or even fall, which means that they’ll need to be reinstalled or replaced.
2. Drain Outdoor Hoses and Faucets
When water is not drained from your outdoor hoses they can freeze, which can cause connected pipes inside your home to freeze and break. Drain your hoses fully and disconnect them, and then put them away in a dry space.
Your outdoor faucets can also freeze and break if water is left in them, so check them for dripping water and get them repaired if necessary. It’s a good idea to then cover them with insulation, which you can find at your local hardware store.
3. Water Heater Flush
As it gets colder, your water heater is going to work harder since the incoming water will be at ground temperature. A water heater flush removes built up sediment in your unit, which can keep your water heater working at maximum efficiency during the cold months and keep your energy bills down. Sediment can also corrode your unit, decreasing its life expectancy.
You can do a flush yourself if you’re handy, but it’s often better to trust a professional. The plumbing pros at TR Miller can take care of it for you to keep your water heater running at its best.
4. Check the Water Heater Pressure Relief Valve
The pressure relief valve prevents excess pressure and temperature in your water heater, keeping it from breaking or even exploding. To check your pressure relief valve, lift the lever and let it snap back, but use caution, as the water will be hot. If a burst of water goes into the drainpipe, your valve is fine. If not, you likely need a new one.
The team at TR Miller can do the valve test and, if necessary, replace the valve at the same time that you have a water heater flush.
5. Insulate Hot Water Heater Connections
Insulating the pipes connected to your water heater can prevent heat loss and keep your water warmer. It can also prevent the pipes coming into the home from freezing. You can find insulation sleeves at your local hardware store.
You may also want to consider putting a water heater blanket on your unit depending on where it is. If it’s in an unheated area of your home, it’s probably a good idea. Our plumbers can tell you if a blanket would be worthwhile.
6. Insulate Exposed Pipes
Most of your indoor pipes are safe from the cold because they’re in heated areas. However, pipes in unheated areas are vulnerable to freezing and bursting, which can cause flooding. These pipes should be insulated to prevent this from happening. You can find insulation kits at your local hardware store.
If your home is older or not well insulated, you may also want to insulate pipes that are near exterior walls, or put insulation in those walls.
7. Test and Insulate Your Sump Pump
Sump pumps work hard to keep water out of your home, so you’ll want to test it before the higher precipitation of winter comes. You can simply pour water around the sump pump to see if it kicks on when the water reaches a certain level. If it doesn’t, it needs to be serviced or replaced.
You should also insulate your sump pump and it’s connected pipes with foam or fiberglass insulation to prevent them from freezing.
8. Seal Gaps Between Exterior Pipes and Walls
Gaps often develop between the walls and pipe entryways, which can allow cold air to come into your home and cause the pipes to freeze inside. When you insulate your pipes, be sure to also close the gaps with caulk or expanding foam. If the gaps are large you may need to cover them with something solid like wood before caulking,
9. Check CO and Smoke Detectors
When furnaces are not working properly they can produce carbon monoxide. Be sure to have CO detectors throughout your home and test them once a month. You should also change the batteries once a year, as well as the batteries of your smoke detectors.
10. Change Your Furnace Filter
It’s a simple task, but changing your furnace filter can increase your furnace’s energy efficiency and extend its life. Check it once a month, and it’s full of debris, put in a new one. If you notice that it’s getting full quickly, you probably need to have your furnace cleaned and serviced. You also might want to consider having an air quality test in your home.
11. Clean Vents and Ducts
When dust and debris collect in your ducts and vents, air flow is restricted which can affect your HVAC system’s efficiency. To clean your vents, you can simply vacuum the vent covers or wash them. To clean ducts, you need a high-powered vacuum and a stiff brush. A household vacuum will not do the job, so you may want to have a professional take care of this job for you.
12. Adjust Your Thermostat
Fall is time to start adjusting the programming on your thermostat to your desired home and away temperatures. You may also want to consider a smart thermostat that connects to an app on your phone. Then on the app you can adjust your home’s temperature even when you’re not there. That way you can ensure that your temperature will be comfortable when you get home.
13. Seal Ductwork
If your ductwork has broken seals, hot or cold air can escape into areas behind your walls and ceilings, which can mean higher energy bills. Duct tape is not the fix for broken seals. You can use aluminum take or mastic tape, but there are other methods that can seal your ducts even in hard-to-reach places. The team at TR Miller will be happy to help you with this job.
14. Clear Space Around Your Furnace
Remove anything that’s stored within three feet of your furnace to allow air to flow around it and to prevent damage to your stored items. This will also give you easier access to the unit when you change the filters or have it serviced.
15. Clear Your Furnace Flue
Your furnace flue directs fumes, such as carbon monoxide fumes, out of your home, so the flue needs to be clear. First, check the flue pipe for signs of rust or moisture, and then you’ll need to grab the ladder to access your roof. There, you’ll remove the flue cap to check for blockages and clear them. If you find any issues that you can’t handle, TR Miller can help.
16. Clear Your Outdoor A/C Unit
Even in the winter, your A/C unit should be taken care of. Clear debris such as the fall leaves from around and in the unit. You can put a cover on it when the leaves are falling at their heaviest, but it’s best not to cover it all winter. If you do, moisture can collect that can damage your system, and sometimes critters will make nests under the cover.
17. Test Your Furnace
Before the cold temperatures hit, turn on your furnace to check the following:
- Check all the vents to make sure you feel warm air.
- Listen for odd sounds.
- You’ll probably smell a burning smell when you turn the furnace on, but it should go away within 10 minutes or so. A continued burning smell or other odd smell can indicate a problem.
- Leave the furnace on long enough to make sure that it runs through its cycles, turning on and off as the temperature of your home changes.
If any of these checks indicate a problem, give TR Miller a call.
18. Have Your HVAC System Tested, Cleaned, and Serviced
To ensure that your HVAC system is ready for winter, have your HVAC system professionally inspected, cleaned, and serviced. You should do so before winter comes, and again in the spring to make sure both your heating and cooling systems are working properly.
This will save you the time and hassle of doing maintenance and testing yourself and will take care of any repairs that may be necessary.
19. Have a Drain and Sewer Line Inspection
Drain and sewer line backups can be catastrophic, but regular cleanings and inspections can prevent them from happening. Fall is the perfect time to do this, since when it’s cold you’ll likely be inside more, which means that your drain and sewer lines will be working harder. The inspection will also reveal any drain or sewer pipes that need to be insulated.
20. Have a Plumbing Inspection
Having your plumbing system inspected and serviced in the fall can save you the time of doing all the preventative checks and maintenance yourself. It will also save you money by preventing common fall plumbing issues.
A little preventive care can give you a plumber-free winter so that you’re free to enjoy the holidays with your family and friends.
TR Miller Is Your Home Maintenance Partner
TR Miller Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing has been serving the plumbing and HVAC needs of Greater Chicago residents since 2008. We are a family-owned company, so we understand the needs and concerns of our customers. Our professional plumbers and technicians are highly trained, and our entire team is dedicated to ensuring your home’s functionality and safety.
Give us a call this fall, and we can thoroughly inspect your plumbing and HVAC systems and perform any maintenance or repairs that are required. With TR Miller as your home maintenance partner, you can rest assured that your systems will perform properly and at maximum efficiency throughout the fall and the rest of the year.