September Maintenance Suggestions

September Maintenance Suggestions

Caulk the Exterior

Any gap on the outside of your home may be a spot for caulking. Check the corners, windows, doors, areas where masonry joins siding, or places where vents and other objects extend from walls. Read manufacturer's directions to select the appropriate caulk for the task.

Check the Insulation

This is a good time to check the condition of insulation, especially in an older home. If your walls aren’t insulated, professionally installed blown-in insulation will probably pay for itself in a couple of years.

Check the Gutters

Make sure the downspouts and gutters are not clogged, smashed or open at joints to prevent moisture or ice damage later.

Check the Weather Stripping

Check weather stripping and add as necessary to doors and windows to keep moisture and cold air out. Various fixes are readily available (gaskets, thresholds, etc.) to fill gaps.

Clean the Dryer Vent

You should do this twice a year, in fall and spring. Carefully move the dryer away from the wall, unplug it and vacuum behind it. (If it's a gas dryer, turn off the gas supply to the dryer at the appliance shutoff valve.) Unhook the tube that leads to the vent and clear as much lint from the tube as possible. Carefully remove the outside vent cover, and using a shop vacuum or a dryer lint brush, clean as far up the vent as you can from the outside.

Check the Storm Windows

Repair and clean cracked or dirty storm windows before installing them.

Use Vent Covers to Help Protect Pipes

Have cut-to-size plywood or foam vent covers available for the cold side of your house and place them against the exterior basement vents during extra cold spells to help keep your pipes from freezing. Be sure to uncover them in the spring; the vents are needed to prevent moisture accumulation when it’s warmer.

Keep Rodents Out

In the fall, mice, rats and squirrels seek warm, dry places such as your house. Mice can squeeze through a quarter-inch opening and rats half-inch opening. Check that all exterior vents are screened, and that there are no gaps underneath windows, doors and garage doors.