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Monday, September 15, 2014

Get Ready for Fall and Winter!

Already? No, well we're not snowed in yet and things are not frozen and while the commuting to work is still early fall weather, we have received freak snow storms.  September Storms as they were coined here in Calgary, AB.  Receiving snow that early, and with the season of summer that came late shorted us a decent time to get outdoors this year and downed tree branches by the sheer weight and amount of the snow.  So that was something else, and I had walked to my maternity clinic appointment (from a bus ride), and along the short walk were many dangerous low hanging branches and still ice on the ground.  I made it though.

It's usually the same checklist for seasonal homework this time of year.  You can go the extra mile and make sure you have inspected and battened down the hatches and continue to prepare early.  Perhaps yard work can get done or kept up on, and any old tree branches cut or trimmed.

Some things to do now might be cleaning the electric baseboard heaters and testing those out to make sure you are not surprised come winter time.  Checking the condition of the central heating system, fireplace along with the chimney, and hot water tank.

I checked out all the weatherstripping around openings such as doors and windows, and of course repair if need be.  If you have an attic, it might be a good time to check the vents up there and make sure they are clear, or any vents that are to be cleared in your home.  Shut vents to crawl spaces if those areas are heated in the winter.  The critters will be looking for an in to get to a warm place for the season as well.

Somethings for the chore list is to look and note the natural slope of the ground around the house, and if it needs fixing, so that when springtime comes back you can avoid flooding of the melting snow into you home. 

In the dead of winter, you might replace batteries in smoke alarms, and any other alarms for that matter.  Set the first week of the New Year and then follow up at the same time each year, so you know when it was last taken care of.  Inspect and clean any filters, ducts and hoses in larger appliances, especially that clothes dryer.

Replace any chipped or cracked grout and caulking in your kitchen and bathrooms, while the snow is flying outside this is a perfect indoor repair time.  Also, you could start a home maintenance file to store all your records of repairs, maintenance that you started, schedules and warranties, or simply organize one you have already started.

Inspecting those doors and cabinetry for loose knobs, squeaky hinges and things of that sort, all while making the necessary repairs.  Then if you really are a keener, you can move onto other jobs.

You can check out last year's post Preparations and Organizing for Winter as well.  Good Luck!