With the changing of the colours so to comes a change in caring for your home this fall. As a valued OPUS Homes client, we want to remind you about some important steps as a homeowner you should take care for your home both this season and into the next.
With switch from cooling to heating, it’s important to ensure that your furnace is running at peak efficiency. Here are few tips to take care of your heating and cooling systems this fall:
1) Check to see when your furnace was last serviced by a qualified technician. This should happen every two years for a gas furnace or according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
2) A quick furnace test is to set your thermostat to “heat,” which will turn it ON; and then proceed to raise the setting until you hear it begin to run.
3) Remove floor vent covers and vacuum inside the ducts. The cleaner they are, the better your system will perform.
4) Check, clean and/or replace furnace air filters every season. This should be done every two to three months, and in the case of ventilation systems such as a heat recovery ventilator, every two months.
5) Check the ductwork leading to and from the heat recovery ventilator to ensure that the joints are tightly sealed with aluminum tape, and that the duct insulation and plastic duct wrap are free of rips and punctures.
6) Check your condensate drain pipes to ensure they are draining properly.
The fall is a crucial time to check your humidifier as heating systems dry out the air in the home during the winter. It’s important to keep your home’s humidity level in the proper range. Good consistent air quality is beneficial for your floors, your furniture and your health. A tool known as a hygrometer (available at your local hardware store) will confirm the correct level.
If you have a sump pump in your home, examine it to make sure it’s in working order and there are no line obstructions or visible leaks.
In the laundry room, clean the vent leading from your dryer to the outside wall. Keeping the vent clean optimizes the efficiency of your dryer and helps to prevent fires. When you do your maintenance walk-around outside, clean the vent from the exterior as well.
Ensure effective airflow in your bathroom exhaust fans and the range hood vent in your kitchen. When you turn the fans on, the dampers to the outside should open.
Seasonal maintenance should also include checking your smoke, carbon monoxide and security alarms, and replacing batteries if needed.
If you have a gas fireplace, check the terminations and vents for obstructions such as nests, leaves or anything else that might affect airflow.
A few things to look out for with external home maintenance are the following:
Open and close all of your doors to see whether they swing easily and shut tightly. If not, you may need to replace weather stripping around them. In addition, if you have a door connecting your house to the garage, check the adjustment of the self-closing device ensuring it closes completely.
Cover your air conditioning units and shut off power to them.
Make adjustments to the earth around your home, which should slope away from the foundation wall, this will keep water draining away from your basement rather than toward it when the snow and ice thaw.
Remove leaves from your eaves troughs and roof. And make sure your downspouts are clear to carry off drainage.
Drain and properly store your outdoor hoses so they’re ready to use in the spring. Close the interior valve to the outdoor hose connection and leave the exterior faucet (called the hose bib) running to drain it thoroughly.
Do a quick assessment of what else may need to be done outdoors to protect your home in winter such as, winterizing trees and shrubs, and storing outdoor furniture.
