Autumn, fall, local’s summer, hoodie season,

pumpkin spice season, it’s okay to gain eight

pounds season, or whatever you want to call it

- it’s here.  Nights are prime for a bon fire,

ChowderMONTH and the Stafford Fall Wine Festival

are around the corner, and so are cooler temperatures

and eventually the freezing ones.  Aside from getting

your mums and cornstalks from Reynolds and

lighting that Acorn Spice candle (that’s really a thing),

there are some important and not-so-charming tasks

that need to be done to get your home ready for

Winter.

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• Change the CO and smoke detector batteries.

  • Most people take care of this the day that clocks “fall backward” on November 7.

• Clean your dryer vent piping to prevent fires.

  • Laundry dryers are a leading cause of house fires.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, the leading cause of laundry dryer fires is failure to clean them.

• Service and clean your home’s heating system.

  • Have a professional service, clean, and perform a safety inspection on your home’s boiler or furnace.  Be prepared for the frigid temperatures.

• Service, clean, and flush your water heater

  • It is recommended that a water heater be flushed and serviced once per year.  A buildup of sediment and debris can sit in the tank and eventually can cause erosion, unnecessary wear, and can bring down the efficiency of your water heater.

  • Tankless water heaters are especially affected by lack of annual service.

• Have your fireplace chimney cleaned.

• Winterize your outdoor plumbing.

  • Turn off and blow out your outside shower, outdoor kitchen fixtures, and your irrigation system.  Remember to disconnect garden hoses from hose bibs.

  • We recommend taking care of this in September and October, before the first freeze of the year.

• Change your water filters.

• Put the cover on your air conditioning condenser.

  • Keep leaves, dirt, seashells, and other debris out of your condenser.

• Get screens repaired for next summer now.

  • Causeway Glass and Tuckerton Lumber Company will be happy to replace or repair screens now as opposed to the extremely busy Spring season.

• Start your remodel and replacement projects now.

  • Contracting companies get very busy in the Spring – when most people start remodeling and refreshing their homes.  Prices are less expensive during the Fall and Winter seasons.  Wait until Spring and not only pay more, but there may be a wait that extends into the Summer season.

• If you are a seasonal friend, have our plumbing team do a free assessment of your home to see if winter use is viable.  We can make recommendations to reduce the risk of damage due to freezing pipes.

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Walt McCollum Plumbing, Heating, Cooling can help with most of these items, just give a call!