Five Ways to Prep Your Home For Cooler Weather

One of life's little pleasures can be found in the changing of seasons. Just when one is getting tired of the temperature outside, another season is right around the corner to change up the weather! Between the beautiful foliage, hanging around the fire pit, football, and even the much-overdone pumpkin spice everything, what's not to love about the fall season? Just as our wardrobe changes to reflect the cooler temperatures, our homes react to the cooler temperatures too.  Here is a list of 5 things you can do to help prepare your home for the change of seasons:

1.  Change your air filters for your HVAC system. 

Chances are, most homeowners have not done this step in a while, but this quick change can be beneficial for prepping for fall!  Especially with the heater kicking on,  you don’t want to restrict the airflow through that ductwork and stress your furnace blower.  If you have a gas furnace, a filter clogged with dust may emit a burning odor for a while which is unpleasant.  It definitely does not smell like pumpkin spice.

2.  Change your smoke alarm batteries.  

As we begin to cycle on the heater, it is always a good idea to replace your smoke alarm batteries.  Especially with the Thanksgiving holiday where we have friends and family visiting, we want to make sure everyone is safe.  They also help let you know when it is time to take grandma’s turkey out of the oven.

3.  If you have a gas furnace, turn it on and make sure it will operate properly.  

Sometimes air will be present in the gas line and it will cause your self-igniting pilot light to fault out and not light.  Turn on your furnace to test it before you actually need it.  

4.  Check your weather stripping on all of your exterior doors and make sure you have a good seal. 

If your weatherstrip has lost some of its elasticity, pick some up at the hardware store. Check out this quick video from the iScraper1 Youtube Channel to learn more about changing out your weather stripping. 

5.  Winterize your exterior plumbing.  

Make sure you turn the water off to the hose spigots outside by turning them off at the hose bib shutoff valves in your house.  These are often located at the water heater, or under the sink if you are on a slab or crawl space home.  If you have a basement, your shutoffs are likely to be in the basement.  Once you have located the shutoff valves and turned the water supply to the hose bibs off, open them up a little by turning the valve on the spigot counterclockwise just enough to allow the water to drip out and leave them open until springtime.

Whether you look forward to it or not, the cooler weather can impact your home and its mechanical systems’ performance.  It is always a good idea to be prepared by doing your routine maintenance, this will ensure an uneventful transition as well as prolong the life of your home. When in doubt or need more help, all Reliant homeowners can review their comprehensive warranty manual!