It's the first chilly night of fall and you head over to the thermostat to turn on your furnace for the first time since last winter.
Your mind is filled with visions of warm snuggliness when ... wait. Is that cold air coming from the vents? And what is this strange smell? Are those odd noises from the ducts? Where's the heat?
You start to feel the first stages of hypothermia creeping in and wonder if perhaps you should have gotten the heater inspected; and it occurs to you that maybe there were other things around the house you should have checked before the temperature went south.
Things like: Is there some big tree limb that could crash through the roof in an ice storm? What's the deal with weather stripping? There are toys in the attic, but is there enough insulation? Should something be done about that old chimney? And do I need to do anything with this yard?
The homeowner's list of stuff to check before fall and winter roll in can seem daunting, but this is probably a good time to think like a Boy Scout and be prepared.
FACE THE FURNACE
Let's start with that furnace, since it's going to get pretty busy in the next few months.
"You don't want to be one of those customers who call in on the first cold day and say, 'Can you come fix my furnace?'" says Tim Hennelly, home inspector at Casa Buena Home Inspections in Little Rock.
For somewhere around $100-125, he says, a heating and air technician can do a basic pre-season service, checking the system's burners and igniters to make sure everything is clean and in working order.
"They will also look at things like the exhaust pipe system to make sure it's properly ventilated," Hennelly says.
Something a homeowner can do is to check in the attic or crawlspace to look for any loose joints in the air ducts where heat can escape.
"Make sure the insulation around the duct is intact and not loose," Hennelly says.
Don't want to crawl around in the attic with all the Christmas decorations or under the house with all those cobwebs? Check the registers in the ceilings or walls. If the airflow is weak, there may be a leak somewhere along the line. Or just have the heating and air technician check the ducts.
Don't forget to change the air filters, Hennelly says. A clean air filter is a happy air filter, and helps the heater run more efficiently.
For those with a heat pump system, Hennelly advises checking to make sure the heat strip is working before the cold winds start to blow.
And while we're talking about heating and air, Hennelly reminds owners of ceiling fans to reverse the rotation of the blades to counterclockwise to pull all that nice warm air down from the ceiling.
KEEP THE COLD OUT
Remember when we were up in the attic checking ducts? Did you think to take a gander at the insulation?
"This is definitely number two on the list," of fall and winter preparation items, Hennelly says. "Some folks say that a good rule of thumb is at least 12 inches of insulation in the attic." With blown cellulose insulation, 8 1/2 inches is a good number, he says.
"You definitely want good coverage in the attic, with no low spots," Hennelly says. Handy types who don't mind crawling around in the attic can rent insulation blowers and do it themselves, although it's definitely a two-person job. Or just contact an insulation pro, says Hennelly, and let them handle it.
Making sure there are no gaps around ceiling light fixtures or base plates that cover junction boxes is also a good idea, Hennelly says. You can feel the change in temperature around the fixtures if there are gaps or holes. Use caulk or spray foam to seal them up.
And speaking of gaps and changes in temperature, doors and windows can develop spaces that let all your nice warm air out and the chilly winter air in.
"Check for damaged weatherstripping on doors. Have someone stand outside at night and, with the lights inside turned off, shine a flashlight at the door," Hennelly says. If the light comes through, it's time for new weatherstripping. Or just feel for drafts around the door.
But don't think that just slapping some caulk on the frame will fix your airy entry.
"Caulk isn't a direct replacement for proper weatherstripping," Hennelly says. The good news, though, is that installing new weatherstripping is a pretty easy job and not expensive.
Weatherstripping old windows will help keep the warm air in as well, Hennelly says, and so will storm windows or, if they're in the budget, new energy-efficient windows.
OUTSIDE CHORES
Peering out those windows this fall will, for many homeowners, reveal a yard covered by a blanket of leaves, which means there are probably leaves in the gutter around the roof as well. Clean gutters, just like air filters, are happy gutters. They also extend the life of the roof and make drainage around the house efficient, Hennelly says. Gutters covered by a mesh or nylon screen that can be found at most hardware stores and that keeps leaves and other falling gunk out of them also make for happy homeowners who aren't climbing a ladder every few weeks and scraping out those clogged troughs.
Amidst all this roof talk, Hennelly also advises checking overhanging tree limbs because now -- not the day before an impending ice storm -- is the time to trim back branches that can come crashing into the living room, or any other room in the house for that matter.
Branches also need to be clear of chimneys, and if you're planning on using that fireplace this winter, Hennelly recommends having a chimney sweep inspect the flue and give it a good cleaning.
Hennelly also reminds homeowners it's always a good idea to change batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Many people like to align this task with the start and end of daylight saving time, which ends on Nov. 2 this year.
YARD WORK
If you thought fall was a time to hang up the lawn tools, well, you were partially right, but there is still yard work to be done.
"Now is the time to plant bulbs and clean the garden as things go dormant," says Janet B. Carson, an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette gardening columnist and horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. "It's also the time to plant fall and winter color, like pansies and violas. Vegetable gardeners will want to plant winter kale and cabbage, radishes and turnip greens."
Decorating with mums, cornstalks, pumpkins and gourds is also popular in the fall, Carson says, so it might be a good idea to pull down that summer wreath.
If you've been hankering for some new trees, planting hardy trees like ginkgo and lacebark elms now is a good idea, she says.
Leaves are falling early this year, Carson says, so mulching and raking are in order. But don't give up on watering that lawn just yet. The end of the summer was dry and grass and other greenery are still thirsty.
Of course, it'll soon be time to shut the sprinklers down for the season. Those with underground systems will want to drain their pipes and take off the back flow valve to prevent pipes from bursting before temperatures fall to the freezing mark.
All those tools that got so much use over the hot summer? Yeah, it's time to show 'em some love, Carson says.
"Drain and store water hoses and clean and properly store shovels, shears and other equipment that could get corroded. You don't want to have problems with your tools. Putting them away in good condition will make them last longer."
That means also draining or using all the gas in mowers and other power tools before shutting them down for the winter.
HomeStyle on 10/04/2014