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 LINDA'S
NOVEMBER TIPS
I came across these great
fall reminders at www.Demesne.Info
and their webmaster graciously agreed to allow me to share
them with our readers:
10 Essential Fall Tasks
Plan ahead to save time and energy.
If your time is at a premium and you need to prioritize what
needs to be done around the house before winter sets in, the
following list of essential tasks might help.
- If you have a fireplace or woodstove, lay in a
supply of wood as early as you can. Burn dry, dry
wood. Keep fires small and hot to reduce buildup in chimneys.
Store wood where it is dry but has good air flow. A covered
shed is ideal, but a loose tarp can work just as well. Make
sure it’s stacked off the ground to keep the bottom
course clean and dry. Wet wood attracts insects. Don’t
stack your wood right next to the house; leave at least
a gap of a couple inches to avoid creating an insect highway
to your home’s interior.
- Make sure that any backup heating source—such
as a gas fireplace, woodstove, or pellet stove—is
in good working order. For wood burning fireplaces
and woodstoves, have your chimney cleaned regularly. The
more you burn, the more often you should have your chimney
cleaned.
If you burn one-half to a full cord of wood a year, every
two years for cleaning is probably okay if your wood has
had at least a year to season. The greener the wood, the
faster creosote builds up. Creosote can cause a chimney
fire so it's not something you want to let go.
- Clean your gutters. It’s one
of those chores that no one likes but must be done. In the
fall, you may find it necessary to clean a couple times
depending on what types of trees you have near the house.
- Make sure downspouts are free flowing and splash
blocks direct water well away from the foundation.
- Check the roof and make any small roof repairs
now. This is another important task. At the same
time check ridge vents and make sure they are clear of any
obstructions.
- Trim back trees, bushes, and other foundation
plantings away from the house. Any dead or diseased
branches on trees need to be removed. This prevents bugs
from taking up residence in your home, and reduces damage
to siding, roofs, and gutters from whipping branches. In
other words, nothing should be touching your house.
- Have your heating system serviced if you haven’t
done it in a while. There is nothing worse than
having the heat go off when it’s 25 degrees outside.
And it always seems to happen to too many other people at
the same time, so you have to wait and shiver until the
heating guy shows up.
- Check your smoke alarm and make sure it’s
functioning. If you have a carbon-monoxide detector,
check it at the same time.
- Weatherize your home. Caulk joints where
materials meet. The US Department of Energy says if you
can pull a piece of paper out of a closed door without tearing
you're losing energy, so check and replace weather stripping
on all doors and windows. Install foam inserts in electrical
receptacles on exterior walls.
- Set up your 72-hour stock of emergency provisions.
Allocate a space; keep everything you’ll need in case
the power goes off there. The Red Cross has a comprehensive
list of recommended items.
There are many more tasks to do and this list of essentials
may vary depending on your home and its requirements.
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