Narrator:
For many homeowners autumn is a good time to button down the hatches in preparation for the colder months ahead…
We asked professional home inspector Russell Spornberger to give us a few pointers on what we should concentrate on when winterizing a home.
High on his to-do list --servicing the central furnace. A filter-change-out is mandatory, as well as an inspection and cleaning.
If the job is too intimidating, call in a certified professional.The water heater is another point of concern:
Russell Spornberger:
It's a good idea to flush your water heater to clean all the sediment out of it.
Narrator:
Be careful to secure the threads of the hose snuggly on the unit's faucet so you don't have a basement flood to content with…
Flexible piping insulation is easily installed and can help protect exposed pipes.
Russell Spornberger:
The first thing you are going to want to do is freeze protect your outside hose bibs or hose faucets as some people call them.
Narrator:
You can usually shutdown the outside water spigots by simply turning off their mains – like this one – normally found in the basement or crawl space. Once that's done…
Russell Spornberger:
Open up the outside faucet to flush out any remaining water in the lines so it doesn't freeze.
Narrator:
Now you can put that hose away…
Russell Spornberger:
You're going to want to make sure that your gutters are clean…
Narrator:
And that the downspouts are unclogged too …
Russell Spornberger:
… and your roof, you want to make sure the valleys of the roof are clean, no leaves have accumulated in there.
Narrator:
Water that can't drain from the roof and gutters can freeze and cause serious problems, like...
Russell Spornberger:
…back up underneath the shingles and then causes leaks inside your house.
Narrator:
Speaking of things on the roof … when was the last time your chimney was properly inspected?
Russell Spornberger:
I would recommend getting a certified chimney sweep to look at that chimney, because a lot of chimneys aren't just serving the fireplace, they are also serving gas fired appliances inside the home.
Narrator:
Driveways are often overlooked, but can take a beating during a prolonged freeze…
Russell Spornberger:
A lot of people think that concrete is waterproof, it's not, it's like a sponge, it absorbs water.
Narrator:
Water freezing and melting expands and contracts, compromising the concrete.
Applying a flexible caulking to any existing cracks and then sealing the driveway's surface is the way to go. If you live in a climate where the roads are routinely salted, you'll want to do this every fall…
Russell Spornberger:
You want to make sure your doors and windows are properly weather-stripped…
Narrator:
In addition, an adequately insulated attic can help lower your heating bills…
Likewise, reversing the rotation of your ceiling fans can help distribute heat more efficiently and…
Russell Spornberger:
…it's a great time to dust…
Narrator:
Reversing the rotation will likely throw dust when you turn the fan back on if you neglect this task…
Finally, fall is a great time to change out the batteries in your smoke-detectors. And, if you don't have one…
Russell Spornberger:
It's a good idea to have a carbon-monoxide detector on each level of your home …
(beep - push test button)
Narrator:
For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.
