Falling into Winter Prep: September Home Maintenance Checklist

Now that school is back in session, vacations are (mostly) over, and we’re into football season, it’s most definitely fall. With fall, comes cooler weather and pumpkin flavored everything, but fall also brings with it lots of preparation for those winter months– especially when it comes to maintaining your home. 

So, without further adieu, here is your checklist for September:

Prepare Heater System For Winter

Without a doubt, ensuring that your heating system is working appropriately might be the top priority for winter. No one wants to be left alone without heat, nor do you want to pay an arm and a leg for utilities. Call your favorite technician out to perform a routine maintenance check to be certain your system is ready for those cold months. This is especially important this year, as many industries– including the HVAC professionals– are dealing with supply chain issues and parts may have to be ordered. You want to know what you’re dealing with before the weather turns and you truly need your heat running. 

If you don’t have the funds now, here’s what you’ll need to do to prep your furnace for winter. 

1. Replace your air filters– If you’ve been following along with our blog posts, you should already know how to do this and should be changing your filters every 1-3 months, depending on the type you have and your home location’s climate. The higher your Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating on your air filter, the more efficient your filters are and the more efficiently your unit will run. Talk to your HVAC technician if you have questions about which types of filters work best with your unit(s) and how often they should be replaced. 

2. Clean and inspect your ductwork– Again, this is best left to the professionals not only to be certain it’s done correctly, but also because this requires a little more effort than most are willing to exert. You may not physically be able to perform this task or you simply may not want to (I know I don’t), so there’s no shame in calling in the experts. If you’re doing it yourself, turn your HVAC system on and go to your basement or where your ductwork is accessible. In order to check the connections between each section of the duct, place your hand over the metal. If you can feel air blowing against your hand, then the connection is loose and you have an air leak. At this point, you’ll probably want to call the professionals if you haven’t already, so that they can fix your leak(s) and your system can run efficiently– saving you money and frustration later. 

3. Clean your air vents– Next, you want to take a damp cloth and wipe down all openings in your vents and ensure nothing is blocking your vents. Taking a shop vac and vacuuming out the dust and debris might be necessary as well if this task has been neglected by you or a previous owner in past years. 

4. Test your system- Finally, the last thing you want to do is to switch your unit on and observe how it’s working. If, while listening, you notice any loud noises or you notice some cold spots in the house or even just a discrepancy between your thermostat and the actual temperature, you want to call your trusted technician. 

   
   

Flush Hot Water Heater and Remove Sediment

Now that school is back in session, vacations are (mostly) over, and we’re into football season, it’s most definitely fall. With fall, comes cooler weather and pumpkin flavored everything, but fall also brings with it lots of preparation for those winter months– especially when it comes to maintaining your home. 

So, without further adieu, here is your checklist for September: 

Prepare Heater System For Winter

Without a doubt, ensuring that your heating system is working appropriately might be the top priority for winter. No one wants to be left alone without heat, nor do you want to pay an arm and a leg for utilities. Call your favorite technician out to perform a routine maintenance check to be certain your system is ready for those cold months. This is especially important this year, as many industries– including the HVAC professionals– are dealing with supply chain issues and parts may have to be ordered. You want to know what you’re dealing with before the weather turns and you truly need your heat running. 

If you don’t have the funds now, here’s what you’ll need to do to prep your furnace for winter. 

1. Replace your air filters– If you’ve been following along with our blog posts, you should already know how to do this and should be changing your filters every 1-3 months, depending on the type you have and your home location’s climate. The higher your Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating on your air filter, the more efficient your filters are and the more efficiently your unit will run. Talk to your HVAC technician if you have questions about which types of filters work best with your unit(s) and how often they should be replaced. 

2. Clean and inspect your ductwork– Again, this is best left to the professionals not only to be certain it’s done correctly, but also because this requires a little more effort than most are willing to exert. You may not physically be able to perform this task or you simply may not want to (I know I don’t), so there’s no shame in calling in the experts. If you’re doing it yourself, turn your HVAC system on and go to your basement or where your ductwork is accessible. In order to check the connections between each section of the duct, place your hand over the metal. If you can feel air blowing against your hand, then the connection is loose and you have an air leak. At this point, you’ll probably want to call the professionals if you haven’t already, so that they can fix your leak(s) and your system can run efficiently– saving you money and frustration later. 

3. Clean your air vents– Next, you want to take a damp cloth and wipe down all openings in your vents and ensure nothing is blocking your vents. Taking a shop vac and vacuuming out the dust and debris might be necessary as well if this task has been neglected by you or a previous owner in past years. 

4. Test your system- Finally, the last thing you want to do is to switch your unit on and observe how it’s working. If, while listening, you notice any loud noises or you notice some cold spots in the house or even just a discrepancy between your thermostat and the actual temperature, you want to call your trusted technician. 

Flush Hot Water Heater and Remove Sediment

This next item is a biannual one, as you should have performed this maintenance in March as well. Check back to our March blog here to see how you can flush your hot water heater and remove the sediment from your system. This is also a great task that many HVAC technicians will perform for you. If you have the funds now or can swing the cost within your budget, we would strongly suggest hiring 

a local, trusted tech to come out now to ensure everything is done properly, which could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of inconvenience down the road if issues arise. 

Check Weatherstripping On Doors & Windows 

Part of keeping your home warm is proper insulation. A lot of doors and windows may be showing wear, which could cause some drafts and your heating system to be working overtime. There are plenty of do-it-yourself tasks that can be done to weatherproof your doors and windows and plug any small holes or cracks that could be letting warm air out or unwanted pests into your home. 

Two tried and true methods are the dollar bill test and the candle test. First, the dollar bill test. Grab a dollar and open your door. Place the dollar bill in between the door jamb and the actual door itself. Next, close the door and try to grab the bill and pull it out. If you can’t, you’re good to go; however, if the bill easily slides out, then you need some weatherstripping. The candle test focuses on detecting drafts in your house. 

If the draft is really bad around your doors or windows, you’ll probably notice without any test. To complete the candle test, grab a lighter and candle. Light your candle or even just a match and hold it behind your door or window, carefully paying attention to the smoke and how it moves. If the incoming air affects or changes the direction or movement of the smoke, then you need to replace or install weather stripping or simply re-caulk some seals. 

If your doors and windows need more than just some caulking, you may want to do a quick search for V-seals, door sweeps, and felt weatherstripping options to determine which will work best for your climate and for your doors and windows. The most popular option seems to be V-Seals which often come with an adhesive backing or you may need to nail in some brands or options. Either way, doing a little bit of research on your own will help you make the best decision for your home.

Vacuum & Clean Baseboards

It’s time to get down and dirty with your baseboards, too. In fact, you may want to do this task before your weatherstripping one, as you may want to just give your baseboards, door jams, and window sills all a solid deep cleaning before adding any additional caulking, rubber tubing, V-seals, or another type of weatherstripping. 

Just take your shop vac or regular vacuum attachment that will allow you to get into all the nooks and crannies, behind furniture and in the corners of your walls, and suck up all the dust, cobwebs, and debris. Then, just take microfiber cloth and dip it into a bucket of your go-to cleaning solution and wipe down your baseboards. Repeat all around each room of your house, and then pour yourself a well-deserved drink. If you have a regular cleaner, you may want to spend a little extra and ask them to take care of this task for you if it’s not typically included in a recurring cleaning package. 

Bring Your Plants Indoors 

Lastly, you may have some fantastic shrubs, plants, and greenery outside that have beautified your property all spring and summer. It’s time to bring those guys inside and let them live inside your home for winter. Not only are plants good for you and the air quality in your home, but they add easy decor and can brighten up a room. Just be sure to double and triple-check that your types of plants are not toxic to cats, dogs, children, or any other two or four-legged creature in your home who might be curious about your greens. 

That’s all for September. Take advantage of the mild weather and get these items checked off your list before winter comes. Let us know if we can help find you a great HVAC technician or other needed tradesperson, and we’ll be happy to help!