Hvac And Gutter Miantenance Tips – Prepping For Autumn

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Late summer or early fall is probably the best time to address the problems at home that can make a huge difference for you and your family – seasonal changes may even impact the standard of living. The preventive measures you take during this transition will help to protect your home from damages during the winter season.

Identify the potential problems before they become an inconvenience and prepare your home for challenges that you might face when the weather is cold and the days are short. In this regard, you can prevent or minimize property damage before it actually happens and also save a substantial amount on your home maintenance budget. Even if you choose to hire a professional expert to deal with these issues, it’s well worth the expense.

The following are two significant maintenance tips that can keep your home in tip-top shape with a little bit of effort from your end.

Gutter Maintenance

Whether you like it or not, cleaning the gutters is a crucial part of your home maintenance routine which shouldn’t be left undone. If you live in a neighborhood surrounded by trees, you may have to clean them regularly (at least once a month).

Clogged gutters and drain pipeline are one of the major causes of leakage inside your home. If your gutters are jammed and the flow of water is obstructed, it could potentially damage your rooftop and exterior walls, resulting in more expensive repairs in the future.

So, make sure that cleaning the gutter is your top priority while prepping your home for extreme weather conditions – be ready for everything that nature can throw at your house.

Clearing your gutters using hands isn’t just filthy but also proven ineffective. So, use a mini shovel or a cleaning scoop to make your job easier and avoid getting yourself dirty during the process.

How to clean – After scraping the debris out of your gutter, clean them thoroughly with water using a high-pressure hose.

Inspect for leaks – Fill them with water and check for leaks at the sides or bottom of your gutter. Fix the holes with a sealing material or cement purchased from your local convenience store.

Seek an expert’s help – It is best to schedule a professional appointment at the end of every month to prevent the damage caused due to heavy loads – too much strain (excessive weight) pulls it away from your house which is a much bigger problem.

Get yourself prepared for the fall season by trimming the branches that are over your rooftop. In doing so, you can prevent the leaves from falling straight into the gutter when it’s windy outside.

Installing gutter guards may cost you more upfront but could save the money spent on maintenance and repairs. Plus it adds value to your home. This would not just protect your home but also save you from carrying out maintenance work unassisted.

Therefore, taking good care of the gutters provide better protection for the foundation, your roof, your walls, and the surrounding landscape.

Overall Benefits

Reduces home repair and maintenance costs
Extends your roof’s life span
Prevents water damage

HVAC Maintenance

Since you rely on your HVAC system for the most part of the year (especially during summer and winter), it is one of the most valuable components of your home. You use your unit more often than you think and if it isn’t maintained properly, you may end up paying more on your energy bills.

Maintaining your HVAC system is an excellent way to prolong its life and make sure that your unit is running efficiently throughout the year. So, before winter comes around, it is important to check the major components of your HVAC system and prevent it from failure.

Dirty or clogged filters restrict the airflow and also reduces your unit’s efficiency. So, if you haven’t cleaned or replaced the air filters in a while, now is the perfect time to do it. Changing the filter once every 3 months is the most important thing to do, to ensure trouble-free operation.

Note: Using a filter that doesn’t fit your HVAC system may cause the same problems associated with a dirty filter. So, it’s essential to replace your unit with an appropriate filter.

Dust and dirt build-up on your HVAC system over time, especially during the summer. So, clean your vents to prevent your unit from circulating unhealthy air throughout your home.

Inspect your system and put a little effort to clean your outdoor unit which will most certainly save you a lot of money in the long run – improves the overall efficiency of your HVAC system. Leave at least 2 – 3 feet clearance space around the outdoor unit to encourage a free flow of natural air. In doing so, you can significantly reduce your unit’s energy consumption.

Though you can do a lot of maintenance work on your own, it’s a good idea to hire an HVAC service provider to prepare your unit for the demands of harsh winter.

Overall Benefits

Superior air quality
Increased comfort
Lesses expenditure on repairs
Better energy savings

Conclusion

These are probably not the first things that come to your mind when you think of a home maintenance routine. However, it’s important that you don’t ignore the maintenance of your gutters and HVAC system, to keep your home in excellent shape. So, these are valuable tips that you should keep in mind for all the four seasons.

Failing to complete these simple chores on time could lead to more expensive repairs and frustrating consequences in the future. If you want to prepare your home for cold weather, start working towards the end of summer or at the beginning of autumn before winter kicks off.

Though these maintenance tasks can be quite intimidating at first, find your motivation to do what works best for you and your schedule. And as long as you take care of these things, you should have no trouble with your home for years to come!