Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

When changing your clocks in the fall at Daylight Savings Time, take a moment to complete the checklist below. These things will help keep your home in shape and safe.

  • Adjust Your Clocks
  • Test and Replace Batteries in Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
  • Check Pressure Gauge on Fire Extinguishers
  • Reverse Ceiling Fans
  • Flip or Rotate Your Mattress
  • Cover outside hose connections
  • Store Lawn Equipment for Winter
  • Test GFCI and AFCI Outlets and Breakers
  • Check Outdoor Lighting

Adjust Your Clocks

Any manual or non-internet connected clocks need to be manually set.

Test and Replace Batteries in Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Use the "Test" button on the detectors to confirm whether they are working or not. Using actual fire is not advised as it can easily become uncontrolled.

If your smoke detector is chirping, now is the time to replace the battery in it. Typically smoke and carbon monoxide detectors take 9 volt batteries. This includes the hardwired detectors as well.

Check Pressure Gauges on Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are easily looked over until they are needed. Now would be the time to check them to make sure that the seals have not failed and are in proper working order. We suggest that you have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and garage areas of your home. Ideally it should be placed in a conspicious location and every person cooking in the kitchen know how to use it.

Reverse Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can be used during the winter to evenly and better distribute heat in a room. On the fan, there is a switch that controls the direction of the fan. When set correctly for the winter, you should be able to stand underneath the fan and not feel any air, as the fan needs to blow upwards towards the ceiling.

Flip or Rotate Your Mattress

By flipping or rotating your mattress, you will get more life out of it.

Mattress that do not have special features like a pillow top, should be flipped over. This will ensure that the springs to do not warn out as easy from the same repetitive motion of sleeping in the same spot night after night. Once per year, this style of mattress should also be rotated to increase longetivity.

Mattresses that have a pillow top or have other features that allow them to be used only on one side, should be rotated instead of flipped.

Cover Outside Hose Connections

Hose connections on the exterior, can allow heat to escape the home and can put your hose connections as risk for freezing over. This is the time of year, ideally before the first frost, to disconnect the hose from the faucet and store them for the winter.

Store Lawn Equipment For Winter

There is a right and wrong way to store your lawn equipment for winter storage. Storing it improperly can result is issues when the growing season starts in the following spring. We have a separate Lawn Mower checklist for what to do with your lawn equipment.

Check Outdoor Lighting

With it getting dark sooner, ensure that you do not come home to a dark house. Now is the time to check for blown light bulbs or non-working exterior fixtures and replace them as necessary. Lights that have photosensors should be checked to make sure that they automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn. If necessary, adjust the sensitivity of the lights. Lights that are motion activated, should be checked to make sure that they turn on when a person or object passes by the light fixture. If necessary, adjust the timing or sensitivity of the lights.

We can help!

We offer services to inspect and repair the above mentioned items. Give us a call or text to set up an appointment.

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