Fall Homeowner's Checklist

Paint Where Needed Touch up paint on trim, railings, around windows and decks. Peeling paint can leave surfaces exposed that can suffer damage if left till next Spring. Use a wire brush to remove flaking paint; prime bare wood first. Furnace Inspection Schedule an inspection for your heating system with a reputable professional. As cold as our Minnesota winters can be, make certain your furnace is in top-notch shape and that all of your ducts and air filters are clean. Protect your home from unnecessary furnace repairs that may leave you without heat in our harsher months.

Test Your Emergency Generator It’s a good idea to have an emergency generator as we brace for Minnesota's heavy snow falls or ice build up that can put down electrical lines, possibly causing major blackouts during the winter. So if you have one, be sure to test run it to see if it is in good working order. REMEMBER- never run the generator in any enclosed space – like your garage – as it will present a carbon monoxide hazard.

Inspect Home Exterior Check around the outside of your home and cover up or fill in any holes you discover. Woodpeckers, squirrels, or mice may have created holes that could lend to potential problems in driving winter winds.

Fire And Carbon Monoxide Detectors Is a good opportunity to check that all batteries in your fire and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order.

Storing Lawn Equipment Drain the gas from your lawn equipment before storing it for the off season to ward off the harmful effects that spoiled gas can have on engines and other parts. Your owner's manual will provide you with instructions and safety measures.

Exterior Water Faucets Turn off all exterior water faucets to avoid freezing and damage to pipes during those Minnesota below freeing winter days.

Prepare Landscape and Clean Up Prune trees and shrubs that have grown to close to your home to avoid damage to your home's exterior. Be sure to check around the roof, patio, decks, garage and any other out buildings. Nothing looks more spent than leggy tomato vines, yellow insect-nibbled zucchini leaves, and drying-up perennials that in their prime of summer displayed their last bloom. So pull and prune the dead or dying.

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