Fall is in the Air - Is Your Home Ready?

Fall is one of our favorite seasons, with so many things to enjoy such as the leaves changing colors, pumpkins (and pumpkin spice) and the ushering in of the holiday season.

Preparing the Outside of Your Home During Fall 

The beautiful weather makes it the perfect time to get outdoors and get your home ready for the winter season. Here are our favorite outdoor tips to get your home ready for fall:

• Take a look at all walkways around your home. Repair any cracks, replace loose stones and consider making upgrades to your lighting to prevent the risk of slips, trips or falls.
• Clean your gutters and be sure all down spouts are clear. You want all water to be flowing away from your home. 
• It is also a good idea to take a look at any stairways leading into or out of your home. Make any necessary repairs to steps or railings. You want them to be safe for those visiting your home, especially when the first frost of the year comes our way.
• Take a look at the trees around your home and either trim or bring in a professional to trim any branches that look dead, weak or damaged. Heavy snow and strong winds can cause weak branches to break causing major damage to your home and property.
• As soon as you hear about the first frost of the year, turn off outdoor sprinkler systems and drain outdoor faucets, then shut off and cover outdoor faucets to protect the pipes from freezing.
• Inspect your windows and doors. Replace any damaged weather stripping and do any necessary re-caulking.

How to Prepare the Inside of Your Home During Fall 

Here are favorite indoor tips to get your home prepped for the season:

• Schedule a professional to service and or clean your heating equipment such as your furnace, chimney, and generator. You don’t want to wait until you need them to find out there are issues.
• Replace the air filters in all your HVAC equipment including your humidifier.
• Be sure the space around your heating equipment is clear. Clutter around a furnace or boiler is a fire hazard.
• Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If they are battery operated, be sure to change the batteries.
• Make sure you have a fully charged fire extinguisher on every floor of your home.
• Clean your dryer of lint. Dryer lint is one of the leading causes of house fires, so making sure your dryer is free of as much lint as possible is important.
• Check the drip pans under any appliance that uses water. If they are cracked, damaged or if you don’t have one, now is a great time to have it replaced or installed. Drip Pans can be installed under water producing appliances to catch leaks including your water heater, AC, dishwasher or washing machine.
• Check for any cracks in your dishwasher or washing machine hose. If they are more than 5 years old, you should have them replaced. We would also suggest that you consider upgrading them to reinforced steel-braided hoses.
• Change the direction of your ceiling fan. Make sure it is turning clockwise to have warmer air circulate.  If it is turning counterclockwise, it will continue to push colder air.

Educating our clients is a high priority for us, so we love to provide tips to help you make your home safe all year long.

If you need to file a claim, we are here for you! Don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions or concerns.

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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.