Fall home maintenance checklist

Fall is when the house gets ready for cold weather. The jobs on this list get the heat running before you need it, keep water from freezing in outside pipes, and clear the leaves that cause trouble once rain and snow arrive. Do them in September, October and November, before the first hard freeze where you live.

Work top to bottom. The outdoor jobs come first, while the weather is still mild, and the indoor jobs can wait for a rainy weekend. Skip anything your home doesn't have.

The checklist

• Clean the gutters: leaves that pile up now will dam up the first heavy rain and send water down the siding and into the foundation.
• Inspect the roof: a loose shingle or a cracked bit of flashing is a small fix in fall and a leak in winter.
• Get an HVAC tune-up: a technician catches a cracked heat exchanger or a weak igniter before the first cold night does.
• Replace the furnace humidifier pad: a fresh pad at the start of heating season means the humidifier adds moisture instead of growing mold.
• Replace the HVAC filter: start the heating season with a clean filter so the furnace isn't fighting for air.
• Flush the water heater: winter is when you use the most hot water, so clear the sediment now.
• Descale the tankless water heater: the same idea for a tankless unit, where scale in the heat exchanger makes showers swing hot and cold.
• Inspect and clean the chimney: creosote from last season is a fire waiting for the first fire of this one.
• Check the windows and doors for drafts: a draft you can feel in fall is heat you'll pay for all winter.
• Inspect the exterior window and door trim: cracked caulk lets water behind the trim, and water that freezes there splits the wood.
• Winterize the outdoor faucets: a hose left on through a freeze bursts the pipe inside the wall.
• Winterize the sprinkler system: water left in the lines freezes, and the backflow preventer is the first thing to crack.
• Winterize the air conditioner: clear the leaves out of the outdoor unit before they rot in it all winter.
• Service the standby generator: winter storms are when the power goes out, so change the oil and check the battery now.
• Inspect the propane tank and lines: a leak check before the heating season, when the tank gets the most use.
• Inspect the attic: mice move in when it gets cold, and you'll see the roof leaks from last winter while you're up there.
• Inspect the crawl space: standing water or torn vapor barrier under the house makes the floors cold and the air damp.
• Check the foundation for cracks: water in a crack freezes and widens it, so seal the small ones before that starts.
• Inspect and lubricate the garage door: cold stiffens the springs and rollers, and a door that squeaks in fall sticks in winter.
• Clean the dryer vent: the dryer runs more in winter, and lint in the vent is the most common cause of a laundry room fire.
• Clean the ceiling fans: wipe the blades and flip the direction switch so the fan pushes warm air down.
• Replace the smoke and CO alarm batteries: the furnace and the fireplace are about to run every day, and a carbon monoxide alarm with a dead battery is no alarm at all.

Tips

• Book the HVAC tune-up early. Technicians fill their calendars by October, and the first cold snap pushes tune-ups to the back of the line.
• Clean the gutters late in the season, after most of the leaves are down, but before the first freeze. Doing it too early means doing it twice.
• Do the water jobs on the same afternoon. You need the garden hose out to flush the water heater, and it goes away for the winter right after you drain the outdoor faucets.
• Buy for the whole list in a single trip: the HVAC filter, the humidifier pad, alarm batteries, faucet covers and a tube of exterior caulk.
• Put a date next to each job as you finish it. Next fall, the list writes itself.

FAQ

When should I start fall home maintenance?

In September, while the weather is still good for outdoor work. The outdoor jobs need dry days and mild temperatures, and the freeze-related ones have a hard deadline.

What is the most important fall maintenance job?

Getting water out of anything that can freeze: the outdoor faucets and the sprinkler lines. A burst pipe does more damage in a day than most other skipped jobs do in a year.

Do I need all of this in a warm climate?

No. Skip the winterizing jobs if your area doesn't freeze. The heating tune-up, the chimney, the gutters and the safety checks still apply.

Can I do the fall checklist in a weekend?

The outdoor jobs fit a dry weekend, and the indoor ones fit another. Spread it over a few weekends rather than rushing, and book the pro visits early so they land in between.