Now that you have put the lawnmower away for the year and pulled the leaf rakes and blowers out of your garage, you know it is also time to make plans to get your DC house ready for the colder temperatures, too. Getting ready for the fall means sealing up your home a little tighter (but not too tight) and making sure all of your heating equipment is in peak working order.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a good idea to make a mental or physical checklist of everything that needs to be done \u2013 and why it needs to be done. Here are some basic tips on how to get your house ready for fall. Let\u2019s first look at ways to assist your heating system to do its job and then look at ways to keep your heating system working efficiently.<\/p>\n
First, check all areas of the home where there may be heat loss. Replacing screen windows and screened doors with glass windows and storm doors is the first logical step. Keep all of your screens together and store them in an area that\u2019s convenient to access next spring. Check all of the caulking and weather stripping around windows, doors, roof vents, chimney stacks, etc. You may need to remove older caulk and weather stripping and replace it if it is chipped, cracked, or missing.<\/p>\n
Okay, you\u2019ve done a good job of checking your house for leakage. Now let\u2019s check your furnace for ways to keep it running efficiently. Besides providing warmth and comfort to people in your home, a properly tuned furnace<\/a> will run more efficiently and use less energy \u2013 keeping your utility bills down.<\/p>\n Inspect your furnace filter. Since you will be turning your furnace on for the first time in a few months, you may want to replace the filter in the air handling unit which is connected to your furnace through a plenum. Chances are, the filter will need to be replaced and the timing would be right to do it while getting your house ready for fall. If you have a removable electronic filter, give a thorough washing with a soapy solution and rinse it out. Make sure it is dry before putting it back in the air handling unit.<\/p>\n\n