3 Important Home Maintenance Items Before Winter Hits

We're getting to that time of year again.

The temperatures are dropping, the heat is coming back on, and before long we'll be dealing with freezing temperatures and snow.

Before winter really hits, there are a few simple things every homeowner should take care of. None of them are particularly exciting, but they can save you some headaches and potentially some expensive repairs.

1. Have Your Furnace Serviced

Your furnace is about to go from barely running to working every day for the next several months. Before the freezing weather arrives, have a qualified HVAC technician come out for routine maintenance. They can clean the unit, check the main components, replace or inspect the filter, and make sure everything is operating properly.

The last time you want to discover there's a problem with your furnace is during the first really cold night of the year. A little preventative maintenance now can help keep things running properly when you actually need it.

2. Shut Off and Drain Your Exterior Water

This one is easy to forget. Before temperatures consistently drop below freezing, disconnect your garden hoses and shut off the water supply to your exterior taps where applicable. Open the exterior tap afterward to allow any remaining water to drain out.

Water left inside a pipe can freeze, expand and potentially cause the pipe to burst.

It's a five-minute job that can prevent a much bigger problem.

3. Turn On Your Whole-Home Humidifier

If your home has a furnace-mounted humidifier, now is the time to turn it back on and make sure it's working properly.

Cold winter air is dry, and once the furnace starts running regularly, the air inside your home can become even drier. Maintaining an appropriate indoor humidity level can make the house more comfortable and help with dry skin, irritated noses and throats.

Proper humidity is also good for the house itself. Extremely dry conditions can affect hardwood flooring, wood trim and other materials throughout the home.

Just remember that more humidity isn't always better. As the temperature outside drops, indoor humidity may need to be lowered to prevent excessive condensation on windows and other cold surfaces.

Bonus: Don't Forget About What's Above You

While you're getting the house ready for winter, clean out your eavestroughs and make sure your attic is properly insulated and ventilated.

Clogged eavestroughs can prevent water from draining properly. And if heat is escaping into the attic because of poor insulation or air leakage, it can warm the roof and melt snow. That water can then refreeze near the colder edges of the roof and contribute to ice damming.

Ice dams aren't just annoying. They can lead to water getting where it shouldn't and potentially cause some very expensive damage.

A Little Work Now Goes a Long Way

None of these jobs are particularly complicated, but they're easy to forget until there's a problem.

Service the furnace. Shut off the exterior water. Turn on the humidifier. Check the eaves and attic.

Take care of them before winter arrives, and your house will be in much better shape for the cold months ahead.