Winter Mittens and Scarves for Your Home
January 18th, 2012 categories: For Sellers, Informational
The see-saw weather in greater Cincinnati has lots of local property owners facing problems with flooding, malfunctioning furnaces, sticky garage doors and smoking fireplaces!
Yesterday’s high winds which blew our grill across the deck was a good reminder that to recheck the house for winter…which most of us forget to do when it’s 60 degrees outside. The CDC has a page dedicated to home winterizing with great information and links.
It’s time to drag out the mittens and scarves for your property!
Our property check-up started on Monday with the routine visit by HPS- the heating company we have used for decades. Like many absent minded home owners, I have found it easier to contract for routine maintenance every 6 months to keep our all electric system in tip-top shape. Filters are changed and the system is checked inside and out for to ensure optimum heating (and cooling).
Next is the fireplace. As I mentioned we’re an all electric house-built after the Jimmy Carter scare that the world would run out of natural gas- so we have a propane powered fireplace and after several laughable efforts to fire up the system yesterday…I think it’s time to have the plumber check out all the piping for leaks. The pilot flame finally ignited-but I’d rather be cautious than come home and smell propane.
All the rain has also prompted another look at the gutters to make sure the last leaves that dropped before Christmas off the Bradford Pear tree have blown away and aren’t clogging downspouts. And speaking of downspouts-make sure to double check the high winds didn’t blow the end pieces off. Water pouring down the spout and straight the foundation is a great way to start water problems in the lower level. And speaking of basements- test your sump pump.
The last thing you want in the winter is for your electric garage doors to fail. Many owners forget to follow manufacturer’s directions about lubricating the tracks and moving parts. And while you’re checking doors-take a look at all the doors leading to the outside. Is the weather stripping in place? Are the locks functioning- in case you get locked out of your garage.
In short- the blast of winter weather is a good reminder to “batten down the hatches” before you have problems inside or outside your property.
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