November Home Maintenance Tips for Your East Texas House
November Home Maintenance Tips for Your East Texas House
November Home Maintenance Tips for Your East Texas House
Cold weather is just around the corner and it’s a great chance to get a jump (or catch up) on some home maintenance before the busy holiday season arrives! Cold weather is hard on a house, so be sure your house is ready to survive the chill with these November monthly maintenance tips for your East Texas Home:
- DON’T WAIT FOR THE BEEPING – Change out the batteries in your smoke detector. This is an easy one, so it’s a great place to start! (While you’re at it, go ahead and get some extras for the TV remote too.)
- DON’T BUST— A Busted pipe is an unwelcome guest, no matter the season. To avoid a bad situation, drain and disconnect your hoses, wrap exterior pipes and install faucet covers to protect your spigots. Also, if you don’t have central heat, you may want to consider wrapping interior pipes—especially those on exterior walls.
- CREOSOTE BE GONE— Before you snuggle up and light that first fire of the winter, be sure to check your chimney for buildup. If you use it regularly, have it professionally cleaned before you start using it. Chimney fires are preventable with regular cleaning.
- DRAFT DODGIN’— Cold drafts coming into your house can mean some annoyingly cold nights that can have big impacts on your utility bill. To find the hidden drafts, light a candle near each door/window. If the flame flickers (or if you suddenly feel a cold breeze go up your robe), then you’ve got a draft. Seal all openings with caulk or with weather-stripping.
- PROTECT THE PLANTS— Bring any warm-weather plants indoors or to the garage so they have a fighting chance to survive the winter. (This is assuming you haven’t already killed them off over the summer, like I have.) Add mulch to your flower beds to create a warm “blanket” for the plants. It’s also a good idea to have a few blankets or towels ready for your most delicate plants, in case we have extended freezing temps.
- REVERSE IT— Be sure your ceiling fans are set to spin clockwise. Hot air rises, so the “cold weather” fan setting distributes the hot air back down. Most fans have a switch that changes the direction of the blades.
- FILTER CHANGE— Let’s end with an easy one, shall we? Be sure to change your HVAC’s air filter. It will help your system run more efficiently (which will save you moola!) and cut down on allergens.
Turkey and stuffing are definitely in my near future and Christmas carols are already playing on an overhead speaker near you. Here’s to a great (and low maintenance) November!
Lisa E. Priest can’t wait for the turkey and is an East Texas Area REALTOR® with Picket Fence Realty, Inc. You can reach her via phone or text at 903-948-3343, search for properties here or read more at BuyPalestine.com.
