Fall is in the air in Port St Lucie, FL, which means that it is time for homeowners to get a jump on their seasonal home maintenance.

Spending a few hours this fall to prepare your home for the season ahead can help to preserve your home investment, as well as save you money on your energy bills going forward.

Schedule Your Furnace Tune-Up

The first items in your fall checklist should be to schedule your annual furnace maintenance before you turn it on for the winter. Having your system serviced professionally lets you identify potential problems before they have a chance to turn into something more serious.

You’ll have peace of mind knowing that you can count on your furnace all winter long. Getting your furnace serviced also makes it more energy efficient, which is going to shave down your heating bills.

Outdoor DIY Jobs

Clean your gutters and check out your roof to ensure that tiles aren’t loose. Repair them before winter arrives.

Look around your walkway and your foundation. Do you see any cracks? Be sure to fill them up, as rodents and other animals love to nest in there over the winter. It’s not a bad idea to reseal your driveway too if you haven’t done it in a while.

Inspect your exterior for peeling paint and touch it up. Inspect your windows and doors and make sure that they are airtight. Re-caulk around windows and add weather stripping as needed around doors.

Indoor DIY Jobs

Drain your hot water tank so that you can get rid of the sediment. Sediment causes your tank to rust out prematurely.

Walk about your home and check for plumbing leaks. Some plumbing leaks are obvious (i.e. you see pooling water). Many leaks are hidden though.

Telltale signs of a leak are an increase in your water bill that you can’t explain, mold growth, a musty odor, and weak water pressure.

Before you stoke the fireplace this season, take a peek up your chimney to see if there are any cracks or other damage. If there is more than about a half an inch of soot, call the chimney sweep for a cleaning.

Test your smoke and CO2 alarms. Ensure that you’ve got a working fire extinguisher on every floor within easy reach. Don’t forget to check the expiry date. Reverse the direction of your ceiling fan. This is an easy way to circulate warm air, give your furnace a break and cut down on your heating bills.