Photo by davide ragusa on Unsplash
A little bit of planning goes a long way, which is no more true than when you are preparing your home for winter. The last thing you want is to lose your hot water or heating in the coldest months or contend with a bust water pipe and flooding. To avoid these outcomes, perform the autumn checks below.
Check the hot water situation
When the autumn season begins, it’s the start of the cold weather. The last thing you want is to be stuck for a few days or a week without hot water because the water system is faulty. So don’t let this happen.
During autumn, perform a quick check of your water system and look for leaks on the valves and joins of the hot water pipes. If your system hasn’t been checked for two years, call a professional Plumber to make sure it’s up to standard.
Check for any leaks
It’s important to check your hot water pipes for leaks, but it’s equally important to check your other pipes. Leaks of any kind can be an issue in the winter months because the temperature drops and freezes the water flow, leading to burst pipes.
A typical home has water pipes in many places, you will have to check the hot water system, but you also need to check the kitchen, bathroom and laundry areas. Also, make a point of checking any outside taps as drips and leaks from these can waste valuable water.
Disconnect your garden hose
During the summer, it’s easy and sensible to leave the garden hose connected up; it means you have easy access to a water source in the garden to keep the place green when the summer is at its peak. However, don’t forget to disconnect it in the autumn.
If you overlook your garden hose and it’s left in the garden all winter, chances are it won’t work when the following summer comes around. Usually, residual water remains in the hose that expands when frozen; this leads to irreparable hose damage.
Check your gas heating
You don’t want to be without hot water during the colder months, but equally, you don’t want to be without heating. The gas central heating system might work fine, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready for the winter, especially if it hasn’t been tested in over 2 years.
When you keep your gas central heating system well-maintained, it gives you some reassurance through the winter that you’re safe from any gas leaks or issues that could cause your heating to fail or present a more serious threat.
Clean your storm drains
Gutters and storm drains are often overlooked during winter preparations. Instead, the focus tends to be on the pipes and heating systems, but gutters and storm drain play an important role in keeping your home running optimally after autumn and into winter.
Clogged gutters can result in a leaking roof, and blocked storm drains can cause flooding, and they are likely to be blocked in autumn after the leave fall. So don’t overlook this important autumn task.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you feel more prepared for your Autumn now. It’s important we make these checks.
Stay wonderful!
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