The dog days of Summer are coming to end, and fast.  With Fall right around the corner, before diving into those pumpkin spiced lattes, there are a few simple things every homeowner should do before the rain and snow really start to hit.

Replace Your Furnace Filter

Almost forgotten because it usually lives in the basement or an unused closet door, you should check on your furnace and replace the filter.  A clogged and dirty filter reduces the airflow into your furnace, causing it to work harder and longer to heat up your home.  Most filters are easily replaced by a homeowner without the need for any tools.  If its a modern furnace, you can get the size of the existing filter from a decal on your furnace and purchase a brand new filter from the big box stores.  If you have an older furnace (we used to have the basket type filter on our old furnace) you may have to buy a roll of furnace filter material and cut it to size.

Early Fall is the perfect time to also schedule yearly maintenance for your furnace from a local HVAC technician.  They will make sure the pilot light and burners are all adjusted properly, check the thermo-couple and other switches, as well as a general overview of the condition of your furnace.  You don't want to wait until the furnace stops running in the middle of the coldest night to have to call for a repairman.

Clean Your Gutters

Alright, I'll admit it, I hate heights.  Especially heights on a ladder.  So for cleaning our gutters I prefer to use a tool that reaches way high up, instead of getting up there myself.  In previous years, we hired a company to clean the gutters just to make sure it was done properly since we didn't know that last time the previous owners had done it.  Now can get most of the crud out myself as long as I stay on top of it.  After trying a few different tools, like one that acts like a scoop and caused all the gutter dirt to just fall ontop of you, I found using a water fed pole works pretty good at blowing the leaves out of the gutter and forcing the dirt to drain down.  Using a Guttermaster Classic 12 foot fits the bill nicely, while allowing you to stay closer to the ground.

Prune Dead Wood From Trees

Using a Fiskars Pole Pruning Saw to tidy up any trees or big shrubs in your yard is easier then you think.  The pulley/rope action of the blade slices through tree branches without much hassle.  I was skeptical at first, until my neighbour lent me his to try out and I bought one the next day.  If you buy a different brand, get one that has the rope on the outside of the pole.  Its much easier to repair the rope if it breaks!  You'll want to use a pole pruner like these to prevent too many broken branches from the winter wind storms that are about to hit.

Store Your Lawn Equipment Properly

When I worked as a small engine mechanic, the busiest time of year was always spring when everyone tried to fire up their lawnmower, line trimmers, and pressure washers for the first time after winter.  They left gas inside the equipment form the summer and low and behold, the unit wouldn't start up!  To prevent bad gasoline from ruining your carburetor and preventing your unit from starting is to drain the fuel from the tank (tipping the machine over is usually the easiest for 2 stroke units, or disconnecting a fuel line for lawn mowers and pressure washers).  Then after everything in the tank is drained, start the machine again and let it run until it starves itself of fuel.  This makes sure any leftover fuel in the carb and fuel lines gets used up.

Remove Hoses and Turn Off the Faucets

Turning off the outdoor faucets from the inside shutoff valve should be a no brainer to any seasoned Canadian, but its worth mentioning to remember to disconnect the hose from the faucet and let that drain.  Even better if you can store your hose and sprayers inside your garage, I've had a couple sprayers that just didn't work right after being left out all winter long.

Check Your Smoke Alarms

Grab a step ladder and some 9V batteries and go around the house checking the smoke alarms.  You should have at least one on every floor.  If your unit has batteries, now is a good time to change them.  Some units are powered only by house voltage, so don't worry if you can't find a battery cover.  Remember that smoke alarms do expire, they're only good for 10 years.  So if you can't see a date marked on them, or its been over 10 years, its time to replace them. We have the Kidde Smoke and CO detectors installed in our house, its powered by our houses' 120V with a battery backup.  They are a very simple install, even if your house isn't wired to have interconnected smoke detectors, like ours is.

There are plenty more items that can be done around the house this time of the year, but I think this is a great starting point that everyone can accomplish!

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