--- title: Thompson's Fall Home Maintenance Checklist description: Thompson's Fall Home Maintenance Checklist --- ![ThompsonWhite.png](https://www.thompsonremodeling.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/2017%20Site%20Images/ThompsonWhite.png?width=315&name=ThompsonWhite.png "ThompsonWhite.png") [![ThompsonSimpleLogo.png](https://www.thompsonremodeling.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/2017%20Site%20Images/ThompsonSimpleLogo.png?width=314&name=ThompsonSimpleLogo.png "ThompsonSimpleLogo.png")](https://www.thompsonremodeling.com) ** Gallery ** contact # Thompson's Fall Home Maintenance Checklist Posted by [Ben Thompson](https://www.thompsonremodeling.com/new-blog/author/ben-thompson) on 10.11.13 ## Get Your Home Ready for Winter It’s officially fall, which means we have just a few months to get ready for winter. Prepping your home for cold weather not only helps you lower your utility bills, but can also prevent an unexpected disaster or costly repair. We’ve put together a list of fall maintenance tasks that you can get started on this weekend. 1. Check your roof for damaged or missing shingles. Remove any branches that hang over your house and any leaves or debris from your roof. 2. Clean and inspect your gutters. Clogged gutters can cause many problems including pests, mold, water build up, ice dams, and roof or siding damage. 3. Drain your water heater to prevent sediment buildup in the holding tank. This can improve its efficiency by 50%. 4. Check windows and doors for drafts. Apply caulk or weather stripping where needed. 5. Reverse your ceiling fans after you turn on your heat. The clockwise direction will produce an updraft and will push heated air down from the ceiling. 6. Turn off exterior water faucets to prevent frozen pipes. 7. Test your sump pump by slowly pouring several gallons of water over the sump pit to ensure that it turns on. 8. Have your chimney inspected and cleaned to prevent fires and carbon monoxide from entering your home. 9. Have your heating system inspected. A technician will check your furnace or heat pump to verify that it is clean and in good working order. If there are any issues, you can take care of them now. 10. Pick up winter essentials like salt or ice melt, snow shovels, ice scrapers, and windshield washer fluid. 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