SPONSORED CONTENT Prep Your Home for Winter With These Easy Fall Tasks Fall is the perfect time to take on preventive home maintenance tasks. Here's a checklist of important preparations you should take to get your home ready for winter. Photo: Polyana Ventura via gettyimages.com BY Home Sweet Home I Presented by Bella Construction and help distribute it around your home. This Doors will make the heating There's nothing quite like the weather in autumn. With the heat of summer finally process more efficient breaking, it's time to start enjoying more time outdoors and keep Furnace Prep the windows open. With favorable weather, it's easy to forget the cold and dark nights of winter looming ahead. Reseal Windows and future cleanups easier. Fireplaces are a big reason for home fires during the winter, so use the fall to make sure autumn months getting and can prep your winter systems without being rushed. Make a checklist and spend the Mowers and Blowers As the growing season ends, it's important to Drafty homes can make winter miserable and cost you a fortune on utility bills. In the early fall, seal up any windows or doors with caulk or silicone on the home's exterior and interior. Weatherstripping is also a valuable tool in keeping the cold outside chance to get your where it belongs. prepare your mower for a long season of sitting. Add stabilizer to you're ready to go. your fuel tank or, better yet, get the fuel tank completely empty after your last use. This will help critical parts from becoming damaged. This is also a great and could save you your home prepped for the cold. some money. Fall is the best season for preventative home maintenance. You're less reliant on A/C than the summer months Luckily, there are several steps you can take during the fall to help prepare your home for the harsh conditions of winter. Here's a list of basic home maintenance tasks you can do now to get ready for the coming cold. Most HVAC systems require minimal maintenance, but a yearly checkup before their operating season is recommended. Have a licensed professional inspect your furnace in the fall before you need it. With unexpected cold snaps, you'll have peace of mind knowing your furnace is ready for action. snowblower ready for the impending winter weather. Make Irrigation If you live in an area with cold winters, you'll sure your oil is fresh want to make sure your lawn irrigation and outside spigots are fully replaced. Making sure drained. Remove all garden hoses and other accessories to prevent damage. and parts like spark plugs don't need to be your machine is fine- tuned before you need it can save loads of stress when you do. Fireplace Prep Gutters Failing to clean out your gutters can lead to massive problems come winter. If your gutters aren't flowing freely, water can build up and freeze during the winter, damaging them and other areas of your home. Roof leaks and other water damage systems at adequate are common with dirty gutters, so when the last avoid problems in the leaf falls, make sure to clear them out. Ceiling Fans Did you know that ceiling fans are reversible? (Don't worry if you didn't- many people don't!) By switching the direction the blades spin, you Consider buying insulators for all exterior water spigots and add insulation to your valve boxes to prevent damage from freezing. Installing new If your home has a fireplace, you'll want to make sure it will burn safely through the winter. Consider hiring a chimney sweep and having it inspected for signs of damage. Cleaning the fireplace itself will also help keep you safe and will make Phota Buiga viagetymages.com Home Sweet Home is presented by Bella Construction & Development, Inc. can control the airflow the way you want it. Hot air rises, so when your fan blades spin clockwise, they'll push the hot air down depths will help you Bella Çonstruction & Development Inc. future. Roofing - Siding Gutters 13380 Route 30, Suite 5 I North Huntingdon, PA 15642 I 724-515-5163 SPONSORED CONTENT Prep Your Home for Winter With These Easy Fall Tasks Fall is the perfect time to take on preventive home maintenance tasks. Here's a checklist of important preparations you should take to get your home ready for winter. Photo: Polyana Ventura via gettyimages.com BY Home Sweet Home I Presented by Bella Construction and help distribute it around your home. This Doors will make the heating There's nothing quite like the weather in autumn. With the heat of summer finally process more efficient breaking, it's time to start enjoying more time outdoors and keep Furnace Prep the windows open. With favorable weather, it's easy to forget the cold and dark nights of winter looming ahead. Reseal Windows and future cleanups easier. Fireplaces are a big reason for home fires during the winter, so use the fall to make sure autumn months getting and can prep your winter systems without being rushed. Make a checklist and spend the Mowers and Blowers As the growing season ends, it's important to Drafty homes can make winter miserable and cost you a fortune on utility bills. In the early fall, seal up any windows or doors with caulk or silicone on the home's exterior and interior. Weatherstripping is also a valuable tool in keeping the cold outside chance to get your where it belongs. prepare your mower for a long season of sitting. Add stabilizer to you're ready to go. your fuel tank or, better yet, get the fuel tank completely empty after your last use. This will help critical parts from becoming damaged. This is also a great and could save you your home prepped for the cold. some money. Fall is the best season for preventative home maintenance. You're less reliant on A/C than the summer months Luckily, there are several steps you can take during the fall to help prepare your home for the harsh conditions of winter. Here's a list of basic home maintenance tasks you can do now to get ready for the coming cold. Most HVAC systems require minimal maintenance, but a yearly checkup before their operating season is recommended. Have a licensed professional inspect your furnace in the fall before you need it. With unexpected cold snaps, you'll have peace of mind knowing your furnace is ready for action. snowblower ready for the impending winter weather. Make Irrigation If you live in an area with cold winters, you'll sure your oil is fresh want to make sure your lawn irrigation and outside spigots are fully replaced. Making sure drained. Remove all garden hoses and other accessories to prevent damage. and parts like spark plugs don't need to be your machine is fine- tuned before you need it can save loads of stress when you do. Fireplace Prep Gutters Failing to clean out your gutters can lead to massive problems come winter. If your gutters aren't flowing freely, water can build up and freeze during the winter, damaging them and other areas of your home. Roof leaks and other water damage systems at adequate are common with dirty gutters, so when the last avoid problems in the leaf falls, make sure to clear them out. Ceiling Fans Did you know that ceiling fans are reversible? (Don't worry if you didn't- many people don't!) By switching the direction the blades spin, you Consider buying insulators for all exterior water spigots and add insulation to your valve boxes to prevent damage from freezing. Installing new If your home has a fireplace, you'll want to make sure it will burn safely through the winter. Consider hiring a chimney sweep and having it inspected for signs of damage. Cleaning the fireplace itself will also help keep you safe and will make Phota Buiga viagetymages.com Home Sweet Home is presented by Bella Construction & Development, Inc. can control the airflow the way you want it. Hot air rises, so when your fan blades spin clockwise, they'll push the hot air down depths will help you Bella Çonstruction & Development Inc. future. Roofing - Siding Gutters 13380 Route 30, Suite 5 I North Huntingdon, PA 15642 I 724-515-5163