Winter Preparedness for your Fairbanks Alaska home - A fall homeowners checklist

Although it's been a glorious fall, that lovely white stuff will soon start falling.  If you're like me, you've been out enjoying the great weather and not paying all that much attention to your winter preparedness to-do list.  I finished the last of my list today and thought I would share what I do to get us ready for the long winter.

Have a licensed technician clean and service your boiler or furnace.  This should be done once a year and now is a great time as the tech will need to take the system offline for a couple of hours. Doing it at -40 can leave you with a cold house. An added benefit is you'll ensure your boiler is operating at peak efficiency.

Hire a chimney sweep (or buy a brush) and clean your boiler/wood-stove/fireplace chimney.  I have our boiler stack cleaned once a year.  If you're burning wood as a source of heat, make sure to only burn seasoned wood to reduce the amount of creosote building in the stack. No one wants a chimney fire in the dead of winter (or ever).

Change your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries.  Many homes have hardwired systems, but will have a battery backup. This is a great time to vacuum each detector to eliminate any dust bunnies or dirt that might interfere with the operation.  And, while you're at it, review (or create) an emergency escape plan.

Clean out your septic tank.  Admittedly, this is one job I leave to the professionals. I have ours pumped every year even though we could probably get by with doing it every other year.  Regular cleaning will also prolong the life of your system.

If so equipped, check and clean the filter on your Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) unit.  Don't forget to check the exhaust and intake vents to make sure no little critters have moved in.

Clean out your gutters and downspouts. You would be surprised to see how much stuff can accumulate in one season.  You'll thank yourself in the spring the water is running down, and not over, your gutters.

Turn off all exterior spigots, blow (or drain) the lines and cover them with a frost proof cover.  Roll up your garden hoses and store them with your sprinklers and hose nozzles.

Cover and/or store patio furniture, grill and outdoor accessories.  Unless, of course, you plan to have a cookout at -20. 

Pick up, clean, sharpen and store your garden and other tools.  I'm kind of an 'a place for everything and everything in its place' guy, but this will also keep you from tripping over the rake that got left out or running over an extension cord with the snowblower.  Trust me, that just makes a mess.  I usually sharpen the blades on the Deere as well as give it a wash and wax before putting it up for the winter. Don't forget to put some fuel stabilizer in as well.

Prepare for snow removal.   Fire up the snowblower and make sure it's running and the blades engage.  Don't forget to put your snow shovel(s) and ice spade where you can easily find them.

Weatherproof your home.  Now is the time to seal up those areas around entry and garage doors and windows, add additional insulation in your attic and crawlspace.  Homes with less efficient windows would benefit from a window film application.

If you park your vehicles outside, consider investing in a timer for your car(s). According to Golden Valley Electric, it costs between $30 - $75 per car to leave a car plugged in overnight.  A well maintained car should only need 2-5 hours of heating to start (more for diesels).  Over a 6-7 month winter the savings could easily be in the hundreds of dollars.  If it's not already, don't forget to winterize your vehicle as well.

That's pretty much it.  Preparing your Fairbanks home for the rigors of old man winter will help ensure you have a comfortable, hopefully trouble-free winter.