Is Your Abode Prepared?
As Fall sets in we realize that old man Winter is waiting in the wings. With Winter’s arrival comes all of the trials and tribulations one comes to expect… and others we never see coming.
As the temperatures drop everyone and
everything wants to find a warmer place in which to seek shelter. This includes all of the rodents and creepy crawlies that we all work so hard to keep out
of our homes. They, too, want a warmer place in which to sit out Winter’s cold breath in relative comfort. This can make for a crowded domicile. For most, stowaways are not welcome.
There are a few things you can do to avoid this Winter-time migration. Sealing off all entry points is a good start. These can range from openings about the size of a quarter to the cracks around your windows and doors. Not only will this keep out many of nature’s residents but it will increase your home’s efficiency as well. Unlike many things you can do to accomplish efficiency, this one is pretty cheap!
Unfinished basements and crawl spaces are a weak point for many homes. Spiders are helpful in keeping other insect populations under control. There is the problem of their laying egg sacs with the resulting hatching of copious amounts of baby spiders. That and my wife would rather not see a spider… EVER! There are a dizzying array of poisons that one can spray or spread about to keep the creatures at bay. There are non or less toxic alternatives that work as well.
Another thing to consider with Winter’s inexorable encroachment are all things water related. Disconnecting water hoses from outdoor faucets is a must! If the interior pipe leading to the faucet is not drained then covering the faucet with a styrofoam cover, or some suitable proxy, is a good plan. Be sure and drain your hoses, roll them up and store them away. UV radiation is still present in the winter and will continue to degrade your water hoses, weakening their structure and shortening their useful life. When storing in an covered, outdoor locale, you might consider connecting the ends of the water hose together. As a farmer I have occasion to use my rather sizable collection of hoses. It is a bit irritating to hook one’s hose up to the faucet and turn the water on only to have about a million ants shoot out of the end of the hose covering every thing I was going to water with angry, biting fiends! Did you know that this, and dirt particles, are probably the number one reason those hose end attachments, the ones that have assorted spray patterns, fail? You’ll never get that flotsam out of there. If your hose ends have been left open, it’s a good idea to briefly flush the hose out prior to using hose-end attachments.
Unless you plan on draining all of your pipes and putting anti-freeze in your toilets you will need to leave you heat on with a setting between 40 and 50 degrees. Besides a tornado, nothing has quite the destructive potential to the inside of your house as unrestrained water.
If you find yourself too busy to get everything done, you can always call, email or text Donald or Cindy at Complete Home Solutions in Blairsville, GA for all of our home and yard needs and they will cheerfully get the job done for you!
Complete Home Solutions, a division of GAMtnHome, LLC
http://www.gahomeservices.com/
678-439-9125
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