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Brooklyn Homes 101: Fall Maintenance Checklist

By Charles D'Alessandro

Real Estate Agent with Fillmore Real Estate

October 18, 2010 12:48 AM

Leaves are starting to change color, nights are getting cooler and pumpkins are appearing on porches of Brooklyn homes. All signs that fall is here.

That means it’s time to do fall preventative maintenance on all Brooklyn homes. To help you get started, here’s a quick checklist:

· Have a professional heating contractor inspect your Brooklyn home’s heating system. An annual furnace inspection ensures that your heating system is operating at peak efficiency and most importantly that it is running safely.

· Replace your furnace filter. Furnace filters need to be replaced frequently to allow your heating system to operate properly.

· Hire a certified chimney sweep clean. Have him inspect your wood burning stove or fireplace and clean the chimney.

· Check your home for water damage. Look for water stains on the ceilings or leaks under the bathroom and kitchen sinks. This minor water damage may seem trivial, but can lead to real problems, like a weakened roof or rotten boards.

· Prepare your pipes. Every year, approximately a quarter-million families have their homes ruined due to water pipes that freeze and burst. Prepare your pipes, both inside and outside, before the cold weather hits. Caulk around pipes where they enter your Brooklyn home. Insulate pipes in unheated areas. If you have a separate valve for outside faucets, shut it off. If you don't have a separate valve to turn off outside faucets, wrap outside faucets or hose bibs.

· Tend your garden tools and equipment. Run all lawn equipment until the gas is gone. This removes flammable liquid from your garage. Drain water from garden hoses and sprinklers. Clean shovels, hoes, trowels and spades

· Inspect your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Replace batteries and clean the alarms if needed.

· Examine caulking. To prevent water from seeping into the sub-floor, inspect and repair the caulking around your bathroom fixtures. To reduce heat loss, inspect and repair the caulking around doors, windows and outlets.

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