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Winter is approaching...

By
Home Inspector with Criterion Home Inspection, LLC

Leaves changing color, Bobcat football in full swing, air conditioning staying off for more than 24 hours...  Yep, must mean fall has arrived.

With the change in the weather and the ominous approach of a Montana winter, there are just a few things that I like to think about and pass on.

1.  Time to start shutting down the A/C unit and getting it ready for winter.  Ideally, Air Conditioners should not be run in temperatures less that 65 degrees.  In fact, as a home inspector, my standards of practice forbid me from testing an A/C unit at all if the temperature is less than 65 degrees due to the potential for damage to the unit.  Make sure you get the cover installed on the exterior exchanger to prevent falling leaves from getting into the mechanism.

 

2.  You need to make sure your roof will not have any spots that can cause snow to accumulate.  For example, I inspected a house once that had the roof form a u-shape around the front entry way.  This had two corners in the roof structure that allowed snow to accumulate.  This lead to the gutters being overloaded in this area and snow melt would be dripping directly onto the concrete below instead of making it to the downspouts and away from the house.  The dripping water caused the concrete below to crumble and fall apart.  Now, I'm not saying that the dripping water was the main cause of the damage, the concrete was not poured correctly to begin with, but this illustrates what can happen when you have excessive snow accumulation on your roof.  In this case, a simple installation of some heat tape on this roof structure has fixed the problem.  So, if you have observed problems in the past, or are in a new home and don't know what to expect, just take a look at your roof and see if there are any spots that can have accumulation.

 

3.  This is a good time to replace your furnace filter and to have your furnace checked and tuned up by a qualified heating contractor. The old adage, "an ounce of prevention..." could not be more true in this regard.  The last thing you want is your furnace to fail when it is -15 degrees outside and you can't get a heating contractor to call you back.  Also, with new construction, make sure you take out the old furnace filter.  Even after construction is complete, there is still a lot of settling dust that can clog a filter and cause your furnace to run inefficiently.

 

4.  Check the tread on your car's tires.  Now's a good time to consider getting newer tires with better tread for those slippery roads.

 

5.  Stock up on snow-melt and make sure your snow shovel is in good shape.  Did you know that you are required by the city to keep your sidewalks shoveled and clear of ice.  Furthermore, you are liable should someone walking on your sidewalk trip or slip, causing injury.

 

6.  Unhood all hoses on the exterior.  Even with a frost proof faucet, water left in an attached hose can back up into the faucet and may lead to burst water pipes.

 

That does it for now.  I'll keep thinking about these things and will be sure to add them in a future blog.

 

Warmest regards,

Terry Lorenz - Criterion Home Inspection, LLC - Serving Southwest Montana

http://www.CriterionHomeInspection.com     

Show All Comments Sort:
James Lowenstern
Castles Unlimited® - Newton, MA
Castles Unlimited. Newton MA Real Estate
wow...we are still having Indian Summer here...heading out on my buddy's boat tomorrow and enjoying 80 degree weather...love to visit Montana and ski someday...Big Sky right?
Oct 03, 2007 08:23 AM
Schlauch Uhlmann Platinum Properties
PureWest | Christie's International Real Estate - Bozeman, MT
Bozeman Luxury Real Estate

Wow Terry! I'm can't wait for winter! It's so important to make sure everything is prepared before hand so you don't get caught in a blizzard without having your pilot light lit. Being in Montana, you have to be prepared for some crazy weather!

 Hope your winter is great! Can't believe we already got snow and it's only October!!!

 Best Regards,

Jen for Stuart and Sally

Oct 08, 2007 08:39 AM