With the arrival of fall, can winter be far behind?*
And with so many new homeowners in Westport — many of them former New York apartment dwellers — there is a lot to learn about property maintenance.
SCA Crowley — longtime Fairfield County residential and commercial property managers — know everything about preparing a home for cold weather.
Here — courtesy of vice president Maxxwell Crowley — are some of the most important tips.
NOTE: You don’t have to be a new homeowner to read these. Everyone can learn something from them.
√ Make sure your irrigation system is winterized.
√ Schedule your plumber to turn off all exterior spigots, as well as any water lines that are exposed or on walls with no insulation (a garage, for example).
√ When temperatures drop into the teens and there’s high wind chill, SCA Crowley recommends keeping faucets on a drip to ensure pipes do not freeze — especially in older homes with poor insulation,
√ Once all the leaves have fallen, make sure to clean your gutters. This is a tedious, dangerous task so consider hiring it out to a professional. If you do it yourself, make sure someone is below you to support the ladder. This should be performed at least 3 times a year, to avoid clogging and potential leaks into your home.
Gutter cleaning.
√ Contact your local HVAC technician to service your system as you transition from air conditioning to heat. Keep all rooms at a warm set point (68-72 degrees). If areas of the home (like a basement) do not have heat, consider insulating those areas or hooking up a space heater for cold snaps. This is especially important if the basement has waterlines.
√ Contact your landscaper to do a fall clean-up of the property: removing leaves, pruning shrubs, and prepping the lawn for the winter ahead. This might not sound important, but it is critical — especially if you want your garden and lawn to grow back healthy next season.
Fall lawn care pays dividends in the spring.
√ If you have a pool, make sure to contact your contractor to empty and winterize it.
√ If you have time clocks for exterior lighting, adjust the on/off times. It will get darker earlier.
√ If your property is on septic, make sure to clean your tank before it gets too cold and the ground freezes, if your clean-out is not already exposed above ground. Cleaning a septic tank should be a routine item all homeowners do annually or semi-annually, depending on use and size of the home.
√ If you move to a warmer state during winter and your home will not be occupied, consider hiring a property manager or trusted friend to keep an eye on your home. No matter how new the house is, issues can arise. Having someone available will help — and help your piece of mind.
A property manager or friend can prevent headaches.
√ One item not as critical, but important: Make sure to store or protect patio furniture, to ensure it stays in good condition. Consider sending your patio cushions and umbrella canopies for winter cleaning and storage. This helps maintain the life of your outdoor living investment, and ensures they are clean next spring.
*No.
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Storing outdoor furniture.
If you have an irrigation system protecting the back flow pipe from freezing is important and easy to do. Routine irrigation system maintenance requires that the system be blown out using a strong compressor removing water from the underground pipes and sprinkler heads. Going 1 small step more may save you hundreds of dollars on repairs. Wrap your back flow pipe with duct tape or other insulated tape. Even though your system is winterized the back flow pipe may still freeze and crack. The irrigation companies can easily do this. They don’t want to and you know why. Check your windows for drafts. Cauking the sliding doors and windows will save you energy and keep your house warmer. You can buy insulation foam that you can easily place around the inside window Trim to keep cold and wind out. Check the windows around your kitchen backsplash for open gaps. Check your linear line along the backsplash if on exterior walls Are gaps and openings present. ? Caulking is best for that application. You can purchase matching caulk color to your tile backsplash.
Masonry around your house should be looked at carefully. As a contractor I frequently enter homes with loose flagstone stairs. The stairs are dangerous and can be repaired in October. The stair needs to be lifted. The old cement that is loose must be removed and new cement applied. Check your stone walls for loose stones. Walls can easily fall apart and create a hazard. Examine your fencing and mail box posts for loosenes and support. Are the posts showing signs of rot and wear at the ground level ? Check your driveway for any portential large holes ie gravel or asphalt. The plowing of snow will exacerbate any loose Belgium blocks and craters around the driveway. You may want to install snow marker poles around your driveway and walkways to perhaps keep the plow from accidentally damaging your driveway. Make sure any outdoor lighting is stable and safe from the plow.
Thank you for the timely reminder to prepare ourselves, and property for winter.
I would like people to please consider delaying your usual fall cleanup until the spring. By leaving the dead flowers and seed heads, and vegetation, you are feeding the birds that remain here. And providing cover for small critters. The leaves are important nesting locations for dozens of insects, including fireflies! If you clean the leaves now, you take away these important sites that help our wildlife survive winter.
Please consider wherever possible to leave nature alone!
Agree 101% w/ Ms Dobbins
I have never been an advocate of both fall and spring cleanups. The leaves also act as mulch for the coming spring. So, thanks Ms. Maggie Mae.
Regarding leaving the faucets on a drip during a cold snap, if it’s safe to do so being mindful of pets and small children, I always leave the cabinet doors open in the kitchen and/or the bathroom that are on an exterior wall so the warm air from the home’s interior can circulate under the cabinets to help warm the pipes as well. When I lived in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, these were standard practices along with the faucets on a fast drip or very slow run.
I don’t agree with cleaning the septic tank annually or semi annually. If you only put toilet paper in your toilet (not wet wipes), a septic system maintains itself. If you use bacteria killing products a lot, like bleach, the bacterial balance is destroyed. Otherwise, the bacteria maintains it. The recommendations seem to have changed as it used to be every 4 to 5 years. My sister never had hers cleaned and after about 15 years, I encouraged her to have it cleanedand the service person looked inside and said it didn’t need it.
As one who has contributed a huge amount of natural organic waste to the septic tanks not only in Westport but(t) across the country, I must add my endorsement. Toilet paper usage should be limited to three sheets maximum. Don’t forget that each sheet can and should be folded twice after the initial wipe. Using this technique, it is possible to cleanly and safely complete the transfer of waste material from the digestive system to the septic system by only using a single sheet of multi-ply tissue. Single ply tissue such as is in common use in public buildings can be problematic but(t) the impact is minimal if the lavatory is used for subsequent handwashing.
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