AUSTIN, Texas — According to home care experts, fall is one of the most important seasons for home tune-ups to prevent expensive repairs when the colder months start rolling in.
Home care experts at Hippo recommend clearing any brush away from your house to prevent any damage to the exterior of your home. This will allow any water that collects in your home's gutters to filter through and flow away from your home and into the surrounding ground.
Spring tends to be the rainiest time in Austin, meaning homeowners should ensure that there is a clear path for water to leave the gutters. Additionally, cleaning the weep holes, which are the small holes underneath your window, allow any water that is inside the home or window frame to drain outside. Home care experts say you can clean it very easily with a paper clip.
Also, rethink your entryway during the wet season. With boots, jackets and umbrellas, those are things that you don't want dripping through the house. Instead, set up a place for those items to be hung up on a coat rack or somewhere else dry.
"You also want to try to change your air filter [which] it's something you should do about every six months [and] the fall is a great time to do it. Cleaning out the filters will prevent wear and tear on your heating and air system," said Steve Wilson, senior underwriting manager at Hippo. "It also will make sure that you have clean air in the home, since we'll be spending more time inside. It can also prevent allergens and things like that from interacting."
Wilson said it's important to check the insulation for your pipes as well as the spaces where those pipes are located.
"Make sure that there's insulation around your pipes, so in the event that the temperatures do fall, you have a little bit more protection," Wilson said.
The fall is a great time to make sure your smoke detectors have working batteries installed as well. Wilson said implementing these tips can help homeowners save some money now and avoid a much larger repair later down the line.
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