CLIP & SAVE CHECKLIST: Time to winterize

 

 (WILLIAM ARCHIE/DFP)

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• Emergency kit
Autumn's nip is settling in, and we're about two months away from the snow flying. It's a pain to think about winterizing your house when the leaves have barely begun to turn.

But if you start now, you can do one chore per weekend -- and still have time to watch the Lions lose on Sundays.

Clip this list and hang it on the fridge. If you're handy, you can do most of these jobs yourself. If you're not, hire a professional. But don't just ignore them. Small fixes can save you big money later.

Let's get started. And no whining:

Overall house inspection

• Take a few minutes to really look at your house, inside and out. Look for loose shingles, sagging eaves and downspouts, foundation cracks, windows that are losing caulking, mortar that's falling out, tree limbs touching your roof. All could give you problems this winter, or drive up your heating bills.

Heating systems

• Make sure the filter's clean. If not, rinse it to get the dust out, or replace it. You can buy filters at any hardware store. Replacing them is cheap and easy to do.

• Make sure the thermostat and pilot light are working.

• If you heat with fuel oil or propane, make sure your tank is full before cold weather hits. Remember: A blizzard could keep fuel trucks away from your house.

• Clean your humidifier filter. Wash and clean mineral deposits from the reservoir.

Eaves

• Repeat after us: Clean the leaves out of your eaves! And the downspouts, too. Otherwise, water could freeze in your gutters.

• Make sure your downspouts are pouring water out in the right direction -- not up against your foundation.

Chimneys and fireplaces

• While you're up on the roof, make sure no leaves are clogging your fireplace.

• If you use your fireplace a lot, consider hiring a professional to clean it to prevent a buildup of creosote, which can cause a fire.

Trees

• Remove dead branches you can reach. If they're too high, notify your power company. In a snow or ice storm, dead branches can break off and damage your house or car -- or injure someone beneath them -- or bring down electrical lines, which could start a fire or electrocute someone.

Windows and doors

• Check the caulking to make sure there's no cracking or peeling. Recaulk if needed.

• Replace worn weather stripping.

• Don't forget the seal on the bottom of your garage door. If water builds up there, the door can warp.

Decks

• Now's a good time to give your deck another coat of sealer.

Stairs and handrails

• Broken steps and banisters are even more dangerous when they're covered with snow and ice. Make repairs now.

• Now's a good time to buy a chemical deicer. When you really need it, so will everyone else, and it may be tough to find.

Plumbing

• Know where your pipes are located and how to shut the water off. If your pipes freeze, you have a better chance of keeping them from bursting if you can turn off the water quickly or direct a plumber to the problem.

• If you're going to be away for the winter, have a professional drain the water system to keep pipes safe.

Appliances

• Drain the gas from your lawnmower and weed whacker.

• Make sure your snowblower is working. Ignore it, and you can stand in line with other procrastinators when the first heavy snow falls.

• Clean up your outdoor grill and patio furniture and cover them or move them to shelter.

• Clean your outdoor air-conditioning unit -- you can just spray the dirt and cobwebs out of it with a garden hose -- and then cover it for the winter. Store window units, or cover and seal them tightly.

• Drain your garden hose and put it away.