The Fall Home Maintenance Checklist: 10 Things to Do Before the First Freeze

Fall is here. The temperatures are dropping, the days are getting shorter, and before long, winter weather will put your home to the test.

A little maintenance now can help prevent expensive repairs, uncomfortable surprises, and those emergency projects nobody wants to tackle when it's freezing outside.

The good news? You don't have to do everything at once.

Use this fall home maintenance checklist to work through 10 important areas of your home before the first freeze.

1. Disconnect Your Garden Hoses and Protect Outdoor Faucets

This is one of the easiest fall maintenance tasks—and one that's also easy to forget.

Leaving a garden hose connected during freezing weather can trap water inside the hose and faucet. As that water freezes and expands, it can potentially damage the faucet or plumbing inside your home.

Before freezing temperatures arrive:

• Disconnect and drain garden hoses.

• Store hoses somewhere protected for the winter.

• Shut off the interior water supply to outdoor faucets if your home has dedicated shutoff valves.

• Drain the exterior faucet after shutting off the water.

• Check outdoor faucets for leaks or damage.

If you have an irrigation system, fall is also the time to follow the manufacturer's winterization recommendations or schedule professional service if needed.

2. Clean Your Gutters and Check Your Downspouts

Fall leaves look great on the trees. They're considerably less helpful inside your gutters.

Leaves, twigs, and other debris can prevent water from draining properly. Once freezing temperatures arrive, standing water and debris can contribute to ice buildup and drainage problems.

Clean your gutters after most of the leaves have fallen and make sure downspouts aren't clogged.

While you're there, look for:

• Loose or damaged gutter sections

• Sagging gutters

• Leaking joints

• Downspouts that have become disconnected

• Water being discharged too close to the foundation

The goal is simple: rain and melting snow should have a clear path away from your home.

3. Give Your Heating System a Test Run

Don't wait for the first truly cold night to discover that your heating system isn't working properly.

Turn the heat on while the weather is still mild and let the system run.

Pay attention to anything unusual, including strange noises, unexpected odors, difficulty reaching the thermostat setting, or rooms that aren't heating normally.

This is also a good time to check your furnace or HVAC filter and replace it if necessary.

Filter replacement schedules vary depending on the filter, system, pets, indoor air conditions, and other factors, so follow the recommendations for your particular equipment rather than assuming every filter needs the same replacement schedule.

If your heating system needs professional maintenance, scheduling it before winter is generally much more convenient than discovering a problem during the first major cold spell.

4. Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

As homes get closed up for colder weather and heating systems begin running again, fall is a good time to make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working.

Use the test button on each alarm and check its age and manufacturer instructions.

Replace batteries when needed and replace alarms that have reached the end of their recommended service life.

Don't forget detectors in less frequently visited areas of the house.

A few minutes spent checking them now can make an important safety system much less likely to be forgotten.

5. Check Windows and Doors for Drafts

Cold air has an impressive ability to find small gaps around windows and doors.

Inspect weatherstripping around exterior doors and look for cracked, missing, or deteriorated seals around windows.

Pay particular attention to:

• Door sweeps

• Weatherstripping

• Window caulk

• Basement windows

• Doors leading to garages or other unconditioned spaces

Fixing small air leaks can improve comfort and reduce the amount of work your heating system has to do during cold weather.

6. Inspect Your Roof From the Ground

You don't necessarily need to climb onto your roof to give it a basic fall inspection.

Walk around your property and look for obvious signs of trouble from the ground.

Watch for:

• Missing or damaged shingles

• Loose flashing

• Sagging areas

• Tree branches touching or hanging over the roof

• Visible damage around vents or roof penetrations

Inside the house, check the attic or upper ceilings for signs of moisture or staining if they're safely accessible.

If something looks suspicious, consider having a qualified roofing professional inspect it.

Finding a small roof problem before months of snow, ice, and freeze-thaw cycles is much better than discovering it because water is entering your home.

7. Check Your Sump Pump

If your home has a sump pump, don't forget about it just because the heavy spring rains are gone.

Water can still enter around the foundation during fall rain or winter thaws.

Make sure the sump pit is free of excessive debris and verify that the pump operates according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If your system has a battery backup, check its condition as well.

A sump pump is one of those home systems that's easy to ignore when everything is working—and extremely difficult to ignore when it isn't.

8. Prepare Your Outdoor Equipment for Winter

Your lawn mower, garden equipment, patio furniture, grill, and other outdoor items may all need attention before winter.

Depending on what you own, fall tasks might include:

• Cleaning and storing lawn equipment

• Following manufacturer recommendations for seasonal fuel or battery storage

• Bringing temperature-sensitive equipment indoors

• Cleaning and covering patio furniture

• Preparing your grill for winter storage or use

• Moving snow-removal equipment somewhere accessible

This is also the perfect time to make sure your snow shovel, snow blower, ice melt, and other winter supplies aren't buried behind everything you're putting away.

The first snowstorm is a terrible time to discover your snow blower hasn't been touched since last winter.

9. Walk Around Your Home's Exterior

Give your house one slow lap before winter.

You're looking for things that changed during spring and summer but may have gone unnoticed.

Check for:

• Cracks or gaps around exterior penetrations

• Damaged siding

• Deteriorated exterior caulk

• Foundation cracks that appear new or have changed

• Loose railings or steps

• Damaged exterior lighting

• Tree limbs that could threaten the house

• Areas where water collects near the foundation

You don't necessarily need to fix everything immediately. The important part is knowing what's happening with your home so you can decide what needs attention now and what should be monitored.

10. Review the Maintenance You've Been Putting Off

Fall is also a great time for a bigger-picture checkup.

Think beyond the seasonal chores.

When was the last time you checked the water heater? Cleaned the dryer vent? Had the fireplace or chimney inspected, if applicable? Looked at the condition of your major appliances? Checked the maintenance recommendations for your home's other systems?

Home maintenance becomes difficult when everything depends on memory.

And that's really the problem.

Your home contains dozens of systems, appliances, components, and maintenance tasks—all operating on different schedules. Some need attention monthly. Others annually. Some might not need attention for several years.

Trying to remember all of it isn't much of a maintenance strategy.

Know Your Home's Vitals

A healthy home isn't one where nothing ever goes wrong.

It's one where you know what's happening before a small issue has the opportunity to become a big one.

That's why we built MyVitalHome.

MyVitalHome helps homeowners organize their home's maintenance, keep track of appliances and systems, record service history, and stay ahead of upcoming tasks—all in one place.

Instead of trying to remember when you last changed a filter, serviced an appliance, or completed a seasonal task, you can keep your home's information organized and accessible.

Because taking care of your home shouldn't depend on remembering everything yourself.

Know your home's vitals. Learn more at MyVitalHome.com.