October home-maintenance checklist

With fall in full swing, now’s the time to get your home and yard ready for winter.

By Anne Erickson of MSN Real Estate

October is the first full month of fall; by the end of this month, most of your winterization should be completed. Falling leaves and dwindling daylight signal a final opportunity to do some outdoor organizing before winter settles in.

Repair roof shingles
Try to do this on a warm day if you have asphalt shingles on your roof, so the shingles will be flexible. Use roofing cement to seal cracked and torn shingles and to reattach curled shingles. Then tack down the damage further with galvanized roofing nails, and cover the exposed nail heads with roofing cement. Split wood shingles can be patched with roofing cement as well.

Repair siding
Do a fall siding inspection and remedy any problems you find. Look for damaged paint, warped or split wood, cracks or holes in stucco, and missing or slipped siding panels. Your repair tool kit will depend on what kind of siding you have: For example, wood siding may require wood putty, waterproof glue, nails and screws; stucco may require wire mesh, stucco patching compound, a trowel and a chisel. Most types of siding require a coating of sealant or primer, and paint to finish the repair and ensure waterproofing.

Fire fluency
Make sure your damper is in good working order by opening and shutting it prior to lighting the first fire of the season. If you didn’t clean your chimney at the end of the heating season, do it now — especially if you burn soft woods, which release more creosote. Often the first indication that a chimney needs cleaning is a chimney fire, so preventive maintenance is important.

Detect deadly gas
If you heat your home with wood heat or a gas heater, a carbon-monoxide detector is a must. These devices look and sound like smoke detectors, but they detect carbon-monoxide gas instead. Units that plug into an outlet are also available.

Check batteries in smoke detectors
Daylight saving time ends Nov. 7. Get into the habit of checking smoke-detector batteries when you “fall back” and “spring ahead.” Also make sure household fire extinguishers are fully pressurized and in good working order.

Close seasonal air conditioners
If you live in a place where air conditioners are used seasonally instead of year-round, this is a good month to close them down. Switch off power, make sure the condensate drain is clear, and clean condenser coils and filters (a vacuum will do). Either remove window units or cover them, to protect your home from drafts and the units from inclement weather.

Bleed air from radiators
Radiators can get air pockets in them when not in use. If air pockets stay, they will keep the unit from heating up to its full capacity. If your unit doesn’t have automatic air valves, you need to bleed it prior to every heating season. To bleed air out, turn on the furnace and circulator and open the supply valve to the radiator. Find the bleeder valve (it’s usually opposite the supply valve) and open it while holding a pan to it. Air should be released, followed by hot water (thus the pan). Close the valve as the water comes out. Lightly feel the radiator to make sure it is heated along its entire surface; if there are gaps, repeat the procedure.

Cut brush back from the house
Before stowing all of your gardening equipment for the winter, walk around your house with a weed whacker and a pair of pruners and cut back any brush, weeds or branches that contact your house. This task will eliminate a common access point for insects, rodents and rot. It will also keep branches and shrubs from scraping away at your siding during windstorms.

Watch those leaves
If you don’t want the tannin in fall leaves to leave hard-to-clean imprints on your deck and concrete walkways, keep those surfaces leaf-free. If you do get some leaf prints, try a solution of half water and half bleach (test it first in an unobtrusive spot — it may lighten the wood on your deck) or trisodium phosphate (commonly known as TSP) and warm water. Or, just leave the prints and consider them an artistic addition to your exterior look.

Winterize external plumbing systems
This is the most important job of fall if you live in an area that freezes in the winter. The simple fact that water expands upon freezing has caused countless homeowners innumerable woes. Ignore this job and flooding, water damage and thousands of dollars worth of plumbing bills will be your constant winter companions.

Here’s your to-do list:

• Drain underground sprinkler systems.
   
• Have outdoor pools drained and professionally serviced.
    
• Drain exterior water pipes and any pipes that run through unheated areas (such as a garage, crawl space or unheated porch). If draining these pipes isn’t possible, wrap them with foam insulation or heat tape.
   
• Cover exposed spigots with foam covers. Or, if cosmetics and ease of removal don’t matter, wrap spigots in layers of newspaper, cover the newspaper with a plastic bag, and seal the whole affair with duct tape.
   
• Drain and store garden hoses. Leave one hose and nozzle somewhere that’s easily accessible; you’ll need it for gutter cleaning and car washing.

4 winter prep essentials you shouldn’t skip

Get to know which parts of your home deserve attention before winter weather leaves you in the cold.

By Leah L. Culler of MSN Real Estate

As you’re digging out those sweaters and coats to prepare for winter, don’t forget that you also should get your home ready for colder weather.

Taking the time to complete a few simple tasks can save you money and make your home a more comfortable place this winter.

We’ve asked home-maintenance professionals which winter-preparation tasks are the most essential and why. Here are the four must-do things to complete before winter hits, as well as additional tasks you should do.

1. Gutters and roof
Must do: Clear debris from your gutters or have a professional do it. Make sure your downspouts are directing water at least 3 feet away from your home’s foundation, says David Lupberger, home-improvement expert for ServiceMagic and past president of the Master Builder Group Inc., a design/build remodeling company. (ServiceMagic is an MSN Real Estate partner.)

Also make sure that your gutters and downspouts are securely fastened to your house and that there is no blockage in the downspout. If you’re cleaning your gutters yourself, you can check for downspout blockages using your water hose. Insert the hose at the top of the downspout and turn on the water; have someone see if the water is running out the bottom. If there is a blockage, you can try to loosen it by packing rags around the hose at the top of the spout to seal it off, then running the hose at full blast. If that doesn’t work, try a plumbing snake.

Why are gutters and downspouts important? Winter weather typically means more rain or snow, which can seriously damage your home’s foundation. Gutters and downspouts are there to take the water that runs off your roof and get it away from your home. Keeping them working properly will keep your foundation dry and stable and save you a lot of money and hassle.

Should do: Check your roof for peeling tiles and any potential roofing issues. If you really want to be diligent, inspect your attic for mold, water stains and other signs of moisture.

“The last thing you want to do is get into winter with a potential leak,” Lupberger says.

2. Furnace
Must do: If you do nothing else, replace the filter, Lupberger says.

Should do: Have a professional perform an annual furnace check. Lupberger says a good furnace pro will vacuum the unit, lubricate the parts, replace your filter and check the thermostat.

Read:  October home-maintenance checklist

“Many homeowners change their filters regularly, and that helps,” says Donald Prather of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, which deals with heating and cooling. But he says most homeowners don’t have the tools or expertise to perform the required maintenance.

“Furnaces are like cars,” he says. “They are mechanical, and they need regular maintenance to operate efficiently and safely.”

He recommends inspections of the furnace and air-conditioning unit twice a year: at the start of the heating season and at the start of the cooling season.

Lupberger urges homeowners to get that furnace checked soon.

“Don’t wait for a potential furnace problem,” he says. “If it gets to be 10 degrees and your furnace doesn’t work, you and 300 other people are calling.”

Lupberger also recommends that homeowners who have an older thermostat upgrade to a setback thermostat so they can program when the furnace runs and save money on heating.

3. Insulation
Must do: Walk around inside your house while the sun is out and look at the doors that lead outside. If you see daylight coming in around the door frame, that’s a sign that outside air is leaking in.

What should you do if you find an air leak? You can buy weatherstripping at a hardware or home-improvement store and create a tighter seal. Ask an expert at the store to help you find the right type of weatherstripping for your project.

Remove old insulation first, if possible. Make sure your door still shuts properly and securely after you install the weatherstripping.

If light is coming in from the bottom of the door, you can buy a door sweep to keep cold air out.

Also check for cold air coming in around windows and through switch plates and outlets. Weatherstripping can seal off leaks around windows, just as with the door frame. For the outlets and switch plates, you can buy foam outlet insulators and switch plate seals that will provide a layer of insulation to keep the cold air out. They are inexpensive and are installed just below the outlet cover or switch plate cover.

Should do: Lupberger highly recommends that homeowners have a blower door test performed to determine where the house is leaking air so they can insulate and upgrade to create a tighter, more comfortable home — not to mention save some money.

What is a blower door test? A blower door is a fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. It blows air outside to lower the air pressure inside the house. Auditors can then detect where air is leaking in the home and determine how to seal those areas. Read more about blower door tests on the Energy Department website.

Lupberger says the test, which costs several hundred dollars, can easily pay for itself by alerting homeowners to insulation issues that, when fixed, can save them as much as 40% on heating and cooling bills.

“Ninety percent of homes were built when energy was cheap,” he says. “That means most homes are underinsulated.”

He says homes usually have gaps that let in air at doors and windows and between floors. An attic should have at least 12 inches of insulation, he says. Any place where light reaches the attic through the main living space of a home needs additional insulation.

“For $1,200, you can probably get all the additional insulation and air sealing you need,” Lupberger says. “The payback should be fairly dramatic, but fundamentally, we’re talking about comfort. You’ll just notice how much more comfortable it is: warm in the winter, cool in the summer.”

4. Outside
Must do: If your home has a sprinkler system, it must be winterized to prevent any freezing in the colder months, says Sam White, owner of Preferred Sprinkler Service in Denver.

Winterizing that system consists of shutting it off from inside the home, draining it and using compressed air to blow any remaining water out of individual sections of the system. White recommends having a professional do this.

“It takes a pretty big air compressor,” he says. “If you don’t do it properly, the expense in the spring is pretty significant.”

White says an early freeze last year in Denver meant 70% of his customers had systems freeze.

“Instead of $45 to blow it out, they spent anywhere from $100 to $400 to repair it,” he says.

People who live in older homes may need to drain and protect their outdoor spigots, as well, but most newer homes have frostless faucets that close off inside of the house.

If your home doesn’t have frostless faucets, remove all hoses from the faucets and bring them inside. Ensure that the outside water valve is shut off, then shut off the isolation valve inside the house, if your home has one. Go back out and turn on the outside faucet to let any water drain out. Return inside and reopen the isolation valve to let any remaining water drain, then close the valve. Turn off your outside valve and insulate the faucet with rags or foam faucet covers.

If you don’t have an isolation valve, just disconnect the hoses and insulate the faucet.

While you’re at it
Here are a few other things to think about before winter hits.

Fireplace and chimney: If your home has a fireplace and you regularly have fires, it may be time to have a chimney sweep take a look. Lupberger says it’s a good idea to have this done every two or three years. Remember that your chimney is letting cold air into your house. Sealing your fireplace with a glass front or screen will reduce heat loss.

Pipes: You can save a little money on hot water by insulating your pipes so they will hold heat longer, Lupberger says.

Detectors: Check the batteries in your carbon-monoxide and smoke detectors and make sure the detectors are working. The danger of carbon-monoxide poisoning is greater in the winter because more people are burning fuel in their homes.

Winter supplies: Lupberger says homeowners should think about what they would do if the power went out for 24 hours. Have flashlights and batteries on hand, and possibly even a portable heater. It’s also not a bad idea to own a snow shovel, even if it rarely snows where you live.

September home-maintenance checklist

School is back in session and mornings are crisp, making this a great month for tackling home projects.

By Anne Erickson of MSN Real Estate

Ever wake up in early September and notice that the air smells different? School begins, days get shorter, and a sense of responsibility begins to creep up on most of us. We’ve always wondered why “fall cleaning” isn’t as popular as “spring cleaning.” The air on brisk September mornings inspires us to dutifully button up the home in preparation for cooler days and longer nights.

Add weatherstripping to doors and windows
Weatherstripping can be plastic, foam, felt or metal; its job is to seal small gaps, keeping moisture and cold air outside where they belong. Look around your doors and windows: Is the weatherstripping torn or missing? This can become expensive if ignored. On doors, make sure the bottom seal is working properly — there are many sweeps, gaskets and thresholds designed to seal this gap. Doors generally need weatherstripping in their jambs as well. Adhesive-backed foam pads are easy to install for this purpose. Newer, energy-efficient windows generally don’t require added weatherstripping, but if your windows are older, weatherstripping can keep drafts at bay and energy costs down.

Check storm windows
If you have storm windows that are cracked or dirty, repair and clean them now — prior to autumn installation.

Fight winter with plywood
Find a couple of scrap sheets of plywood and set them aside. When the weatherman predicts a cold snap, set the boards against the exterior basement vents on whichever side of your house bears the brunt of your prevailing weather patterns. This bit of scrappiness could help prevent frozen pipes. Be sure to remove the boards once the weather warms up — those vents are there for a reason!

Insulation speculation
This is a good time to check the condition of insulation and see if you need more, especially if you live in an older home. You can purchase un-backed or loose-fill insulation if you are just beefing up what is already there. If you are adding batted insulation to a spot that has none, remember that the foil-backed side is the vapor barrier, and it must face the heated area. For example, if you are laying fiberglass insulation in an unfinished attic floor to keep heat in the living room below, you should see pink when you’re done — not foil! If your walls lack insulation, consider having a professional install blown-in insulation foam. The energy savings will probably offset the cost of the procedure in a couple of years.

Keep mice out
September inspires nesting in mice as well as humans. Mice are looking for a winter home now, and that newly insulated attic would be just the spot. Mice can squeeze through 1/4-inch openings; rats need a half-inch. Make sure all exterior vents are screened, and that there are no gaps underneath garage doors. If you are careless about leaving doors and windows open this time of year, you’ll be setting mousetraps later. Pet doors are another favorite access point for rodents.

Caulk exterior
Think of caulk as weatherstripping in a tube. Any gap on the outside of your home can be a candidate for caulking. Look at transition spots: corners, windows, doors, areas where masonry joins siding, or places where vents and other objects protrude from walls. Carefully read manufacturer’s directions to make sure the caulk you buy will work where you plan to use it, and don’t forget to purchase a caulking gun. Early fall is a good time for this task because caulk becomes difficult to apply when the temperature falls.

Clean dryer vent
This is another one of those tasks that should be on your to-do list every six months. Scoot your clothes dryer away from the wall, unplug it, and vacuum behind it. (If it’s a gas dryer, turn off the gas supply to the dryer at the appliance shutoff valve.) Unhook the tube that leads to the vent and clear as much lint from the tube as you can. Grab a shop vacuum, go outside, and tackle the outside dryer vent as well.

Inspect your roof and chimney
If your roof isn’t too steep, and isn’t covered with slate or tile, you may be able to carefully walk on it on a dry day. Look for broken or missing shingles, missing or damaged flashing and seals around vent pipes and chimneys, and damage to boards along the eaves. Also peer down your chimney with a flashlight to make sure no animals have set up house in it. If you can’t get on your roof, perform this inspection with a ladder around the perimeter. Pay close attention to valleys and flashings — many leaks originate in these spots. Some patches and roofing cement now can prevent thousands of dollars of water damage later in the winter.

When homeowners hoist a wrench to install or repair sinks, tubs and toilets, they risk more than leaks. They risk their sanity, finances and general mechanical disaster. Here are 10 essential principles to avoid plumbing disaster.

1. Don’t go galvanic.
You often see copper and galvanized-steel plumbing mixed in residential water systems with nothing separating them other than a little thread sealant or Teflon plumbing tape. The galvanic connection (copper to steel) can be trouble-free for years, or the steel plumbing can begin to corrode almost as soon as the connection is tight.

What to do: Use a plumbing fitting called a dielectric union to connect copper pipe to galvanized steel. The fitting uses a steel collar on the steel side and a copper collar on the copper side and isolation bushings to keep the parts separate.

2. Flow out, not back.
Back flow occurs in municipal water systems (or within a house) when there’s a sudden and severe drop in water pressure that causes water to flow back through pipes in the opposite direction than it normally flows. When a runaway car severs a fire hydrant, for example, parts of a municipal system will see a flow reversal as water gushes out the hole where the hydrant once stood. The same thing can happen if there’s a massive leak within your house.

What to do: If your house’s water is supplied by a municipal water system and you do a lot of work outside with a garden hose, use a vacuum-breaker fitting threaded onto the end of the hose bib (the valve mounted on the outside of the house). These fittings prevent back flow from a garden hose and attachments in the event of a massive shift in pressure. Some municipalities require their use, and they’re not a bad idea even if you have a well. Suppose you’ve left a garden hose in a bucket of sudsy water and the severed-fire-hydrant scenario occurs. The vacuum breaker prevents water from being pulled out of the hose and bucket and into the municipal water system. If you’re replacing a hose bib, use a freeze-proof type with a built-in vacuum breaker. Common-sense measures apply, too. For example, don’t leave a hose unattended in a bucket and don’t leave a hose in a puddle on the lawn.

Likewise, if you replace or repair the main supply and valves entering the house, you may likely be required to install a back-flow preventer.

3. Use the right connector.
Don’t forget, gas lines count as plumbing, too. Connecting a new gas range or dryer to an existing gas line seems simple, but the job can quickly go awry when you try to hook up a flexible gas connector to the line and find that the connector doesn’t fit or you can’t make the connection gas-tight, no matter how tight you make the connection.

What to do: This is a thread-compatibility problem usually brought about by a mismatch between the iron pipe supplying gas and the fitting on the end of the flexible connector you intend to use to bring the fuel to the appliance. The simplest solution is to buy a universal connection kit for a dryer or for a gas range. The kit will come with a variety of adapters to help you make the transition from the pipe and fitting supplying the gas to whatever appliance will be using it.

4. Know where your pipes are.
Pounding nails and driving screws is all well and good, until you puncture a copper or plastic supply or drain.

What to do: Buy a stud sensor that also detects pipes and wiring. You can also look around in the attic or the basement (if it’s unfinished) to get a sense of where pipes are hiding. Finally, if the wall will be covered by whatever you’re building or installing, you can always carefully cut a test hatch to find plumbing lurking in the walls.

• On our blog: Ladies, have no fear of that home-improvement project

5. Know the code.
Plumbing is a tricky business, with rules that dictate how far you can place a fixture from the home’s drain-waste-vent line based on the pipe diameter and other arcane matters. The only way you can handle a big job yourself is to know the code and what it calls for in pipe sizing, fixture spacing and related matters.

What to do: There’s lots of reference for ambitious do-it-yourselfers. Buy a copy of the International Plumbing Code or the Uniform Plumbing Code. One of the best references that we’ve used here over the years is Code Check, a handbook that’s updated as building codes are updated. One of its best features is that it’s written to cover common problems and things that even professionals get wrong.

6. Cut right, fit tight.
You can’t make a neat water- or gas-tight joint unless the parts are neatly cut.

What to do: Buy pro-level tubing cutters, reciprocating-saw blades, hacksaw blades and a plastic pipe saw. For example, you’ll be amazed by the difference between a professional tubing cutter from Ridgid, say, and the $5 special from the home center. Likewise, it seems silly to spend $20 for a plastic pipe saw when a standard handsaw works pretty well. The thing is, the plastic pipe saw works better and leaves less of a burr, since its teeth have very little set compared with a saw meant for cutting wood.

Remove burrs from plastic and copper and thoroughly clean both types of plumbing materials before soldering or gluing. Copper is best abraded with plumber’s cloth (aluminum-oxide sandpaper on a spool), and plastic requires material-specific primer that softens the plastic so that the adhesive can create an optimal bond. When pipe feels greasy or dirty, use pipe cleaner before applying primer.

A few minutes of preparation go a long way in ensuring a watertight or gas-tight joint.

7. Seal the deal.
Only a soldered or glued joint doesn’t require sealant; everything else does.

What to do: There are two types of sealant tapes in hardware stores and home centers: tape for sealing water connections, in a blue spool, and tape for sealing gas, in a yellow spool. Yet there’s no need for you to be satisfied with just those choices. Pros often carry brushable sealant, with variations specially formulated for threaded plastic or galvanized steel. Visit a plumbing supply house or shop online to find these varieties. Professional varieties have a higher percentage of gap-filling solids and better ensure a tight joint — no small matter, given the lack of thread engagement that you often find today with badly made plumbing materials, valves and fixtures.

8. Don’t overtighten.
If tight is good, really tight must be better, right? Wrong.

What to do: Given what I just said about the hit-or-miss quality of many plumbing components today, you’d think that a generous application of wrench torque is called for. Not so. A clean, properly cut and fitted joint that’s been sealed just doesn’t need to be massively tightened. In many cases, after bringing the parts together firmly hand-tight or using a wrench, often all it takes is another half a turn. Brass–copper gas fittings are particularly vulnerable to wrench damage from overtightening, while steel pipe is more forgiving.

9. Leak test. Always.
It should be obvious: Make a thorough leak inspection before closing up and moving on.

What to do: When you’ve installed a new valve component (or the valve itself), aggressively open and close the valve and run both hot and cold water through it. Do the same when checking drains. Run water down a drain and fill up a sink or tub and then drain it to check for leaks. Check gas lines with a soapy water and detergent solution or spend a few dollars for an 8-ounce bottle of bubble-creating leak detector sold on the Web or at a plumbing supply house. The advantage of this material, as opposed to dish detergent, is that it creates larger, more brightly visible bubbles than detergent does.

10. Be kind. To your septic system, that is.
We get asked this question all the time: “Should I use an additive to improve the performance of my septic system and reduce the need to pump the septic tank?” An additive can be almost anything from sugar or enzymes to a dead chicken (we’re not kidding about the chicken — we get that one plenty).

What to do: Don’t bother with additives, especially the chicken. A properly designed, built and maintained septic system will last for decades, and trying to reduce pumping intervals will more likely lead to a clogged leaching field as solids, not clear effluent, flow out of the septic tank and out into the leaching field. A septic-tank-pumping company can advise you on how often the tank needs to be pumped. It will depend on the tank’s size and how many people live in the home. Likewise, avoid excessive use of chlorine bleach or caustic chemicals that can kill off beneficial digestive bacteria in the septic tank.

“When times are tough, people get tougher,” said Mike Crowley, broker of Spokane Home Buyers in Spokane, Wash. “Verify that they’re telling the truth.”

Seller disclosures vary from state to state, but generally require documentation of material problems with the home, such as leaks in the roof, past or present flooding issues, pest problems, presence of structural issues, lead paint, mold problems, electrical problems and water or sewer issues.

“Each state has its own disclosure requirements, and municipalities within the state have specific requirements,” said Edward A. Mermelstein, a real estate attorney with Edward A. Mermelstein & Associates in New York.

“Then there’s a slew of disclosures that are not required by the state that an experienced broker or attorney would know about and ask about,” he said. For example, in some areas, including Florida, there recently has been a high incidence of faulty drywall used in home construction, he said. If it’s possible that defective materials were used in the home a buyer is considering, they should demand that be disclosed.

• What are homes selling for in your neighborhood? Find out

Sellers are expected to fill out disclosure documents honestly, answering questions about the property to the best of their knowledge. They also aren’t supposed to conceal any defects of the home, said Neil B. Garfinkel, a real-estate attorney with Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, in New York.

But as a buyer, don’t take sellers at their word. If they’re holding something back, it could cost you.

Burden of proof
Sure, if sellers do fib — and it can be proved that they knowingly weren’t upfront about something — a wronged buyer could sue for damages.

“If a purchaser who has children is buying a home and the seller knows there has been lead (paint) discovered in the home, God forbid a child gets sick, and you’re going to have a serious lawsuit on your hands,” Mermelstein said.

The tricky part is coming up with proof the seller had knowledge of the problem and opted to lie. Proving this kind of fraud can be tough, said Benjamin D. Clark, president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. And sometimes the legal costs aren’t worth pursuing the case.

That’s why you’re better off catching discrepancies before closing, when a seller is still willing to negotiate in order to finalize the deal, he said.

With the start of summer and warmer weather, you can focus most of your maintenance chores outdoors. First, however, attend to a couple of jobs that will help you stay comfortable and safe inside the house.

Switch ceiling fan blades
Switch ceiling fans to push cool air down, where you’ll most enjoy it. Observe the fan while it’s running: In summer, you want the leading edge of the blades (the part that goes around first) higher than the trailing edge (the part that rotates last). Locate the fan’s switch on its outside body. When set correctly for summer, you can stand beneath it and feel the breeze. This should allow you to adjust your thermostat higher (or set the air conditioning lower), saving fuel while enjoying the cooling effect of the moving air.

Clean dryer vents
Although you probably know to remove lint from your clothes dryer’s lint filter after each use (to prevent fires), you may not have heard that maintenance also includes cleaning the hose that pipes warm, moist air from the dryer to the outdoors. Use a long-handled brush, found in hardware stores (or search online for “dryer vent brush“). Also, clean the recess beneath the filter with a lint-trap brush. Make sure to purchase a brush that fits your dryer’s particular lint-trap type. Read the dryer’s manual for directions. Check vent hoses to ensure they fit tightly to each other, to the dryer and to the outside of the house. Pull out the dryer and vacuum accumulated lint under and around it.

Tune up yard and garden equipment
If your lawn mower has gas left over from last fall, empty the tank before adding fresh fuel. (Gas becomes stale after a month.) If possible, just run the mower until the tank is dry (best done in fall before storing the mower for the winter). If that’s not possible, use a siphon pump ($3 to $4 at a hardware or automotive supply store, composed of flexible tubing and a squeeze bulb) to transfer the old gas into a gas can. Take the old gas to your county’s hazardous waste disposal facility. Call ahead to learn hours and rules for disposing of fuel.

To keep your lawn mower running for years, you’ll also want to keep it clean. Avoid cutting wet grass; it’s hard on the mower engine. Frequently wipe, brush or scrape the mower’s underside clean (with motor off) so clippings don’t jam the blades. Change the oil each spring; change spark plugs and lubricate with every change of season (consult the owner’s manual for product specifications and directions); replace air filters every couple of years.

Sharpen mower blades
Proper cutting is key to a healthy lawn, and lawns cut with sharp blades need less watering (read 10 secrets to a perfect lawn). Also, hard work is made easier with sharp tools. Manufacturers recommend replacing mower blades yearly if the mower is used frequently. Check your blades’ effectiveness by examining the cut edge of the grass: If grass blades are ragged, the lawnmower blade is dull. You can extend the life of a mower blade by sharpening. Call a hardware store, garden supply store or lawn-mower dealer to learn where to get tools and blades sharpened (about $10 to $20) or purchase a sharpening tool (Dremel, for example, makes a head for rotary tools) or buy a whetstone or hand sharpener at a garden supply or hardware store. Before removing the blade from the mower to sharpen it, disconnect the spark plug wire (otherwise you could jump-start the engine by moving the blade). Also, wear safety goggles.

Clean gutters
Take advantage of dry weather to clear out leaves, needles and debris, leaving gutters free to carry rainwater away and protect your home from mold and rot. Depending on your home’s surroundings, you should do this several times a year. Hire someone (around $50 to $100) or get a stable ladder (and someone to hold it) and do it yourself. Use a garden trowel or your (gloved) hands to muck out the debris. Scrub gutters with a non-metallic brush. Slosh water from a hose through the gutters and the drainpipes to finish the job and test that they’re clear and that water is flowing away from your basement, foundation or crawl space.

Tip: Newer ladders are rated for safety according to their use and the weight they can bear. An industrial-grade Type 1A folding ladder is safest for jobs under 17 feet, according to tests by Consumer Reports. Remain on or below the highest safe rung labeled on your ladder. Use an extension ladder for taller jobs. (See Rutgers University’s page on ladder ratings and safe use.) Keep aluminum ladders away from power lines.

Inspect gutters
While you’re at it, inspect the gutters. Look for joints separating, loose connections and attachments, sags, dips and corrosion. Tighten or reattach loose gutter connections.

Clean out downspout ends (also called “leaders”). These should extend out at least 3 feet at the ground, though some experts suggest 5 or 10 feet. The idea is to prevent water from running back to your home’s foundation.  At the same time, take care that your downspouts don’t drain onto your neighbors’ property, causing problems for them. Some cities have ordinances regulating the distance you can discharge your gutters from your property line (ask for details at the city planning department).

After you’ve cleaned and repaired your gutters, test them by having someone run a hose into the gutters while you walk around the house, looking for leaks and observing where the water drains. Or walk around the house to check during the next heavy rainstorm.

Consider gutter guards
If your gutters fill up frequently, you might want to investigate installing gutter guards (or screens, filters or covers) to reduce — perhaps eliminate — cleaning. There’s a wide variety, made from various metals or synthetics. Costs vary from around 60 cents a foot to $7 per foot, plus installation (the average house has roughly 200 feet of gutters), which means you could pay up to $1,500 for materials alone. You could hire someone to clean the gutters (at around $75 each time) for many years for that amount. And, while gutter protection is aggressively marketed, systems vary in effectiveness. Check claims by searching product names on the Internet, and get three or more references from customers who’ve used the product for several years. Then, call and interview each company.

Inspect for roof leaks
Start on the ground, using binoculars to scan for evidence of roof damage, including shingles that are curling, broken, cracked or missing. To check your roof for structural stability, stand across the street and look at the roof line. If it appears to sag, get a professional to inspect it. The cause could be damage to the roof supports from heavy snow or many layers of roofing materials.

Next, look for telltale signs of roof leaks. Inside, inspect the attic — look at the ceiling, rafters and walls, particularly right beneath the roof — for discoloration or stains. (While you’re up there, check to ensure that attic fans are working.) Pay attention to skylights and chimneys, which are prone to leaks. Seepage is most likely at joints and openings where one material meets another and where the flashing (seal) is weak. Go outdoors again and check the siding beneath the eaves for evidence of leaks. Call a roofer to repair leaks and reinforce flashing. Don’t put off patching a roof leak, since collected moisture can cause expensive rot and decay. (For DIY roof repairs, read “5 roof repair tips: How to fix leaks and broken shingles.”)

Check for foundation cracks
Make a yearly tour of your home’s foundation to spot any cracks. Hairline cracks and diagonal cracks that start at windows are unlikely to signal serious problems, but keep an eye on them to see if they change. Call a structural engineer if a small crack grows wider or if you find any of the following:

• a crack wider than the thickness of your fingernail
• horizontal cracks
• a stair-step crack that break bricks, blocks or solid concrete
• a pattern of cracks that rounds a corner
• a crack with one side higher than the other
• a crack that starts narrow and grows wider

To keep moisture out of cracks that you’ve found to be stable, fill them. Purchase a foundation crack repair kit (many include an instructional CD, goggles and gloves) that uses an expanding polyurethane filler for a permanent seal. Caulk and concrete aren’t effective for this. Learn more about foundation cracks and repairs at InspectAPedia.

Patrol the grounds
Spend a half-hour walking around your house with an eye to where the foundation meets the ground. Make sure the earth around the house slopes away from the structure — about an inch per foot is good — so water does not collect around the foundation. Dampness invites mold and mildew and, in worst cases, weakens a foundation. Also, keep your eyes open for signs of termites: wings or droppings that look like little pellets. Rake leaves away from the foundation to discourage mice and rats. Keep garbage cans tightly closed. Store recycling securely and clean bottles and cans well before putting them out so food odors don’t attract rodents. Turn compost piles regularly and compost only vegetable matter, not animal products.  

Scrub the decks and porches
On a sunny day, wipe down and hose off lawn, garden and deck furniture. Sweep decks and porches. Inspect wood decks and porches for rot by pressing the wood with your hand, foot or a tool to find any soft spots. Gently probe soft spots with a screwdriver to learn the extent of the damage. Paint stores carry epoxy putty used to harden, seal and stabilize rotted wood. (These are potentially toxic products, so follow directions carefully.) If the damage is severe, replace rotted boards.

If you’re painting your deck, make sure to scrub it first. To remove mold from wood decks, use a solution of three quarts warm water, one quart household bleach, one-third cup detergent and two-thirds cup tri-sodium phosphate. Rinse thoroughly after scrubbing, then treat the deck with a commercial fungicide (found, along with TSP, at paint and hardware stores). Caution: Wear rubber gloves, work in a ventilated area and do not mix bleach with any products containing ammonia; the combination creates toxic fumes. To clean composite decking, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Seal decks against weather
Wood decks need to be painted or stained every two or three years — more often if they face extreme weather. Watch the weather forecast for a spell of several dry days before treating decks. (You don’t want to seal moisture into the wood and encourage rot.) If you’re unsure if the wood is sufficiently dry, borrow a moisture meter from a paint store (sales people will explain how to use it). Take readings in many spots. When the wood is dry, thoroughly strip old stain or paint before applying the new finish. Paint stores carry products for this purpose. When renting a power washer, ask for instructions and use it cautiously. Pressure washers can easily gouge and splinter wood decks and railings.