Steve Doyle’s Blog

The Holiday Season is quickly approaching and with the Holidays comes winter weather. For Southern California homeowners, the winter weather usually means rain. Is your home prepared for the rainy season? Now would be a good time to do a quick check-up, before you get too busy with the Holidays.

There are some simple and effective home maintenance work items you should consider at this time of year. Bringing your home up to weather efficiency will save you energy and money. Let me give you a few examples.

1. Reduce your watering times on your irrigation controller and be prepared to turn your irrigation controller “off” during prolonged rainy periods. We have all seen sprinklers in action during a rain storm and think “how silly that looks!” Reducing your water usage is conservation of a limited resource. It is also a reduction in your water bill. Check that irrigation controller now and save your wallet and our reservoirs!

2. Check all your yard drains and swales. Make sure they are functioning properly and taking runoff away from your house. Water intrusion to the home may be caused by runoff puddling against or under your foundation. Keep runoff water moving away from your home and into a local storm drain. The same goes for rain gutters, if you have them on your roof. Make sure the gutter is clear of debris and that the drain leads the runoff away from your home.

3. Check your weatherstripping on all exterior doors. Does it form a tight and unbroken seal? If not, replace the weather stripping. During the cooler months of the year, your home heating bill goes up and the furnace comes into use. Inefficient weather stripping allows that nice warm air to escape outside. This requires your heater to work more often and causes your energy bill to rise!

4. Speaking of your furnace, when was the last time you checked the air return filter? For many people, they have never checked this filter. A dirty filter makes your heater work more and spreads dust and grime throughout your house. A clean filter allows your heater to work more efficiently, saving you time and money.

5. Check your windows. Are the tracks clean and allowing the window to travel smoothly? Dirt and dust in your window track can cause damage to your windows and or create paths for your warm air inside to disappear outside.

6. And, while you are checking your windows, look at the caulking around the window frame. Broken or missing caulking can let water in or warm air out. A tube of caulking is relatively inexpensive compared to the damage water can do behind your windows or the cost of the warm air that escapes out of your home.

7. This is also the time of year many people start using their fireplaces again. If you have a wood burning fireplace, make sure the damper is open before you light the fire. And, always close the glass doors to keep ember from escaping the fireplace box. Burn only manufacturer approved materials and wood types in your fireplace. Trash, gift wrappings and compressed logs should never be burned in your fireplace.

I hope these simple hints will help you with your heating bills and drainage issues. Have a wonderful Holiday Season and thank you for reading this blog!