6 Jobs to Add to Your Autumn Maintenance Schedule

OK, so it only seems like yesterday that you re-lagged pipes and unclogged guttering but as the days get shorter again, you know it’s time to start thinking about those autumn maintenance tasks. September is a great month to start preparing for winter. Assessing things now gives you time to fix interior issues and a reasonably good weather window in which to complete any outside repairs. A thorough once over of your building now could help to keep those winter maintenance costs down and save you a lot of hassle.

Here are 5 of the most important jobs to get done over the next couple of months.

1. Check your boiler, heating system and water pipes – the last thing you need is to discover your heating doesn’t work on the first cold autumn day. So, before the temperature drops, give the heating system a test run, bleed those radiators and get your boiler serviced, if needed. Frozen and burst pipes are no one’s idea of fun, so make sure you’re prepared for any extreme drops in temperature and that any pipes that need insulating are protected in good time.
2. Clear drains and guttering – if your property is near any trees, you’ll know how quickly they can clog up your drainage system. So, make sure your drains, gutters and downpipes are in good working order to begin with and have a regular schedule in place for keeping them clear of debris. Winter floods are an increasing problem in Britain, so do everything you can to aid efficient water drainage away from your property.
3. Inspect your roof – wet, windy weather and loose tiles, degraded flashing or unstable chimney stacks don’t mix. If there’s anything on your roof that can be easily dislodged in a storm, get it battened down in good time. And any areas that could enable rain to leak into the property need to be replaced or adequately sealed before water damage takes its toll.
4. Draft exclusion – hot summer weather can cause materials to expand, which can lead to gaps forming once they shrink back in the cold. While you need good ventilation in your building (especially during the current crisis), you obviously don’t want the cold winds whipping through gaps around doors, windows and inlets. Checking and filling any holes now can stop the outside getting in and save on energy bills too.
5. Double check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors – obviously, they should be regularly checked and kept in good working order as a matter of course, but another once over never goes amiss. With windows being kept closed, gas boilers firing up and wood burners being used more, making sure your detection systems are working perfectly is vital.
6. Fix cracks in exterior paving – water expands as it freezes, so any pooled water in already damaged areas of exterior concrete and paving may make damage worse if not fixed before the temperatures plunge. Leave that small crack over winter and you could end up with a pothole by the spring.

Autumn maintenance saves on winter repairs

Getting things checked and repaired before the cold weather hits hard is always preferable to playing catch up in a cold snap. If you need help to get your autumn maintenance sorted before the winter, we’re here to help. Our property maintenance and repair team can handle everything from plumbing and roofing to drainage and fire stopping. Just get in touch – our services are available along the M4 corridor from West Wales to London and the South East.