Fall is the perfect time to prepare your mobile home for the winter months ahead. The goal here is to prevent costly damage caused by cold weather, reduce heating costs, and ultimately, avoid “inconveniences” in the dead of winter.
Here, we list some basic tips on how to prepare your mobile home this fall.
Inspect your patio and driveway
When water gets into tiny cracks, it freezes and expands, making them bigger and trickier to repair. So, before you end up with a giant pothole, fill them with a concrete sealer.
You can also DIY repair slight disintegration of asphalt or uneven brick patio, although major projects are best left to professionals.
Change your filters
If your air filters are clogged, your heating system works extra hard, leading to higher energy cost, shorter lifespan of your HVAC, and fluctuating indoor temperatures. The general rule of thumb is to replace them every 30-60 days if you have no allergies and furry companions.
Inspect safety features
Ideally, you should review your home’s safety features every year, such as the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire escape plans, and fire extinguishers.
- Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace their batteries, clean them with a soft brush, and test them by pressing the “on” button.
- Every bedroom should have two exit paths, which should be clear of obstructions like furniture and boxes. Also, the upper floor rooms should have a rope ladder near the windows.
- At a minimum, keep one fire extinguisher at or near the kitchen; however, it’s better to have one for each floor. Also, make sure that you check the indicator on the pressure gauge, the discharge nozzle (it shouldn’t be clogged), and the lock pin (it should be in place).
Perform autumn garden cleanup
Prep your lawn by fertilizing the soil and storing outdoor furniture in your garage (or at least protect it with a weatherproof cover). Also, remove dead annuals and weeds, plant annuals and shrubs, and clean up your vegetable garden beds.
Remove clutter
Throw away old newspapers, empty containers, old clothes and shoes, broken home decor and appliances, and chipped dinnerware. Remember that clutter makes it more difficult to maintain a clean and organized home.
Clean your gutters
Before the leaves fall, have your gutters cleaned and covered with mesh guards to prevent debris from clogging them. It is important to keep them well-drained to avoid water damage such as wood rot, peeling paint, and blotches (which are a sign of mold and mildew growth).
Fix the air leaks
Air leaks caused by drafty windows and doors, cracks in the wall, and poorly installed insulation can result in high energy cost, fluctuating indoor temperatures, and a shorter lifespan of your HVAC system.
You can perform DIY repairs for your drafty windows and doors by caulking or weatherstripping them. But for major projects like wall and attic insulation, your best bet is to hire a professional.
Schedule your heating tune-up
Autumn is the best time to perform an HVAC tune-up. The idea is to prevent your heating system from breaking down in the dead of winter.
Turn off all outdoor faucets
Drain and disconnect your outdoor faucet before the temperature drops below freezing. Failure to do this and you’ll end up having damaged pipes.
Inspect your roof
Inspect your roof from top to bottom, paying close attention to signs of damage not just in the roof but also around the chimneys and vents. If it’s leaky or damaged, immediately hire a contractor to fix the problem.
