Suggestions on some autumn maintenance tips for manufactured homeowners.
Remove garden hoses from faucets: Leaving hoses attached can cause water to back up in the faucets and in the plumbing pipes just inside your exterior walls. If freezing temps happen, that water could freeze, expand, and crack the faucet or pipes. Turn off any shutoff valves on water supply lines that lead to exterior faucets. That way, you’ll guard against minor leaks that may let water enter the faucet.
While you’re at it, drain the houses and store them in your shed.
Drain your sprinkler system: Time to drain your irrigation system or hire an irrigation professional company to blow out the system’s pipes with compressed air. Even buried irrigation lines can freeze, leading to busted pipes and broken sprinkler heads.
Seal air leaks: Get a couple of tubes of color-atched exterior caulk and make a tour around your home’s exterior, sealing up cracks between trim and siding around window and door frames, and were pipes and wires enter your house. Preventing moisture from getting inside your walls is one of the least expensive and most important of your fall maintenance jobs. Pick a nice day with temps above 50 degrees so the caulk will flow easily.
De-Gunk your gutters: Clogged rain gutters can cause ice dams, which can lead to expensive repairs. After the leaves have fallen, clean your gutters to remove leaves, twigs, and gunk. Make sure gutters aren’t sagging and trapping water. Replace any worn or damaged gutters and downspouts.
Your downspouts should extend at least 5 feet away from your house to prevent foundation problems.
Eyeball your roof: Look for warning signs like buckled, cracked or missing shingles, rust spots on flashing. Any loose, damaged, or missing shinges should be replaced immediately.
Check your furnace: Have a heating and cooling professional to get your heating system checked and tuned up for the coming heating season. Change your furnace filters, too.
Prune plants and shrubs: Late fall is the best time to prune plants and trees once the summer growth cycle is over. Keep tree limbs and branches at least 3 feet from your house so moisture won’t drip onto roofing and siding and prevent damage to your house exterior.
Home safety check: Test your smoke and CO monitors, inspect (or install) fire extinguishers, and rid your home of old newspapers and other fire hazards.