Winter here rarely arrives politely. We get warm autumn weeks that make it easy to postpone everything, followed by a sudden hard freeze that finds every item on the list you did not get to.
Working through it by month keeps it manageable.
September — book the appointments
The trades that everyone needs in October are booked by October. This month is about getting in the diary.
- Schedule the sprinkler blowout. Before the rush, not during it.
- Schedule furnace service. A technician in September is routine maintenance. The same technician in January is an emergency call at emergency rates.
- Schedule chimney inspection and sweeping if you burn wood.
- Order filters so you actually have them.
Also worth doing while the weather is pleasant:
- Clean gutters once, knowing you will do it again after leaf drop
- Check and reset any fence posts that loosened over summer
- Prune limbs overhanging the roof and the power drop
October — the outside work
- Disconnect and drain hoses. A hose left attached traps water in the bib, and that split usually shows up inside a wall.
- Insulate exposed hose bibs and any pipe running through unheated space.
- Complete the sprinkler blowout.
- Clear gutters and downspouts after leaves have dropped, and confirm downspouts discharge well away from the foundation. This one job prevents both ice dams and foundation problems.
- Check the roof from the ground for lifted or missing shingles before snow arrives.
- Seal exterior gaps around penetrations, which keeps out both cold air and the mice that come in with it.
- Reverse ceiling fans to push warm air down.
November — inside and mechanical
- Change the furnace filter, then keep changing it monthly through heating season.
- Test the thermostat by running the heat before you need it.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and replace batteries. CO matters more once combustion appliances are running daily.
- Find and label your shutoffs — main water, gas, and the breaker panel. Do this while it is calm.
- Check the water heater: flush sediment, confirm the temperature setting, look for corrosion at the fittings.
- Locate the furnace condensate line and confirm it is not running through an unheated space where it will freeze.
- Have a snow plan. Shovels where you can reach them, sand or a concrete-safe deicer in the garage before the first storm.
The high-altitude additions
If you are in Monument, Black Forest, Woodland Park or anywhere along the Palmer Divide, add:
- Attic air sealing and insulation check, since this is what drives ice damming
- Confirmation that soffit vents are open and not blocked
- Generator service and fuel, if you have one
- Propane tank filled before delivery roads get difficult
- Well house heat tape checked and working
The five-minute version
If you only do five things this autumn, do these:
- Disconnect the hoses
- Get the sprinklers blown out
- Clean the gutters
- Change the furnace filter
- Learn where your water shutoff is
Those five prevent the large majority of winter emergency calls in this city.
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