Winter Prep Home Maintenance Tasks

With the forecast set to settle into the 40s, it’s time to talk about getting our homes ready for the cold before the thermometer drops below freezing. After all, there is nothing worse than not being ready when the first proper snowfall comes our way. So without further ado, here are my top five tips for pre-winter preparation at home:

Take a picture of your roof.

We’ll start with an easy one. Go outside and snap a photo of your roof from each direction. Wondering why? When we get a massive snowfall, I usually recommend that people get their roofs shoveled. Removing the snow helps to reduce the risk of leaks and other damage to your home. But when the snow is very deep, it’s impossible to see the pipes, skylights, and other parts and pieces that stick up out of the roof. Keeping a picture of the clean surface is a great way to minimize the probability of an accident when you’re trying to prevent damage in the first place.

Stake the driveway.

Speaking of damage prevention, stop by the local hardware store and get some property markers. They are generally made of wood or metal and are sometimes painted in a fluorescent color. Use the markers to create an outline around your driveway. Just like your roof, when a blanket of snow hits, it’s impossible for a removalist to see where the driveway ends and where your lawn begins. Creating that parameter will help the plow truck driver know where to go, which should assist in keeping your curbs and grass intact.

Give the furnace a checkup.

Don’t wait until you really need heat to make sure that everything is in working order. Clean or replace your HVAC filters and check the temperature gauge to make sure you can power up and down with no problems. If you haven’t already, now is definitely time to remove those window A/C units and check and clean those filters too. While you’re at it, make sure your carbon monoxide detectors are working and change the batteries if necessary.

Seal up the air holes.

I get calls all winter long from people who are wondering why their house is so drafty. If you have an attic hatch, install an insulated box to prevent the cold air from coming down into your living space. Check all your windows and doors for gaps and use weatherstripping, foam, or insulation to seal them tight. If you have a fireplace that you don’t use, get that covered too. Any passageways from the inside to the outside can act as wind tunnels when the frigid winter air comes calling.

Clean those gutters.

If your gutters are full of autumn leaves and debris, it will prevent winter water from flowing off the roof and down away from the foundation. If water has nowhere to go, it will refreeze in your gutters and at the base of your roof, resulting in dangerous ice dams and potential leaks. If you don’t want to do this dirty job yourself, schedule a pro to handle it for you. It will be worth it.

If you do just these five things, you’ll be in much better shape when the wicked weather decides to settle in. Plus it’s much more pleasant to get these jobs out of the way before it’s too cold and snowy to bother. Good luck and as always, don’t be afraid to reach out if you need help or advice. Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

It's Time To Get That Chimney Prepped for Winter

As cooler nights start to set in on our part of Connecticut, it won’t be long until we have to start firing up the heat. So as you get your rakes ready and you give your water heater some attention, it’s also a great time to clean out that chimney. Here are my top tips. 

First, don’t leave ash and residue hanging around for another season. Fireplaces and chimneys are involved in over 40 percent of all home-heating fires so a preventative annual clean-out should definitely be on your list. If you have a regular wood-burning fireplace, remove all the old ashes with a shovel and bucket and get rid of any residual materials with an industrial vacuum or heavy-duty hand broom and dustpan. 

It’s important to note that during winter you never want ashes to accumulate more than two inches in depth.  Also, remember that ashes are just disintegrated wood, so feel free to discard them into your compost pile.  Once the ashes are cleared, you can remove any soot and fire stains with a spray bottle of soapy water and a tough, wire scrub brush. If stains are really hard to remove a muriatic acid solution will do the job. It’s available at most hardware stores. 

Once your fireplace is squeaky clean, it’s time to inspect the flue. Look up the fireplace and search for any cracks or damage. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for creosote build-up, which can be highly flammable and result in chimney fires if not removed properly. If you see any blockage, cracks, or deposits during a visual inspection, you’ll want to get the flue looked at by a professional. 

Now comes the hardest part – the chimney. First, make sure that you are comfortable on a roof and using a ladder. If you aren’t, leave this part of the job to an expert. From the roof, look around your chimney and remove any leaves or debris that may have piled up over the winter. If your chimney is open and you don’t use it often, it can be a great nesting place for birds and small animals.  Don’t let this happen; invest in a wire screen cover to ensure nothing from the outside can get in. Also, take a look at the mortar between the bricks to make sure it is in good condition and nothing is cracking or crumbling. If mortar needs to be replaced, remove the damaged segments and re-pack them with weather-resistant ready-mixed mortar from the hardware store. 

Finally, you’ll want to inspect your flashing, which is where the chimney meets the roof. This should create a watertight seal, so make sure nothing looks loose or like it is coming undone, otherwise you could be at risk for a leak. If the seal is at all damaged or worn away, you’ll want to get it repaired immediately. 

I can’t reinforce enough that chimney maintenance is a must and something that shouldn’t be put off. If you don’t know what to look for or aren’t comfortable taking on the job, get a certified chimney sweep to give you a thorough inspection or call me for a recommendation. The peace of mind in knowing that your home is safe from a preventable fire is worth the price of a simple assessment. 

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions for Bob to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.

Solar Panels Make Great Homes for Unwanted Guests

I recently had a call from a reader for a roof repair. With all the rain we’ve had recently, it has been a very busy summer for remodeling professionals but this call was a bit different than your average leak. The reader had solar panels installed a few years ago and not long after, she had noticed debris peeking from underneath. Fast forward to this summer’s deluge of rain and the leaks began. 

When I got to the house, I knew immediately what had happened. Solar panels not only attract heat but also create shelter, offering two incentives for critters to build nests. Birds are one thing but small animals such as squirrels will actually chew right through the solar panel wiring as well as the roof’s shingles. In this reader’s case, the squirrels had indeed made a meal of the roof itself, causing water to get right through the plywood and into the attic. The repair entailed removing the solar panels and patching the roof to ensure it wouldn’t be susceptible to more leaks come winter. 

If you’re wondering how common this problem is, the answer is very. A solar panel makes the perfect home for an unwanted guest. It offers shelter, warmth, and easy access to food and nest-building materials. Once an animal has built a nest, it’s almost guaranteed that they are going to cause some damage unless their home is removed. 

So what’s to stop the critters from coming back? If you’ve invested in solar panels, it’s worth also protecting them from potential damage. Most solar panel companies offer a guard that works just the same as a garden fence - it protects the solar panel and underlying roof from nesting birds and animals. Nests themselves reduce the airflow underneath a solar panel, causing the area to heat up and lessen the efficiency of the system. Animals like squirrels love to chew and wiring is just plain fun to chomp right through, so you need to stop them in their tracks. 

If you’re just considering solar, don’t forget to ask your provider for an animal control solution. For those of you who have panels that aren’t protected, there are plenty of options available. To prevent unwanted guests, it’s simple to use wire mesh, but the key is to make sure there are no gaps as rodents can push themselves through tiny, seemingly impossible spaces. As with any roof work, don’t try to install a DIY solution yourself unless you are very comfortable on a ladder and have the proper safety equipment. A roofing contractor or your solar panel installer will be able to help you do the job safely. 

Bob O’Donnell is the owner of O’Donnell Bros. Inc., a Bristol-based home improvement company established in 1975. Email your questions to info@odonnellbros.com with the subject line “Ask the Pro.” All questions may be considered for publication. To contact Bob for your remodeling needs, call O’Donnell Bros. Inc. at (860) 589-5155 or visit http://www.odonnellbros.com. Advice is for guidance only.