Before the Snow Flies: A Late-Fall Home Checklist for London, Ontario

In London, the window between "leaves are falling" and "the hose is frozen to the driveway" is usually a few short weeks. The calls we get in January almost always trace back to something that could have been handled in November. Here's the list we walk through in our own homes.

Outside

• Drain and shut off outdoor taps. Close the shut-off valve inside the house, open the outdoor tap to let it drain, and take the hose off. A hose left connected traps water that can split the pipe inside your wall.
• Clear gutters and downspouts once most leaves are down. Blocked gutters are the number-one cause of ice dams and water in basements during the spring melt. Downspouts should drop water at least a metre or two from the foundation.
• Re-caulk gaps around windows, doors, dryer vents and anywhere pipes or cables enter the house. Exterior caulk needs temperatures above about 5 °C to cure, so don't leave it too late.
• Check railings and steps. Loose railings and rotten treads get a lot more dangerous once they're icy.
• Put the snow gear where you can reach it. Shovels, ice melt and a scraper by the door, not buried behind the patio furniture.

Inside

• Swap the furnace filter and book a furnace service if it hasn't had one in the last year.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. In Ontario, homes with a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace or attached garage need a working CO alarm outside every sleeping area.
• Test the sump pump by slowly pouring a bucket of water into the pit. It should kick on and empty it.
• Insulate exposed pipes in the garage, crawl space or along outside walls with foam pipe sleeves.
• Find your main water shut-off and make sure it actually turns. If a pipe ever lets go, you'll want to find it in seconds.

Don't want to spend a Saturday on a ladder?

That's what we're here for. ApexPlus can work through this whole list in a single visit, including gutters, caulking, tap shut-offs and a once-over of anything that looks like it won't survive the winter. Book a fall tune-up and we'll send you a short report of anything worth keeping an eye on.