Water left in an outdoor faucet or hose can freeze, expand and split the pipe inside your wall, and you often won’t know until you turn it on in Spring. Disconnect and drain your hoses, shut off the indoor valve that feeds each outdoor faucet, then open the faucet outside to let it drain. If you have an irrigation system, have it blown out before temperatures drop. Clear the gutters once the leaves are down. Blocked gutters overflow, soak the ground around your foundation and, in freezing weather, can lead to ice dams along the roof edge. While you're up there, check that every downspout carries water well away from the house. Get your heating ready. Book a heating tune-up before the busy season starts, replace your HVAC filters, and if you have radiators, bleed them so they heat evenly. Test your thermostat now, not on the first cold night. Check the safety basics. Replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and test each one. Clean out the dryer vent too: lint build-up is a fire risk, and dryers tend to work harder in winter. Seal the drafts. Look for worn weather-stripping on exterior doors, and check that every window closes and locks tightly. Take down insect screens if you swap them for storm windows. Small gaps add up to noticeably higher heating bills. Put summer away, and get ready for snow. Clean and cover the grill, store or cover patio furniture, and bring in anything that could crack in the cold. Then confirm your snow removal contract is active and keep a supply of rock salt by the doors. That's a full afternoon or two of work, and it's exactly what our seasonal visits are designed for. If you'd rather spend those weekends with your family, we'll take care of it.