On Tuesday the 10th of October, the City of Calgary imposed a complete ban on outside watering. This ban prohibits things like watering of lawns and washing cars. Any exterior use may result in a possible fine for anyone not observing this requirement.

Luckily, this imposed ban should remind you to turn off all your outside hose bibs and disconnect your hoses from the water supply.

Other items one should attend to relate to turning off the inside supply lines to your outside hose lines. Most newer homes have frost free hose bibs, nevertheless it’s important to shut off the interior lines, disconnect your hose lines and if you have an irrigation system, make sure you have booked the system for a “blow out” especially as the temperature gets below freezing. Irrigation lines for home systems are usually located only a few centimeters below grade. Should the pipes freeze and expand, the system gets damaged very easily and you are now faced with the problem of repairs. And finding where the pipes burst can be a hassle.

Now that you have taken care of the watering items, perhaps you should also look at the eaves troughs. If you live in an area with lots of trees, cleaning eaves troughs at least twice a year is required. For those who live in a bungalow, or a home with easy access to the roof, cleaning your eaves is easier than those who have a two story home.

Be careful when you use any ladder as an improperly used or placed ladder can cause severe injuries or even death. Try to keep the ladder’s feet on level ground. When placing your ladder against the eaves troughs, try and place the ladder rungs near a ferrule that holds the eaves troughs to the fascia. Eaves troughs are usually constructed from extruded aluminum and the material is very soft, so placing your ladder at or near the ferrule helps to avoid damage.

All eaves troughs should direct the water via down spouts to grade and take the water away from the foundation wall at least 1.2 to 1.4 metres. Down spouts should never cross sidewalks because they can be a trip hazard. Placing a post adjacent to the sidewalk and redirecting the downspout over the sidewalk and away from your homes foundation wall can resolve such tripping hazards.

As the heating season has commenced, a prudent home owner should consider having the furnace, ducts, and humidifier serviced. Furnace filters should be looked at every month during the heating season. Changing the disposable type of furnace filter should be undertaken at least three times a heating season. Remembering major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter can help you remember when to change your filter. If you have an electronic filter, or a filter that can be easily washed in the kitchen sink, clean it out on a monthly basis.

I would recommend cleaning your furnace ducts every two years if you have pets in the home. Longhair cats and dogs are animals that produce lots of hair and dander. As a consequence, it might be even wiser to clean your furnace on a yearly basis.

Humidifiers are also items that are commonly ignored by most homeowners. As several types of humidifiers are currently on the market, you should be familiar as to the type of humidifier in your own home.

A plate or box humidifier is usually the minimum type of humidifier provided in most homes. The humidifier usually can be found in the supply warm air plenum. Another type of humidifier is the drum humidifier, again usually not properly serviced because the drum gets brittle and the mechanisms for the float gets coated with the mineral products of Calgary’s hard water. The most effective humidifier you can own is a “flow thru” humidifier. This type of humidifier provides fresh moisture to the furnace duct system every time the furnace fires up and consequently a near by floor drain is necessary for this humidifier. In many cases I see many humidifiers have been disconnected because they leak. All humidifiers require a degree of servicing. Filters or media plates should be cleaned or replaced on a regular basis.

If your home has hardwood flooring, it is important to keep your humidifier in good working order. It is also important not to have an over abundant amount of humidity, as your windows will start to weep and moisture build up on the windowsill may damage the surrounding area. Remember, the colder it is outside, the less humidity you should introduce into your home.

It will soon be fire prevention week, and with this time of year consider checking your smoke alarm and also check your carbon monoxide detector. Smoke alarms should be replaced approximately every 10 years, as they often have built up dust and debris in the sensors and do not work effectively. Carbon monoxide detectors should be checked annually and replaced as recommended by the manufacturer.

As this time of year will see more usage of in-home fireplaces, my next article will relate to different types of fireplaces in your home, and what you should do to keep the fireplace properly maintained.

-The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and not necessarily those of the Calgary Real Estate News. Paul Tobolski RHI, DIPL. A.A. & T. (Architectural Technology) is the owner of Ability Home Inspections and can be reached at 519-6038 or 286-HOME(4663). Paul has over 35 years experience in the areas of design, construction, maintenance and inspection of homes. He has been a member of CAHPI (Ab.) since 1993 and is the past president of CAHPI (Ab.).