Our Fall Checklist Special. Those projects you should tackle before winter hits

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[00:00:23] Eric Goranson: So let's think about how that roof system works. Most people look up and don't think about how the air needs to come in through those soft events. That's that flat part of the roof down there, above the. That, uh, let's air up through there. So there's vents there that goes up, and then it either goes through a ridge vent or roof vent, maybe with a combination of vents on the gable ends.

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[00:01:01] Intro: covered this. On the house.

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[00:01:10] Eric Goranson: Thanks for joining me today. Well, you know, it's been an interesting fall here across the country. Some places, you know, it's been very cold. Some places it's been very wet and you know, we're no different. Out here in the Pacific Northwest where I'm located now, we have had this summer that has been absolutely amazing.

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[00:01:53] Eric Goranson: It is wonderful. It's one of my favorite seasons. And so right now we're kind of getting a little bit of that extended summer, which to me [00:02:00] personally, I'd like to dial back and get into fall, but now that we're kind of getting more serious into fall and we're getting into places across the country that are starting to get snow flurries and have been getting snow flurries for a while, it is time to have this discussion and we are today.

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[00:02:44] Eric Goranson: So we're gonna get down into the basics here, and some of this is gonna be for, uh, our more, more Nu Northern folks. And of course we'll have stuff for our Plenty of Southern listeners as well. But for everybody in the north, this one's for. Before freezing weather arrives, remove [00:03:00] the garden hose from the hose bibs drain in store for the winter, and then put those insulation bibs around there.

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[00:03:26] Eric Goranson: And that's a key right there. So that's one of the big ones right there to do that and make sure that you've got that drained, ready to go, and you can put 'em away. It just cleans up the outside of the house anyway. Might as well not have those things out there freezing and getting hurt in the winter time.

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[00:04:02] Eric Goranson: We rarely do that here, which we don't really get that cold. But growing up in the, the high desert of eastern Washington and eastern Oregon, that is something you do every year and you hook up the air compressor to it and blew all of that water outta there, so that way it doesn't freeze and blow up pipes because that is how you.

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[00:04:44] Eric Goranson: Now, here's a big one. This is like one of the biggest ones. If you are in an area where winter time is we. Or snowy, you need to clear out the window. Wells, gutters, downspouts, and storm [00:05:00] drains. So I just went through and did mine here last weekend. I got up on the roof. My little secret to doing that is of course, always be safe when you get on the roof.

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[00:05:25] Eric Goranson: And, uh, it could get you from, uh, really getting hurt up there. And it's not that hard to put those rings across the top and have 'em professionally mounted up there. You know and have it put in, and then you can get up on the roof anytime you want with a fall protection system. And guess what? It's gonna keep you a lot safer.

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[00:06:02] Eric Goranson: So that's on the, uh, Eric g to-do list. My guts definitely have to get cleaned out five or six times a year. They get filled up with junk. I have fur trees all around my property and uh, they drop stuff continuously 365 days a year. So I have to clean those things out. But I've got mine cleaned out and the storm drain system, I'm not talking just like out by the street.

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[00:06:55] Eric Goranson: And, uh, many new homes today. They let they, um, they do that already, but make [00:07:00] sure that that water gets away from that foundation, cuz I can promise you that water will damage the foundation and cause major issues to your foundation if you don't get that taken care of. So make sure you go through there, get it cleaned up, get those things and get that water going away.

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[00:07:37] Eric Goranson: We're just trying to keep things. Operating as they should. And then here's a big one. Inspect weather. Stripping on windows and doors for fit and condition. Replace as necessary. This is super common. Front doors get a lot of traffic, you know, patio doors sometimes need adjusting. These are all things that you can do to take a look and uh, easy way to do it is to, uh, on a bright [00:08:00] sunny day, go outside and.

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[00:08:25] Eric Goranson: So it doesn't matter if you're electric, heat, gas, heat, or what. Anytime you can do something that's gonna save you a couple bucks, especially with what electricity and gas is costing us, things are not getting any cheaper. So this is a great way to save some money. Just doing that can save you some serious money out there.

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[00:09:04] Eric Goranson: Now, of course, if you're only using a couple times, get it done a couple times a year, but really have that thing taken care of. Maintenance, I don't wanna see a chimney fire or carbon monoxide getting into a, a second story room just because there's a crack in that liner or something. And then also, if you have that inspected, you can make sure that they, uh, everything is sealed up there on the top so it's not leaking in.

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[00:09:54] Intro: Hey, this is

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[00:10:11] Intro: Ready Bring you Cause I'm never going home, nobody.

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[00:10:21] Eric Goranson: back to the Around the House Show. Now I gotta give some props so my good friend. And Luke, if you've been watching him on The Voice, he has been owning it. He's the kid that if you saw a 22 year old out of Bothell, I have been working with him on his career since he was about 16, helping him out.

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[00:11:02] Eric Goranson: Of course, they're not dating, but that's what's going on. It has been fun to watch somebody that I know very well showing up on national tv. And geez, even a clip last week that was on, uh, Jimmy Kim. And, uh, that breaking news. So there is so much going on with him right now. So, uh, if you wanna check that out, you, of course you can watch over.

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[00:11:45] Eric Goranson: For that fall weather. Next one up here on the list is, you know, make sure that all your soft events and other venting systems are clear of debris. So let's think about how that roof system works. Most people look up and don't [00:12:00] think about how the air needs to come in through those soft events, and that's that flat part of the roof down there, above the sighting that, uh, lets air up through there.

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[00:12:36] Eric Goranson: So a lot of things happen. People will go in there and blow an insulation. They want better if energy efficiency, They block up those vents and you don't have that intake coming through there. And you don't have the exhaust coming out the top. If you just have exhaust coming out the top, you have a hot attic space or you get condensation in there.

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[00:13:15] Eric Goranson: So that's an important thing. Make sure you get that pulled back from those vents. Uh, something can happen too if you're up there working. Those are things that, uh, are very simple to do, but could save you some serious money. Now the next one here is if you've got brick or concrete block construction.

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[00:13:50] Eric Goranson: What I worry about the most is when we're seeing in basements, when you have that concrete block found. Make sure that you've got that sealed up correctly. And if you've [00:14:00] got big cracks, it's something you want to keep an eye on because if you've got some, uh, settling on the foundation, I want you to make sure and check that because that can become a bigger issue.

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[00:14:31] Eric Goranson: Again, I've talked about it in future episode, uh, past episodes. If you just go through and look at it under, uh, foundation repair and that can be done pretty easily, but make sure you got that stuff taken care of. Uh, that will be a big one to keep water from coming in the house or basement, and that'll save you some serious money in the long run.

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[00:15:09] Eric Goranson: These are all things that, uh, that you need to go around and make sure you've got it taken care of, especially when we're coming into the winter weather. When you're gonna put that paint through, its. Make sure that you've got that taken care of. And you know something, if you're actually in the south, maybe southern California, Texas, Florida, wherever else you are, it's a great time of year.

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[00:15:51] Eric Goranson: Make sure you've got that cleaned up and um, you know, clean it up, get it ready, get it prepped and you'll be good to go. That paint can last a long time, [00:16:00] as long as you maintain it. Um, I've been going around recently and knocking down all the spiders cuz we get here in the woods. Lots of garden spiders up there, so I'm trying to keep them off the house so it doesn't look like I'm fully decorated for h.

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[00:16:32] Eric Goranson: And take a look at the s saco caulking out there, it's easy to work with. It stretches and uh, they have stuff that's made for, of course, regular sighting. They've got stuff that's actually made. For concrete and stucco that has, uh, sand in it. So it's got that grit so it looks like it's supposed to be there versus going over with a, a caulking over stucco looks really horrible.

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[00:17:10] Eric Goranson: Inspect for broken and cracked glass damaged screens, or get your storm windows in and replace. Now I've gotta do some damage on one of my screens. I wanna get that taken care of. Now it's a good time to do it. I'm not using that screen as much so I can take it in the garage and, uh, replace the screen in there.

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[00:17:45] Eric Goranson: So that can be really handy. To get that cleaned up. And here's the big one right here. If you've got those older windows like a glazing compound, so you've got those historical wood windows, make sure that that putty is in good shape around there. That stuff [00:18:00] tends to crack out. And if you've gotta relace some windows, you can get the materials for that.

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[00:18:26] Eric Goranson: All right, when we come back, we have got more of the home maintenance checklist for fall, just as soon

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[00:18:58] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the Around The [00:19:00] House Show. If you wanna get ahold of me, there's a lot of different ways to do that. You can head over to around the house online.com and hit the Contact us. That will end up in my inbox or one of my team's inbox. And I will get back to you. I answer every single email out there personally.

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[00:19:33] Eric Goranson: That is our group of experts from around the world. We've got people from everywhere. It doesn't matter if you're looking here in the United States, Canada, all of you guys out there that I see in Ireland and England, all of you out there, India, we have so many people out there with their home improvement questions, and we have some of the best of the best in this group.

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[00:20:19] Eric Goranson: Now we've been talking about our fall maintenance checklist here today, and, uh, let's keep going on this one. Here's a big one. If you are in a northern state that is fairly wet, like me, for instance, inspect that roof for moss or hail damage and treat as necessary, and make sure all you're flashing in pipe jack.

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[00:21:09] Eric Goranson: And those granules are what protect that roof. So make sure that you clean that roof per the manufacturer's instructions. And yes, each company has their instructions of what to. You can use zinc strips across the top. I use some of the powders and it keeps my roof, which is, you know, on its last 10 years.

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[00:21:45] Eric Goranson: I have that in some, uh, ice shield ready to go just in case we get some damage. It will stop a lot of sun sins quickly. If you do have damage, you can get that fixed up pretty quickly, so make sure you've got that all taken care of. Pipe jacks. Now, [00:22:00] if you don't know what I'm talking about with that, that is that piece of metal that goes around the vent pipe or even electrical that comes up through the house roof Now, If it's electrical, be careful up there.

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[00:22:26] Eric Goranson: Those vent pipes, make sure that that rubber seal that goes around that is in good condition. And if it's not, maybe you need to do some repair work on that and get that ready to go because, uh, water can leak down there. It will look like you have a leak in a pipe someplace, cuz it's gonna show up in a bathroom or a kitchen or any place close to that.

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[00:23:01] Eric Goranson: You know, if you're in the, uh, hot desert, make sure you got all the dirt and dust off there. I like to make sure and clean in between wood duck boards as well. Get out there, get that cleaned up because if you have dirt sitting in between or leaves or anything like that, sitting between those deck boards on the framing, That's what causes rot and will cause the premature failure of the deck.

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[00:23:40] Eric Goranson: Yeah. They're actually good for something and it's good for cleaning the deck, so I don't do any damage to it if. You got a better pressure washer, just hold it back. Don't have such a crazy tip on it, but you can wash everything off and get it cleaned up that way. Now, if you do have a deck that needs resurfacing, now's not a bad time to [00:24:00] do it, but, uh, you wanna make sure that that thing hasn't had rain on it.

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[00:24:21] Eric Goranson: Inspect for rodent damage, repair any holes. I was standing there at my little bar the other day here that's in my living room, and you might have seen some pictures up about that. I have this really cool bar, seventies bar in my living room, sitting there making a cocktail. I look out in the little dog area to the side outside of my house.

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[00:25:00] Eric Goranson: I'm gonna go around and check every single one of those foundation event. And make sure those things are closed up cuz I don't want that critter in my crawlspace and trying to get up into my house someplace, cuz that's the last thing I need. So stay on top of those roading things. And if you've got a lot of mice and you've got a lot of rats and it's a problem down in your crawlspace sometimes guys, it's better.

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[00:25:42] Eric Goranson: While you're going around and if you find those holes, those cracks, those kind of things, what you can do is they make some spray foam. I think it's big stuff that makes it, and it is a rodents proof spray foam. I don't know if it's got cayenne pepper in it or what, but it is made so if rodents [00:26:00] eat on it, they do not like it.

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[00:26:20] Eric Goranson: But, uh, like all spray foams, wear the gloves with the eye production. That stuff's nasty. And the last thing you want is all over you, your hands or the side of the house. So that's a big one right there. Now, inspecting the gutters and down spots we talked about, but make sure they're draining correctly.

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[00:27:00] Eric Goranson: Because I had a problem like that. You know what I was doing is it was plugged by some roots in there and the builder had attached the low point drain in the crawlspace to that. Well, that's great if it's all draining correctly. But if it's not, I was loading up water, roof water into my crawlspace cuz it was back flowing up into that.

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[00:27:39] Eric Goranson: Make sure that it's going and you might have to air jet that thing out with water and, uh, clean that thing up so you're good to go. Cuz that can be an issue if you're, if you're not having that drain, you don't wanna see those gutters overflow that will cause water damage to the outside of your house or inside the house.

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[00:28:13] Eric Goranson: We wanna make sure that you are set to go. All right guys, we'll wrap up this fall checklist just as soon as around the house returns.

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[00:29:07] Eric Goranson: We've got the answers for. Now I have one favor to ask you out there. If you get a chance, if you're following us or listening to us on the podcast, make sure you follow. We'd love some great reviews on it. It's been a while since I've asked for reviews, but, uh, great reviews help us and, uh, please share this with a friend as well.

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[00:29:47] Eric Goranson: I would appreciate it. And you know something, you'll look like the smartest person in the room anyway. Well, we've been talking about my fall maintenance checklist here, that we've done this for years. This was actually handed down to me from the previous host of Around the [00:30:00] House. So this, uh, list is at least 20 years old and growing.

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[00:30:24] Eric Goranson: If you're in Texas time to make sure that furnace and AC is going because you could have both of those run on this season. And you know something? I will tell you what, every single time I have been burned by an H V A C system that let me down, it was because I didn't get my maintenance done. And it would've been something that people would've caught if they'd have been looking at that thing every year.

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[00:31:10] Eric Goranson: And it's a good thing to have that cleaned out and ready to go. So that will end up having a healthier home. And of course, get those furnace filters changed while you're doing that. And, uh, make sure that you are ready to go for winter time, whether it's. Heat kick it on and you're trying to get yourself warm or the ac trying to keep it down out there as well.

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[00:31:55] Eric Goranson: Now, if you're gonna do some treatment to your main sewer line or something, that's a different story. But you're not using acids for those [00:32:00] anyway, or caustic stuff. So you wanna make sure and go that direction. So get it cleaned out. It's not something you're doing for fall, it's just something you should do on a, on a, you know, every four to six month thing.

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[00:32:38] Eric Goranson: You know when you turn that water on in the kitchen sink or maybe the master bathroom, you turn in the shower and you gotta wait like two minutes for the hot water to get there. Why not insulate that and make it so it doesn't lose the heat so bad? Maybe it's only a minute instead of two, maybe you don't get that temperature drop as much because it stays warmer in that pipe.

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[00:33:16] Eric Goranson: I insulated all the pipes up there and it definitely made a difference on getting warmer water to that. And I have less of a temperature drop from point A, which is my water heater to point B, which is whatever the faucet or dishwasher, whatever's using it. Now, another one here is good test all your smoke detectors.

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[00:33:51] Eric Goranson: So, uh, I'm a big fan of that. Uh, and you could also tell when there's fire, carbon monoxide, that kind of stuff before it happens cuz it'll warn you, Hey, I'm starting [00:34:00] to notice some smoke and you can maybe get on it before things get outta control. Cuz many times for the time that smoke detector's going.

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[00:34:26] Eric Goranson: Nobody goes around and does it, but make sure you get those things tested. Now, ironically, during Christmas light season, I'm sorry. If you're putting Christmas lights up right now and it's before Thanksgiving, shame on you. I'm gonna shame you on that one. I'm a, I'm a purist. Don't put those up unless you've got bad weather out there.

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[00:35:09] Eric Goranson: It's the one in the bathroom you don't use. Maybe it's the one in the powder room. That thing is the one that is kicking off your Christmas lights, cuz maybe you've got a short, or maybe you've got it loaded up cuz you've got some old school lights out there. That is the number one cause of your Christmas light's not working right.

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[00:35:44] Eric Goranson: This is all stuff that, uh, is important. Smoke detectors have a 10 year lifespan, like milk in your fridge. After 10 years, you should replace that. So when you have the cover off, look at the manufacturer date and if it's been a decade, [00:36:00] time to change some newer technologies. So that's a little good DIY project and I will give you a hint right here for this if you are unable to get up.

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[00:36:32] Eric Goranson: So there's a tip right there. Lean on your fire department. I would call and say, Hey, when you guys get a moment, could you come by and help me with. I bet you that they're gonna come over and help you out with that. I know my fire department well, and I've had many that will do that as part of just a community service because they wanna make sure that you are safe out there, and that is something that I think is super important.

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[00:37:18] Eric Goranson: When you get into the flower, you get into the rice. If you don't have those things sealed up or you just got the bag rolled up or the box half open because you can get those little. Little worms and stuff in there, and it's gross. Then you gotta go through and throw everything away in the pantry and make sure that you're not getting your extra protein with that.

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[00:37:53] Eric Goranson: You go down in that crawlspace or basement, look for cracks, look for water damage, and if you've got [00:38:00] cracks, make some notes. Take some pictures, draw a line across it. See if things are moving. This way you can document things getting worse because you wanna sit there and notice it. Pull boxes away from the wall.

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[00:38:28] Eric Goranson: So when it needs to come on, it comes on. It will save you money in the long run and uh, it'll keep that a much more usable space down there in the summertime. It'll save you money cuz you're not taking that humidity out of the air. And that's the key. All right, everybody, if you want a copy of this list.

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[00:39:07] Eric Goranson: Right everybody. Time to get outta here. Thanks for listening to Around the House

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