Fall home maintenance checklist

Creosote buildup is a flue fire waiting to happen.

Clogged gutters send water into the foundation.

A tune-up catches a cracked heat exchanger.

A dead detector is just a wall ornament.

Catch a small leak before it rots the deck.

Trapped water bursts the pipe in a freeze.

Water left in the lines splits them over winter.

Worn seals leak heat and money.

Blocked wells flood the basement.

Closing it right prevents freeze damage.

Protects the unit through the off-season.

Gaps let water and drafts straight in.

An untested generator won't start in the outage.

Packed soil shuts out water and air from the roots.

Grilles fur up with gray dust and puff it back into the room.

Grit clogs the weep holes and rot follows the water.

A thick wet layer left over winter smothers the grass dead.

Diseased debris overwinters in the beds and comes back in spring.

Caked grease flares up and blocked burners hide leaks.

Thick thatch blocks water and air from the roots.

Water left in freezes and splits the hose and the pipe.

Grass creeps the border and mulch spills the gap.

Feeds the lawn so weeds get less room.

A dry lock seizes, usually with you on the wrong side of it.

Thin mulch lets weeds in and dries the soil out.

Skip it and bare patches just hand the ground to weeds.

Limbs on the roof mean damage in the next storm.

Reverse it to push warm air back down.

Damp, dirty tools rust over winter and the rot is permanent.

Left out, winter cracks frames and rots cushions.

Stale fuel gums the carburetor over a cold winter.