Before Freezing Weather: A Simple Indiana Fall Home Check

You don’t need an entire Saturday to start getting your home ready for colder weather. A short walk around the house can help you catch an overlooked task, spot a drainage concern, or discover something you’d rather address before a cold night.

Clay Burris recommends starting with the garden hose.

“Getting your home ready for colder weather doesn’t have to turn into a long list of projects,” Clay says. “I’d start with something simple that’s easy to overlook: unhooking the garden hoses from the outdoor spigots.”

It’s a small task with a practical purpose. From there, focus your attention on outdoor water connections, drainage, and heating. The goal is to know what needs attention and take the next useful step.

First, disconnect the garden hoses
Turn off outdoor faucets, disconnect the hoses, and drain and store them when you’re finished using them for the season. If a mild Indiana afternoon brings you back outside to water or clean up, disconnect the hose again afterward.

As Clay explains, a hose left attached can keep a frost-free faucet from draining properly. Trapped water can freeze and damage the faucet. Standard frost-free designs depend on proper installation and drainage, so “frost-free” doesn’t mean maintenance-free.

Disconnecting the hose is the starting point. Preparing the faucet depends on your plumbing. Some setups have an indoor shutoff and a draining procedure. If you’re unfamiliar with yours, check the manufacturer’s instructions or ask a plumber to explain what it needs.

Give irrigation systems, outdoor kitchens, and other outdoor plumbing their own line on your list. Those systems may need separate winterizing service; removing the garden hoses doesn’t prepare them.

Next, follow the rainwater
Walk around the house and look at the gutters, downspouts, and places where water leaves them. You can make this first check from the ground.

Look for:

• Visible leaf buildup or overflowing gutters. Have you noticed water spilling over the edge during rain?
• Loose or displaced connections. Is a downspout disconnected, or has an extension been pushed aside?
• Water collecting near the house. Does runoff flow away from the foundation, or settle beside it?

Gutters and downspouts should carry roof runoff away from the foundation. Keeping that route working is an important part of managing moisture around the home.

If you spot a problem, your next step might be reconnecting an accessible extension or arranging gutter cleaning. You don’t need to climb a ladder to make the walk-through worthwhile.

With mature trees, leaves may continue falling after the gutters are cleaned. Plan another look once more leaves are down. And if the drainage path isn’t clear, watch what happens during the next rain. A photo of overflowing water or a recurring puddle gives a professional something specific to evaluate.

Inside, check the heat before you need it most
Confirm that your heating system responds to the thermostat and warms the home as expected. If it doesn’t, schedule service rather than leaving the question for the next cold night.

If your system has a filter you maintain, check its condition and follow the equipment instructions for cleaning or replacement. Use the specified size and type. The Department of Energy recommends regular filter checks and annual professional maintenance for furnaces and heat pumps.

Then check exterior doors and windows for noticeable drafts, damaged weatherstripping, or a gap beneath a door. Repairing worn weather sealing can help reduce air leakage. A draft is a reason to investigate; it doesn’t automatically mean you need replacement windows.

Finish with a short list you can act on
Before you move on with your day, write down anything unfinished:

• Do: A simple task you can safely handle.
• Confirm: Something you need to learn about your home or equipment.
• Schedule: Work that needs professional attention.

If an association handles exterior maintenance, confirm which items it covers.

Your list may be only a few lines long. That’s enough to turn “we should get ready for winter” into something manageable.

“Small home checks now can help prevent bigger problems later,” Clay says.

If you’re unsure what to make of something you noticed, we invite you to email Clay at [email protected]. He’d be glad to listen, help you sort through the next step, or help you find someone qualified to assess it. And if you have another real estate question, whether you’re planning a move or simply caring for the home you love, he’d welcome that conversation, too.