Fall home maintenance checklist, by climate
Fall maintenance is about one deadline: getting the house ready before the first hard freeze and before you need the heat every day. That deadline arrives in August in interior Alaska and not until November or December along the Gulf Coast, so a single national checklist will have you working too early or too late.
The table shows the fall window for each climate zone and the tasks that fall inside it. Find your climate zone if you're not sure which row is yours.
Equipment tasks (pool, septic, sprinklers, chimney) only apply if your home has them. The calendar filters them for you.
The tasks that matter most
Protect anything that holds water outdoors. Disconnect and drain garden hoses, shut off and drain outdoor faucets, and winterize the sprinkler system before the first hard freeze. Water that freezes inside a pipe can split it. See how to prevent frozen pipes and when to winterize sprinklers.
Get the heating system checked before you need it. Book the furnace, boiler or heat pump tune-up a month or so before your heating season starts, when contractors are less busy. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, schedule the chimney inspection and sweep earlier still. See the tune-up schedule and when to clean your chimney.
Clear the gutters after the leaves fall. Clogged gutters overflow against the siding and foundation. In cold zones, clear gutters also let meltwater drain, although ice dams mostly come from warm air leaking into the attic, so check attic insulation and ventilation too. See when to clean your gutters.
Seal the gaps. Check caulking and weatherstripping around windows and doors before the coldest months. It's an inexpensive way to cut drafts.
Look at the roof. A quick look from the ground, with binoculars if you have them, catches loose or missing shingles before winter storms. See how often to inspect your roof.
Replace smoke alarm batteries. Many people do it when the clocks change in November. Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm while you're at it, since fall is when furnaces and fireplaces start running again. See smoke and CO alarm maintenance.
In warm climates
In zones 1 and 2, fall is mild and hard freezes are rare or absent. Your fall list is shorter: gutters after leaf drop, a roof check after hurricane season, alarm batteries, and a heating check in zone 2 before the few cold weeks of winter.
A plan for every month, not just fall
Fall is the busiest season, but it isn't the only one. The HouseByMonth calendar builds a 12-month plan for your ZIP code and the equipment in your home, and you can add it to your phone's calendar.
Want every task on one schedule? Build your free maintenance calendar for your ZIP code and add it to your phone.
