FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 12, 2017 • AT HOME • THE QUEENS COURIER 53
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5 Eff ortless DIY Projects to Prep Your Home for Fall -- and Beyond
No matter where you live in the country,
the colder months are synonymous
with the indoor months. Your home
becomes your refuge as well as your sanctuary.
But as you prepare for the cold
yourself, you may not realize your home
needs some preparation as well. Now’s
the perfect opportunity to begin those
projects before fall gives way entirely to
winter.
Below are fi ve DIY projects you can
tackle in a single Saturday with minimal
expense and experience needed, each of
which will make the upcoming seasons
cozier for you and your family.
• Winterize your AC/water lines. Your
air conditioner and your outdoor faucets
are mainstays all summer, but as
cooler temperatures set in, it’s time to
retire them for the year. Start by draining
your hoses and air conditioner pipes
to remove excess water. Next, be sure all
exterior water faucets are tightly sealed
and your AC system is turned off - if
your unit has such a switch.
• Seal up those hidden gaps and cracks.
Small cracks along the borders of your
windows or doors are easy to go unnoticed,
but you’ll feel their presence on
your monthly energy bills. Don’t let
warm air escape your home through
these openings. Seal them by applying
GREAT STUFF(TM) Window & Door
Insulating Foam Sealant. Th ese easy-touse
foam sealants can tackle any small
opening in your windows or doors to
help keep your home energy effi cient
and prevent those costly air leaks.
• Keep your furnace and its surrounding
area clean. Changing your furnace fi lter
regularly (cleaning schedule dependent
on your type of furnace) keeps your
furnace running effi ciently and protects
your home’s air quality. However,
it’s also one of the most easily forgotten
chores. To avoid missing this task,
set a date you’ll remember - such as the
fi rst of the month - and follow it rigidly.
In addition, be sure the area around
your furnace is clear of clutter so you
don’t accidentally create a potential fi re
hazard.
• Block out unwanted guests. We’re
not talking about your in-laws here.
As temperatures drop, the warmth of
your home becomes even more appealing
for unwanted pests. Use GREAT
STUFF(TM) Pestblock Insulating Foam
Sealant to seal the areas around bathroom
plumbing and any outdoor openings
that pests may use to enter your
home.
• Insulate your pipes. If you live in a part
of the country where your pipes are in
danger of freezing during winter, insulating
them can protect against pipe
rupture. Wrap exterior pipes in a versatile,
moisture-resistant, high-compressive
foam to ward against pipe freezing
and ensure your pipes come into
spring in the same shape you left them
in the fall.
Our homes are only growing increasingly
vulnerable with the changing of the
seasons. So, what are you waiting for?
Tackling any of these projects will have
a dramatic eff ect on your home’s cold
weather preparedness - and the energy
bill savings will be great on your wallet,
too.
Courtesy BPT
Two roof areas you can’t aff ord to overlook this season
As summer gives way to changing colors
and colder nights, now is an ideal time
to tackle the necessary home maintenance
projects that get put off during those sunfi
lled months - especially when it comes
to one of the most protective and necessary
aspects of any home, the roof. Cold
weather can aggravate a roof and quickly
turn minor defects into costly repair bills; in
fact, the latest “Cost vs. Value” report from
Remodeling Magazine estimates the average
roofi ng replacement cost at over $20,000.
So, whether you’ve already noticed signs
of wear on your roof or just want more
“overhead” peace of mind, pay special
attention to two seemingly small aspects of
the roof that homeowners oft en overlook:
Seal it, patch it
Be sure to check for any gaps around
gutters, skylights and roofi ng vents then
utilize the correct caulking, patching and
sealants. Th e easy act of sealing these
areas can make a big diff erence in keeping
out moisture and reducing heating
costs - and many sealants are especially
designed to adhere directly onto exterior
surfaces. Even the tiniest cracks and gaps
can allow moisture to enter, not to mention
rodents, squirrels and other unwelcome
varmints.
Don’t be a welcome
mat for squirrels
Another area to closely inspect are the
roof venting pipes. One of the more common
roof problems involves cracked
rooft op venting pipes made with cheap
lead tops as they eventually corrode over
time. To make matters worse, squirrels
and other critters are known to relentlessly
chew their way into a home via
these thin pipe fl ashings as the lead entices
these unwelcome varmints to gnaw at
them, thus providing interior access for
damaging rain, snow and more pests once
whittled away.
“Squirrel infestation is a very big problem
throughout many areas of the United
States, especially older homes,” explains
Amanda Williams, marketing manager
at Quarrix. “Th is is exactly why we developed
a durable, lead-free and easy-to-install
vent pipe fl ashing called Pipe Boot
that simply slides over the existing vent,
nails into place, and then twists securely
to form a weather-tight seal.” With Pipe
Boot, no specialty installation tools are
needed as the telescoping sleeve allows
for varying pipe sizes and can withstand
frigid winter temperatures via a patented
design. It comes in four color options,
and is paintable to cleverly camoufl age the
vent pipes, reducing unwanted sight-lines.
Enlist the pros quickly
when there’s trouble
Waiting too late to call in a certifi ed professional
can lead to much bigger issues.
For example, squirrels quickly reproduce
and can potentially gnaw on electrical
wiring or crawl into diffi cult-to-reach
wall spaces, making extraction a nightmare.
It’s a wise move to seek out a reputable
roofi ng specialist, especially when
it involves roof damage from weather or
critters, or both.
Th e roof is no place to cut corners, and
no matter the season, even seemingly
minor roofi ng issues can put your home
and valuables at risk. To learn more about
preventing costly squirrel damage on the
roof with a lead-free Quarrix Pipe Boot
or review a thorough seasonal roof maintenance
checklist, simply visit: Quarrix.
com/Checklist or call 800-438-2920 for
more information.
Courtesy BPT
A lead-free and paintable telescoping sleeve can cleverly camoufl age roof vent pipes and reduce
unwanted sight-lines.
A common roof problem involves cracked rooftop venting pipes made with cheap lead tops that
eventually corrode over time versus a lead-free option.