Home Maintenance Tips for the Fall Season

3 Simple Winterization Steps for Your Lawn Tractor

Before putting your tractor away for the winter, take a few quick steps to avoid issues in the spring:

1. Prevent Engine Corrosion: Moisture in an idle engine can cause rust. To stop this, "fog" the engine by spraying an oily mist into each cylinder. Just remove the spark plugs, spray some aerosol fogging oil (available at auto parts stores), and reinstall the plugs.

2. Protect the Battery: A battery that isn’t fully charged can suffer permanent damage, especially in cold weather. Hook the battery up to a charger and charge it until the voltage reads 12.7 volts.

3. Stabilize the Fuel: Gas left sitting in the tank can clog the fuel system, leading to costly repairs. Add a fuel stabilizer like STA-BIL or Seafoam before storing the tractor. (It’s also a good idea to use a stabilizer year-round.) Stabilizers don’t work well with ethanol-blended gas, so if you’re unsure about the fuel, run the engine until the tank is empty.

Winterizing Your Gas Grill

If you don’t plan to grill during the winter, now’s the time to store your grill before it's buried under snow. After giving it a thorough cleaning to remove grease and food residue, follow these steps to ensure a hassle-free grilling season next spring:

1. Shut off the gas at the LP tank, detach the burner, remove the gas tubes, and take out the unit. Apply a layer of cooking oil to the burners and other metal parts to protect them from moisture and rust. Wrap the burner unit in a plastic bag to prevent spiders and insects from nesting in the gas tubes—a common issue that can cause poor starts, uneven flames, or even fires.

2. If you're storing your grill outdoors, leave the propane tank connected (but turned off) and cover the grill with a protective cover once cleaned. If storing indoors, disconnect the propane tank and leave it outside, upright, away from vents or play areas. Never store the tank indoors, as even a small leak can lead to a dangerous explosion. Finally, cover the grill’s gas line opening with a plastic bag to keep bugs out.

How to Winterize Your Sprinkler System

You can either hire a professional to blow out your sprinkler system each year or tackle it yourself with an air compressor. The key is ensuring no water remains in the lines, as any leftover moisture can freeze and cause pipes to burst. Keep in mind that even the largest home compressors can’t handle the entire system at once, so you’ll need to blow it out zone by zone.

If you have your original irrigation layout, you can calculate the cubic feet per minute (cfm) needed to blow out each zone. Divide the total gallons per minute (gpm) of the zone by 7.5 to find the cfm. If you don't have this information, just rent a 10-cfm compressor and hose from a local tool rental shop.

Set the compressor’s air pressure to a maximum of 80 psi for rigid PVC systems or 50 psi for flexible black polyethylene systems. Turn off the water supply and set the timer to open one zone at a time. If there's a manual drain valve at the end of the zone, open it as well.

Next, close both valves on the backflow preventer and remove the plug on the blow-out port. Attach a quick-connect hose adapter, connect the air hose, and blow out the zone. Once the sprinkler heads pop up and expel water, disconnect the hose immediately.

Avoid overdoing it, as the plastic gears inside the heads can melt in less than a minute without water to cool them. Move to the next zone and allow the heads to cool before repeating the process. For good measure, blow out each zone twice.

Winterize Your Pressure Washer or Risk Ice Damage

I once had an electric pressure washer—emphasis on had. A few years ago, I left it in the garage over winter without draining the pump. The water inside froze and expanded, and when I tried to use it the following spring, water sprayed out from everywhere except the nozzle. I learned the hard way that I should have disconnected the hoses and used a pump antifreeze/lubricant like Pump Saver from Briggs & Stratton. This product pushes out the water and replaces it with antifreeze and lubricant to protect the pump. You can find pump antifreeze/lubricants at most home improvement stores.

Protect Your A/C Compressor From Falling Icicles

There's no need to completely wrap your air conditioner for the winter—many manufacturers actually discourage it, as it can attract rodents and trap moisture, leading to premature corrosion. However, placing a piece of plywood on top of the unit is a smart way to shield it from potential damage caused by falling icicles.

Drain Your Garden Hoses or End Up Replacing Them

I’ll admit, I’ve occasionally been too lazy to drain my garden hoses before winter. Most of the time, it’s fine, but every now and then, frozen water splits a hose wide open. I’ve lost a few cheap ones this way, and even an expensive one (ouch!). It’s a needless expense because draining hoses is quick and simple: either blow out the water with an air compressor or stretch them out on a sloped yard or driveway to let the water drain out.

Gutter Cleaner Tip

An old plastic spatula works perfectly for cleaning debris from gutters! It won't scratch the surface, and you can easily trim it with snips to match the gutter’s shape. Plus, grime wipes off easily, making cleanup quick and simple. Not in the mood for all that effort?