FALL MAINTENANCE Time to button up the house for winter

You would be surprised at the way people neglect cleaning their eavestroughs. We find actual little trees growing up there!

KATHY FLAXMAN From Friday's Globe and Mail October 19, 2007

To a squirrel, the inside of your chimney is prime real estate.

Warm, and protected from the elements, it's the ideal location for a nest of twigs and leaves. If another nest or two is there already, they just build on. It's a squirrel thing.

But it's not just squirrels that can clog a chimney. Birds — sparrows, starlings, pigeons, chimney swifts — also may make nests there.

Homeowners need to check for obstructions at the beginning of fall, before they start using the fireplace. If a nest is clogging the chimney, smoke — dirty and toxic — will enter the house. The nest could also catch fire. And with an obstruction, the exhausting of carbon monoxide and moisture can be blocked.

A fall tradition - cleaning the gutters of leaves. Experts caution that mesh screens can provide a false sense of comfort - nothing beats getting on a ladder and going at it by hand. (MITCH AUNGER)

Cleaning out your chimney is one of several home maintenance jobs that should be done every autumn. They may not be fun, but they could save a homeowner a lot of trouble and money.

John Gross of John's Chimney Service in Toronto points to an added problem with chimneys: the damper that doesn't work properly.

"In the city of Toronto, a lot of the dampers are very old and rusted up, and don't work properly. They won't open all the way and smoke comes into the room," Mr. Gross explains.

And not just nests can create problems inside a chimney: If it's not regularly scraped, creosote can build up and ignite. "These [fires] are pretty intense and can cause the chimney itself to crack in two, a costly item to repair," he says.

Even if you don't have a fireplace, you're not necessarily out of the woods, he adds. "People need to remember that a lot of furnaces also have chimneys, and these need to be checked, too."

Richard Silver, a sales representative with Bosley Real Estate Ltd., points out that routine maintenance has a big impact on the value of a house.

"Even things like cleaning the filters in the furnace make a difference," he says. "When buyers have a house inspection, if they find out that small, routine things have been ignored, they wonder what else is wrong. In the case of a furnace, not taking care of it can shorten [its] life … necessitating replacement in 15 years when it would have lasted 25 years. That 10 years is worth a lot of money."

Another job that needs to be on the fall to-do list is cleaning eavestroughs. As the leaves tumble, cleaning them is important if you don't want water to overflow and seep under roof tiles, shingles and even the foundation.

Timing is everything: Clean the toughs too early and they will be refilled as leaves continue to fall. Leave it too late and the debris will be frozen and difficult to remove.

"The best time to have the eavestroughs cleaned varies from year to year," Charlie Robert of Sunnyside Window and Eaves Cleaning in Toronto explains. "Usually the leaves will really drop around mid-November. Some people like to get the eaves cleaned in the spring too, particularly if they have a lot of trees around their home."

Aron Gampel, whose North Toronto home has a large beech tree in front, has his cleaned three times a year.

"The trees around my home are tall and they drop everything — leaves, twigs, cones — and contribute greatly to the clogging of my eaves," he says. "If I were to let snow and ice accumulate on top of that, I could get water under my roof tiles. I have a heater — a wire in the eaves — that Sunnyside installed, … that stops water from freezing and allows it to move freely."

Electrical gutter cables, which are designed to prevent ice dams, come in a variety of lengths and prices.

Eavestrough aficionados are divided on the practice of using mesh over the top to prevent the accumulation of leaves and debris. Anyone who has fished a dead bird out of a drain in the spring may find the protection appealing, but Sunnyside's Mr. Robert cautions that the mesh can give homeowners a false sense of security.

"Sometimes people think because they have mesh on their eavestroughs they don't need to get them cleaned. What happens is the leaves accumulate on top of the mesh and then everything is blocked and all the water runoff problems occur," he says.

"I recommend using cone-shaped mesh blockers over the downspouts to catch things before they go down into the drains."

"You would be surprised at the way people neglect cleaning their eavestroughs," he adds. "We find actual little trees growing up there! Cleaning eaves and having the proper protective devices like the cones or the electrical heater, if you need them, doesn't cost much but will save headaches and money in the long run."

Graham Clarke, vice-president of engineering for building inspectors Carson Dunlop & Associates Ltd., would be the first to agree.

"Regular maintenance is critical," he says. The heating system, for instance, should be inspected and serviced every fall.

"You will pay more to run an inefficient heating system."

He adds: "If the eavestroughs are blocked, there can be mid-winter problems with freezing water and snow building up a dam and causing water to run down from the edge of the roof.

This can come right into a home through the foundation and cause water in the basement."

Some companies offer one-step home maintenance contracts in the fall — including furnace inspection and service, eavestrough cleaning, chimney inspection and cleaning. Many also offer e-mail reminder services, year round, to keep clients aware of when it's time to say, turn off the water leading to outside faucets, another fall job that should be on the check list.

"I like the idea of having one company do it all, " Mr. Clarke says. "The items, particularly in the fall, will all be somewhat related and a company like, say, Sears, will already deal in heating and will know all the jobs that need to be done."

Mr. Silver of Bosley Real Estate doesn't agree, however: "I prefer to hire contractors individually. Each trade is a specialty.

"I would add cleaning the windows to your list of fall jobs," he adds.

"What's the use of having a beautiful garden if you can't see it? The sun shines in the winter, too!"

Special to The Globe and Mail

FALL MAINTENANCE Time to button up the house for winter

You would be surprised at the way people neglect cleaning their eavestroughs. We find actual little trees growing up there!

KATHY FLAXMAN From Friday's Globe and Mail October 19, 2007

To a squirrel, the inside of your chimney is prime real estate.

Warm, and protected from the elements, it's the ideal location for a nest of twigs and leaves. If another nest or two is there already, they just build on. It's a squirrel thing.

But it's not just squirrels that can clog a chimney. Birds — sparrows, starlings, pigeons, chimney swifts — also may make nests there.

Homeowners need to check for obstructions at the beginning of fall, before they start using the fireplace. If a nest is clogging the chimney, smoke — dirty and toxic — will enter the house. The nest could also catch fire. And with an obstruction, the exhausting of carbon monoxide and moisture can be blocked.

A fall tradition - cleaning the gutters of leaves. Experts caution that mesh screens can provide a false sense of comfort - nothing beats getting on a ladder and going at it by hand. (MITCH AUNGER)

Cleaning out your chimney is one of several home maintenance jobs that should be done every autumn. They may not be fun, but they could save a homeowner a lot of trouble and money.

John Gross of John's Chimney Service in Toronto points to an added problem with chimneys: the damper that doesn't work properly.

"In the city of Toronto, a lot of the dampers are very old and rusted up, and don't work properly. They won't open all the way and smoke comes into the room," Mr. Gross explains.

And not just nests can create problems inside a chimney: If it's not regularly scraped, creosote can build up and ignite. "These [fires] are pretty intense and can cause the chimney itself to crack in two, a costly item to repair," he says.

Even if you don't have a fireplace, you're not necessarily out of the woods, he adds. "People need to remember that a lot of furnaces also have chimneys, and these need to be checked, too."

Richard Silver, a sales representative with Bosley Real Estate Ltd., points out that routine maintenance has a big impact on the value of a house.

"Even things like cleaning the filters in the furnace make a difference," he says. "When buyers have a house inspection, if they find out that small, routine things have been ignored, they wonder what else is wrong. In the case of a furnace, not taking care of it can shorten [its] life … necessitating replacement in 15 years when it would have lasted 25 years. That 10 years is worth a lot of money."

Another job that needs to be on the fall to-do list is cleaning eavestroughs. As the leaves tumble, cleaning them is important if you don't want water to overflow and seep under roof tiles, shingles and even the foundation.

Timing is everything: Clean the toughs too early and they will be refilled as leaves continue to fall. Leave it too late and the debris will be frozen and difficult to remove.

"The best time to have the eavestroughs cleaned varies from year to year," Charlie Robert of Sunnyside Window and Eaves Cleaning in Toronto explains. "Usually the leaves will really drop around mid-November. Some people like to get the eaves cleaned in the spring too, particularly if they have a lot of trees around their home."

Aron Gampel, whose North Toronto home has a large beech tree in front, has his cleaned three times a year.

"The trees around my home are tall and they drop everything — leaves, twigs, cones — and contribute greatly to the clogging of my eaves," he says. "If I were to let snow and ice accumulate on top of that, I could get water under my roof tiles. I have a heater — a wire in the eaves — that Sunnyside installed, … that stops water from freezing and allows it to move freely."

Electrical gutter cables, which are designed to prevent ice dams, come in a variety of lengths and prices.

Eavestrough aficionados are divided on the practice of using mesh over the top to prevent the accumulation of leaves and debris. Anyone who has fished a dead bird out of a drain in the spring may find the protection appealing, but Sunnyside's Mr. Robert cautions that the mesh can give homeowners a false sense of security.

"Sometimes people think because they have mesh on their eavestroughs they don't need to get them cleaned. What happens is the leaves accumulate on top of the mesh and then everything is blocked and all the water runoff problems occur," he says.

"I recommend using cone-shaped mesh blockers over the downspouts to catch things before they go down into the drains."

"You would be surprised at the way people neglect cleaning their eavestroughs," he adds. "We find actual little trees growing up there! Cleaning eaves and having the proper protective devices like the cones or the electrical heater, if you need them, doesn't cost much but will save headaches and money in the long run."

Graham Clarke, vice-president of engineering for building inspectors Carson Dunlop & Associates Ltd., would be the first to agree.

"Regular maintenance is critical," he says. The heating system, for instance, should be inspected and serviced every fall.

"You will pay more to run an inefficient heating system."

He adds: "If the eavestroughs are blocked, there can be mid-winter problems with freezing water and snow building up a dam and causing water to run down from the edge of the roof.

This can come right into a home through the foundation and cause water in the basement."

Some companies offer one-step home maintenance contracts in the fall — including furnace inspection and service, eavestrough cleaning, chimney inspection and cleaning. Many also offer e-mail reminder services, year round, to keep clients aware of when it's time to say, turn off the water leading to outside faucets, another fall job that should be on the check list.

"I like the idea of having one company do it all, " Mr. Clarke says. "The items, particularly in the fall, will all be somewhat related and a company like, say, Sears, will already deal in heating and will know all the jobs that need to be done."

Mr. Silver of Bosley Real Estate doesn't agree, however: "I prefer to hire contractors individually. Each trade is a specialty.

"I would add cleaning the windows to your list of fall jobs," he adds.

"What's the use of having a beautiful garden if you can't see it? The sun shines in the winter, too!"

Special to The Globe and Mail