7 Home Maintenance Tasks Every Joplin Homeowner Should Do Before Winter

Winters in Joplin bring freezing nights, ice storms, and biting wind, and a home that isn't ready for it can end up with frozen pipes, high heating bills, or an emergency furnace repair on the coldest day of the year. The good news: most winter prep is quick, cheap, and easy to knock out in a single weekend. Here are the 7 tasks worth putting on your list before the temperature drops.

1. Seal Drafts Around Doors and Windows

Run your hand around the edges of exterior doors and windows on a windy day. If you feel a draft, it's letting cold air in and warm air out all winter long. Weatherstripping and a tube of caulk are inexpensive fixes that pay for themselves fast in lower heating bills. Pay extra attention to older windows and any door leading to an unheated garage.

2. Clean and Inspect Your Gutters

Clogged gutters cause ice dams that can back water up under your shingles and into your attic. Clear out leaves and debris, then check that downspouts are directing water at least a few feet away from your foundation. This is a job that gets riskier once ice sets in, so it's best done in the fall.

3. Schedule Furnace and HVAC Maintenance

A furnace that hasn't been serviced in a year is more likely to fail on the coldest night, and a dirty filter makes it work harder than it should. Replace the filter now, and if it's been a year or more since your last tune-up, get the system inspected before you're relying on it every day.

4. Drain and Disconnect Outdoor Faucets and Hoses

A garden hose left connected over winter can trap water in the pipe behind it and cause a freeze that cracks the spigot, or worse, the pipe inside your wall. Disconnect and drain every hose, shut off interior valves for outdoor faucets if you have them, and consider a foam faucet cover for extra protection on hard-freeze nights.

5. Inspect Your Roof and Flashing

Look for missing, cracked, or curling shingles, and check the flashing around chimneys and vents for gaps. Small issues that seem minor in the fall can let melting snow and ice work their way under the roofline over winter, leading to leaks and interior damage.

6. Insulate Exposed Pipes

Pipes running through a crawl space, unheated basement, or exterior wall are the ones most likely to freeze. Foam pipe insulation sleeves are cheap and slide right on. It's a small step that can save you from a burst pipe and a major water cleanup mid-winter.

7. Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Furnaces, fireplaces, and space heaters all see more use in winter, which raises the risk of a carbon monoxide issue. Test every detector, replace batteries, and confirm you have at least one CO detector on each level of the home. It takes five minutes and it's the cheapest insurance you'll buy all year.

When to Call a Pro

Sealing a draft or swapping a furnace filter is a fine DIY job. Getting on a ladder to clean gutters or inspect a roof, diagnosing a furnace that's already acting up, or dealing with plumbing behind a wall is where it's worth bringing in a professional. Cornerstone Handyman Services handles seasonal home maintenance and exterior repairs throughout the Joplin Metro, so you can knock out the whole list in one visit.