Tip 2: Reverse your Ceiling Fans
This is a simple way to maximize the spread of hot air through your house. Most home owners turn to their ceiling fans to cool off during the hot months of the year but it can also circulate hot air through your house when you reverse the fan blades to spin in a clockwise direction. The fan will produce an updraft and push down effect, and since hot air rises this will help keep it from escaping the room so quickly. Keep this in mind through the season and you could see the difference in your heating bill.

Tip 3: Leave your Tree Pruning till Winter or Spring
Although you may be tempted to prune and trim your hedges and shrubs you should refrain. Specialist advise to be patient and not touch your plants until the winter when they have had sufficient time to become dormant. The only exception to the rule should be to trim those trees and hedges that threaten power-lines and/or the structure of your home. Leaving weak dead branches can cause serious problems in harsher colder temperatures. A quick inspection is all you need to do before calling an expert.

Tip 4: Inspect your Roof
A quick visual inspection can make all the difference in avoiding a disastrous fall and winter season. Take a look for loose/broken or missing shingles that may leak, check the flashing seals around any ventilation and chimneys as well. This is a small, fast, and relatively cheap repair that can save you some serious money in the long run. If your roof is flat composed of asphalt and pebbles make sure to blow off access foliage and pine needs; these retain moisture and could cause problems if left to stew over the wet winter season, however make sure not to sweep pebbles aside as this will leave the asphalt exposed to harsh weather.

Tip 5: Seal your Windows and Doors
Check for gaps between windows, siding, and door frames that cold air can creep into. Any gaps bigger than dime may need to be resealed. Make sure the product you choose is appropriate to the surface and environment.

Tip 6: Clean your Gutters
Leaving your gutters full of leaves can cause major problems in the winter if left unattended. Take the time to clean them out and make sure that your gutters are strapped and solid for the heavy snowfalls. Also taking time to attach extensions onto your downspouts will help keep added moisture and ice build up around your foundation, saving you from cracks and abrasions.

Tip 7: Test your Sump Pump
Test the level of your sump pump by pouring a couple gallons of water slowly into the sump pit until it turns on. You should do this regularly every few months, especially after a long dry summer season.

Tip 8: Turn off Exterior Faucets, Store your Garden Hoses, and Drain your Irrigation System
Leaving faucets on can cause a build up of water in your pipes. This water will freeze and start to expand over the winter, this will cause your pipes to crack and burst. Your best bet is to disconnect all hoses and drain the remaining water and shut them down for the season. Hint: In older houses the shut off valve tends to be inside. As for your irrigation system; your best bet is to call a professional to drain the system so to avoid freezing and leaks.

Tip 9: Put your Rake away and Get out your Mower
Recent studies show that cutting your leaves and spreading them rather than raking them up and bagging them can do great things for your lawn. Take your bag off the lawn-mower and let the leaves mix in with your blades of grass. As they decompose they will nourish your lawn through fall and over the winter.

Tip 10: Clean your Chimney Early for Santa
Before you throw another log on the fire it is very important to have your chimney cleaned and inspected. This preventative measure can will prevent the threat of chimney fires and carbon monoxide from spreading into your house.

The post Top 10 Fall Maintenance Tips appeared first on Sold in the West.

It’s getting to that time of year, the official countdown to Christmas has sprung into action. It is seemingly impossible to miss the massive window display that is the Holiday Season! The image of family’s sitting in front of the fireplace, opening gifts, sipping hot coco while Rover chews his Christmas bone in the corner is the definition of happiness to most people. But did you know, the image of the Holiday Season is one that is statistically terrifying for poor Rover?

It is estimated that 3 pets every hour are abandoned during the Christmas period. The SPCA reports thousands of complaints of abandonment between the 23rd and 27th of December. The sad truth is these numbers are on the incline.

Although the root cause of pet abandonment varies, it is certain that many people are simply unprepared to welcome a pet into their homes, causing them to dump off poor Rover. Here is a list of 3 important things we can all do to make our homes more welcoming for a pet this year. Support your local shelters, and consider bringing home a furry friend this year.

Pick the right breed for your Space.
– The first thing you should consider for an amicable pet – owner relationship before heading to the pound is “Maybe I shouldn’t get a Saint-Bernard in my 500 sqft loft”. Pick a breed that is suited better to your environment. Got a big house with a huge yard? Then bring Beethoven home!

Designate Rover with his own Area.
– Some pet owners find soon after adopting that their once sparkling clean home looks like Walmart on Boxing day. Find somewhere to store all your pets toys, food, and treats. Also, get them a soft spot to curl up and call their own, a plush bed or blanket goes a long way to keeping Rover off your leather couch.

Set a Routine.
Perhaps one of the best ways to fine tune your relationship at home is to set a routine, and stick to it. Wake up, Walk, Feed. If you’re going to be gone all day then make sure Rover’s morning walk is adequate. Bundle up and go for a morning adventure, give your pet the chance to expel some of their energy. A walk in the afternoon, and one at night before bed will ensure a much more calm home environment and a very happy BFFL.

The post Pet Proofing your Home appeared first on Sold in the West.

The objective of this notice is to help you identify and eliminate surface water that drains towards your house, as well as to indicate how to protect your residence from a sewer back up.

Management of Surface Water:

1. Landscaping around your house

It is important to ensure that the slope of the lot around your house is such that rainwater or runoff from thawing snow is directed to the ditches and not towards the foundation. For an older property it is not unusual to observe that some settlement of the land around the foundation has occurred. This will cause unwanted additional water to flow to the french drains located at the base of the foundation, which will direct it into the sump pump pit. This situation must be avoided.

2. Water originating from the roof

Rainwater from a sloping roof will generally be captured by the eavestrough. These eavestroughs must never be connected to the french drain. They must be directed to flow as far away as possible from the foundation of the house and drained to the surface of the land so that water does not flow toward the foundation wall, to be eventually captured by the French drain.

If your residence has a flat roof, rainwater is directed towards a central roof drain connected to a pipe bringing the water to the interior of the house. This pipe must be connected to the public ditch or storm sewer via the sump pump pit or other arrangement, but never to the sanitary sewer.

3. The Sump Pump

Verify the state of your sump pump on a regular basis. It is recommended to occasionally add water to the sump pit to test the operation of the pump. Should the motor burn out during a rainfall, the pump will not be useful. As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you have a second sump pump on standby, ready to take over.

4. The Capacity of the sump pump

It is important to know the capacity of your sump pump. The manufacturer generally supplies a chart indicating the maximum capacity of the pump according to the diameter of the pipe and the height of the water back up pipe. It is important to ensure that the maximum capacity of water evacuated by your pump is at least equal to or greater than the maximum quantity of water that the french drain might direct to the sump pit. Also, make sure that the electrical circuit running the sump pump can carry the load.

There are many brands and models available on the market. Purchase prices vary from $65 to $250, plus taxes and installation. Ask your plumber, as prices and qualities vary.

5. The Outlet of the sump pump to the ditch

Please make sure that the pipe carrying water to the ditch is in good condition. The outlet of the pipe to the ditch must never be blocked by any material whatsoever. The pipe must also have a continuous slope towards the ditch, in order to prevent any water from accumulating in the pipe and potentially freezing in winter. A damaged joint in the pipe or other abnormality may result in water being re-directed to the drains of the foundation, with the negative result of the same water being pumped several times.

6. The sump pump alarm for a high water level

An interesting precautionary measure you may take is the installation of an alarm on the sump pump to indicate a high water level in the sump pit. There are several types on the market. In all cases, this alarm alerts you to a potential danger when the pump no longer seems capable of removing the water supplied by the french drain. In this case, a second pump can be used to help the main one.

7. Emergency Power Supply

Even though you may have taken all the precautionary measures previously mentioned, an electrical blackout may occur during a heavy rainfall. In such a case, your sump pump operating on electricity will be useless. For this reason, we recommend that you have an auxiliary battery or water pressure operated sump pump, or a portable generator that can supply power to your pump.

8. The Rear or Side Ditch of your property

If you have a ditch located at the rear or side of your property, chances are that the ditch belongs to you in part.

Generally speaking, these old ditches were used by farmers to drain their fields. These ditches are still being used to drain your lot as well as those of your neighbours. Property owners with these ditches have Civil Code responsibility to clean and maintain them in a proper condition.

9. Cracks in the Foundation

Water may infiltrate inside the building through cracks in foundation walls. Therefore it is important to have the cracks repaired, depending on the size, using the most appropriate techniques available on the market.

10. Snow removal

When the snow is removed from your driveway or walkway, it is important that you do not let the snow accumulate near the foundation wall. In spring, during a fast snow thaw, a large quantity of water can find its way to the sump pit.

Many residents hire a contractor to clear their driveways. Without knowing the consequences, some contractors push the snow to cover both ends of the culvert, making it difficult for the water to flow freely in the ditch. It is important that you indicate to your contractor alternate locations where you want the snow to be stockpiled.

11. Maintenance of the Culvert

Maintenance of the culvert is the responsibility of the City. If it has to be changed, repaired or cleaned, please contact Public Works at 428-4500 so that appropriate action may be taken.

However, routine maintenance, such as removing dead leaves in autumn that accumulate at the ends of the culvert, or papers, bottles, etc. is your responsibility. Setting up any physical obstacles (shrubs or other) at the ends of the culvert is forbidden.

Regarding your Sanitary Sewer:

1. Check Valve

It is possible, for various reasons, that the sanitary sewer can back up. The check valve is essential in order to prevent the sanitary sewer from backing up into your house. While not infallible, it provides additional security against back ups.

There are any brands or models available on the market. Prices vary from $25 to $75, excluding taxes and installation. Ask your plumber, as prices and qualities vary.

The check valve must be accessible for regular maintenance in order to ensure its proper operation.

In addition, please note that if modifications to the plumbing have been done in the past, it is important to ensure that there are no connections located in front of the check valve. In such cases, a second check valve may be necessary.

How the check valve operates:

Usually, the valve allows your sanitary waters to flow into the sewer system of the City. If the City sewer system is backed up the valve closes, thus preventing sewer back up into your home. During this period it also blocks your access to the sanitary sewer to dispose of your used water. When this happens it is important to stop using your plumbing fixtures. Once the sewer back up is finished, the situation returns to normal.

Given the importance of such a valve for the plumbing system, municipal by-laws have always required the installation of this unit in a house.

2. Connection of the Sump Pump to the Sanitary Sewer

The existing city sanitary sewer system was not designed to receive storm waters. For this reason, it is strictly forbidden and illegal to connect the outlet of the sump pump to the sanitary sewer.

The connections of sump pumps and/or foundation drains and/or roof drains to the sanitary sewer can be contributing causes of local sewer back up problems.

Given that storm water volumes are significantly greater than those of the sanitary sewer, municipal by-laws have always disallowed this practice.

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