Prepare Your New Jersey Home For Spring Weather

Spring in Southern New Jersey is notorious for it’s rapidly changing weather, especially in April as we transition out of winter. Most often this means a great deal of heavy rain fall. Excessive spring rain showers can damage your home if you are not careful and have not taken the necessary precautions. Heavy rainfall can cause water intrusion and leaks in your South Jersey home or business, leaving you with water damage and potential indoor mold growth. As we near the end of March, NJ homeowners should start planning and prepping for the spring to come.

Recovering from Winter & Preparing for Rainfall to Come

It has a been a long winter for South Jersey residents. We have seen a great deal severe whether over the last few months, with the bulk of the craziest weather in just the last few weeks! Now that it is officially spring, let’s dust ourselves off, recover from the winter storms, and prepare ourselves for the spring.

• Inspect & Repair Roof—Check your roof for loose, warped or missing shingles and make sure the chimney flashing and skylight seals are intact. If you discover roof damage, be sure to address it right away. 
• Clean & Repair Gutters—Clear winter storm debris from gutters and downspouts, and check that they are still securely attached to the house. Blocked or loose gutters can allow water into your home and damage trim.
• Look for Leaks—Common culprits for hard-to-find leaks are attics, crawl spaces and washing machine hoses. Inspect these areas, look under sinks for damage from frozen pipes and check your water heater for signs of corrosion.
• Clear Exterior Drains—Remove leaves from underground or exterior drains to clear the way for spring showers and prevent backups.
• Inspect Siding—Inspect siding for pieces that have come loose during winter storms.
• Check Window & Door Seals—Examine the exterior caulking on door and window seals to ensure it remains watertight.
• Patch Cracks—Patch cracks in concrete driveways, sidewalks and steps to keep water out and prevent further expansion.
• Paint the Exterior—Painting or touching up paint on the exterior of your home not only makes it look better, but will also help protect the home from the elements.
• Check Grading—Ensure the grading of your yard slopes away from your home’s foundation to keep excess moisture at bay.

Prepare your New Jersey Home for Warm Weather

Seasonal change is one of the wonderful appeals of New Jersey and areas throughout the Northeast region of the United States. But our homes and properties need to be prepped to handle the transition from one season to another. As we leave behind the winter cold and prepare to welcome the sun and warmth, it is important to prepare your home for the warm months to come.

• Inspect & Service HVAC— Get ahead of the pack and hire a qualified technician to service your home’s HVAC system to make sure it is running properly before hot temperatures call for air conditioning. You do not want your AC to break down when it is already hot out, and every HVAC company is booked solid. Now is also the time to replace your HVAC filters.
• Seal the Home—Check that your home is sealed well. Poor insulation and air leaks can let hot air in. Check around the doors and windows to make sure there is enough insulation. Inspect caulking to make sure there are no gaps between the windows or doors and walls, which can occur due to the expansion and contraction of wood during the cooler, wetter seasons.
  • Note: It is important to for South Jersey homeowners to be careful not to seal the home too tight. Homes still need to breathe in order to cycle fresh air in and out of the home to avoid trapping indoor pollutants and moisture.
• Inspect Outdoor Plumbing— Check that your outdoor spigots and irrigation system made it through the winter intact. Remove insulators from outdoor faucets and turn on the water. A slow trickle may mean you have a problem in your pipes. Call in a plumber if the water isn’t flowing like it should.
• Change the ceiling fan direction— In the summer, ceiling fans should blow air downward. Ceiling fans facilitate adequate air circulation and to reduce air conditioning consumption.
  • Counter-Clockwise— For a cooling effect during the summer months, run the fan in the forward direction (counter-clockwise). This will force the air to move down, towards you and give you the wind chill effect that will make you feel cooler
  • Clockwise— During the winter months, run the fan in reverse (clockwise) at a low speed. This will gently draw air up, towards the ceiling and force the warm air down and out towards the walls.
• Check Your Attic, Basement & Crawl Space— New Jersey homeowners should set aside some time (min. twice a year) to complete a thorough walk-thru of your basement, attic, and/or crawl space. These are areas that tend to get neglected or overlooked because they are usually unoccupied space, typically relegated to being used as storage space. 
  • Check the humidity levels and be sure that these spaces are well ventilated.
    • Look for any obstructed vents. Vents should be free of debris and obstructions.
  • Inspect for any leaks or any vulnerability to water intrusion.
    • Look for wet spots in the insulation that may indicate a leak.
  • Assess the quality and condition of your insulation, be sure to replace any damaged or missing insulation.
  • Check for signs of animal activity. You may have had critters nesting up there trying to escape the cold. If that’s the case, you’ll need to get rid of any animal droppings. Even if it’s old, animal waste can cause respiratory problems or other diseases. Next, find and seal the holes where the animals were coming in.

The transition from one season to the next can be an exciting time. It symbolizes change and new and exciting adventures. This is also and important time for your home and property. Transitional periods between seasons is the best time to conduct maintenance checks and recover from the weather of the previous season and prepare the home for anticipated weather. A little maintenance in the right spots at the right time can go a long way towards cutting energy costs, reducing the need for expensive repairs, preventing moisture damage and creating a comfortable living space for you and your family.