Steamboat Caretaker Fall Checklists

Fall is here. I am awakened by the sound of my heater firing up in the morning and the is dog especially close in bed! Winter is a ways off, but there is plenty of work to be done on my Steamboat homes before we break out the shovels and skis.

At my clients’ homes the irrigation has been blown out and the plantings in the gardens have been cut back.  The deer and elk are especially active this time of year, so we even spray deterrent on the plants to try to keep them out.

It is important to rake the leaves up and out of garden beds and off the lawn areas.  Not doing this can cause further work in the springtime as well as promote growth of funky molds.  My secret weapon in the fall is my Stihl gas powered blower.

Now is a good time to make sure that your gutters are free of leaves and debris, and that your heat tape is in good working order.  I try to wait for that first big storm to fire up the heat tape, and leave it on for the duration of the winter.  Heat tape is not that expensive to operate, and I discourage all of my homeowners from requiring it to be turned on-and-off.  Inevitably it will not be on when you need it on! Also, with our super cold nights and sunny, warm days, it does not take long to develop the dreaded ice damn.  Best to just let the heat tape do its thing and not worry about he added expense of it operating.  It is much cheaper to operate this than to have the boys up on the roof busting up an ice damn in the winter.

I like to put up lots of plow stakes to define the driveway of my clients’ homes, and to also mark any obstacles that may be hidden underneath our Champagne Powder Snow.  These stakes are cheap, and this simple exercise will save you lots of time and money in the spring as they eliminate many unnecessary repairs.

I prep for the winter by purchasing a stockpile of shear pins for your snow blower. It is also imperative to get the super premium gas for it. I assure you that it will run better!  Some of my homes have large decks.  On these decks I use Toro Powercurve snow blowers.  This is a small electric snow blower that I can leave on the decks. They’re a huge time saver!  Building codes are as such that the railing is too low on the bottom to sneak the snow underneath, and too high to try to throw over the railing! This simple practice means that I’m not trudging through my pristine, luxury homes with a large piece of machinery!

I engage my plumber or HVAC guy to have a look at any heating system that may have ever acted up.  If it is firing, then turning off, then firing again, something is wrong.  Most boilers need to run at 10 to 20 psi to run smoothly and effectively.  With all the concern about energy conservation it is important to have the largest appliance in your home running at tip top condition.  Best to have things checked out, instead of calling and needing an emergency visit from the plumber.  It is even a good idea to have your pilot light on for your fireplace, as even this tiny flame will do a lot to prevent drafts from sneaking into your home.

It’s not too late to sign-up Mountain Home Liaison services for this upcoming winter!
Contact me right away!

Sneak out and enjoy those last sunny days, and colorful leaves.

Chris Martin
DBA Mountain Home Liaison
(970) 846-1381