ST. LOUIS – We may be in the middle of October, but as we head toward the cooler months of the season, it’s a good time to begin winterizing your home.

As our days shorten and temperatures drop in the fall, our lawn and garden growth slow down. Winterizing your home’s sprinkler system should be first on your list to avoid spending time and money fixing issues and potential problems if it’s not shut down early.

“Now would be a time to shut them down. Just because if it does freeze, your back flow preventer is going to freeze, and that’s going to cause that to burst. Shut those down, blow out the lines; and now is the time to get it done,” Tim Branneky, owner of Branneky Hardware, said. “You’ve got dew in the morning so you’re really not going to have to water the lawns. So, you got dew, that takes care of that, dries out throughout the day.”

Our fall season varies with cold nights and mild days. It’s always a good rule of thumb to start the winterizing process early.

“Unhook your hose from your spigot, because if it does get to where it’s going to frost or freeze, that will freeze your pipes back into the wall,” Branneky said. “So, unhook your hose and then you can protect your faucet by putting a little foam cover over it. That just covers up the outdoor faucet and that keeps the cold weather out and keeps that warm, so it doesn’t freeze.”

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Using insulation kits for windows and weather stripping your doors to prevent drafty cold air from entering the house. It’s an easy, inexpensive way for maintaining comfort and remaining energy efficient. And when it’s time to make the permanent change on the thermostat from cooling to heating.

“When you switch over, of course, it’s always nice to get someone to come out and check it, make sure everything’s up to speed and right, because if there’s a hole in your furnace pipes, that could cause carbon monoxide,” Branneky said.

You’ll also want to replace your air filter before that switch over.

“You normally want to go with a pleated filter. That catches most of the dust, pollen, and mold, and all that … and so that prevents that from getting into your house,” Branneky said.

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