I've assembled some of the questions readers send in and made a quiz. See how you do!
1. The most important thing you can do to get your home ready for winter is to do a thorough walk-around inspection outside. Yes or No?
2. In the fall, the most common injury is getting bitten by a spider. Yes or No?
3. Batteries should be replaced in all smoke alarms inside the home in the fall. Yes or No?
4. Radon gas levels are always lower in the winter inside your home. Yes or No?
5. Outside decks will last as long as the home. Yes or No?
6. In the fall, you should burn the leaves that fall in your yard. Yes or No?
ANSWERS:
1. YES. A thorough walk-around inspection will reveal problems that you can take care of now before winter weather makes it unpleasant. Talk a perimeter walk around your home looking for tiny entrances where mice and bugs can get in. Seal them now. Then look at the siding, windows, and roof using binoculars looking for anything amiss. Look at the rubber boots around plumbing vents - a common place for leaks.
2. NO. The most common injury in the fall is slipping off a ladder. This happens when gutters are being cleaned, and roofs are being cleared of leaves. Check your ladder before climbing on it, and make sure it has a solid grip on the ground and the roofline. Have someone else spot you - hold the ladder and watch for problems. Better yet, get someone else to clean the gutters!
3. NO. You should CHECK your smoke alarms at every season change, but modern alkaline batteries will last for years. Modern smoke detectors will alert you when the battery gets low.
