We have one of the central heat and air units; but the. Vents need to be fixed because most of the hot/cold air just dissipates underneath the house and not into the vents. We do use it some; but we have the small window AC in the living room and one in the bedroom for the summer. In the winter, we use those electric heaters in the bedroom and living room, which are the main rooms that we are actually spending much time in most of the time. This week, we have been doing the fall cleaning and painting while the weather is perfect for having the doors and windows open. Bobby has cleaned and painted the walls and celiling in both the living room and kitchen, which seem to be the rooms that gather dust the most. We ordered a large drape for the living room window, and it is one that bocks out light, heat, or cold; so when the drapes are shut, it should help with keeping the house either warmer or cooler, depending on the weather. We shuffled the living room furniture around, and I have been busy shampooing the carpets as we moved things around. This is a good time of year for this because spring and fall are about the only times when we can have the doors open and let in fresh air. The new drapes are awesome, and they are sort of like a wall mural that makes it seem like we are looking outside when they are closed, and they are on rings so it is easy to open and close them.
I was going to do a thread about ' It's time to check you Heating Unit, Winters coming...' glad people are thinking about it now when the weather is still warm and the companies aren't swamped with 'No Heat' calls. Also, since @Chrissy Cross mentioned it, here's something to check if your disposal stops working.
I have a short list of things to bring indoors that I've posted in my shop and I always check the seals around both entry doors and storm doors. Those seals take a beasting and must be replaced or repaired before winter to save on heating.
I used to have to get ready for winter by pulling the totes out of the closet and taking the winter clothes out of them, and then repacking those totes with our spring and summer wardrobe. A few years ago I decided to down size our wardrobe too, getting rid of clothes that we never wore and not replacing articles of clothing until we actually need them. Now our walk-in closet has plenty of space for our year round clothes and saves me time and energy by having no more different season clothes totes to pack and unpack each season. I also used to have to do pretty much the same thing for our bedding. I had winter comforters and spring and summer light weight quilts and blankets all stored and packed and unpacked according to seasons too. But now I layer our bedding and add or subtract a cover according to the weather and my extra covers are folded on a shelf in the closet instead of packed away in a tote. I do have one extra heavy comforter packed away in a tote up in the attic just in case our heating system would go out and it would be really cold over here. This hasn't happened yet but if we live long enough I'm sure this scenerio may happen some winter and we will be ready for it. Where we live in Louisiana the winters are mild compared to alot of other places. But we do get some freezing temperatures and a few below freezing ones too most winters. My husband feels the cold alot more than I do now that we are older and we used to not be able to agree on what temperature to leave our thermostat on. If he set it I would be to hot, if I set it, he would be to cold. A few years ago I bought him a small space heater for him to use when he was in the livingroom. That heater has been such a blessing to both of us as now he can have the temperature he wants in the livingroom and I can also be comfortable while I'm sleeping in the bedroom. Part of getting ready for winter is making sure that space heater is still working properly so we can continue to enjoy no more fussing over the thermostat.
Northeastern Florida is known to be the coldest area in Florida during so-called “Florida winters”. In fact, on Christmas Day 2010, it was snowing in our complex! I seen something coming down, looking out the living room window. Went out front and it was snowing! Ran and got the video camera, zoomed in on the trees and, sure enough, snow was coming down pretty heavily. Didn’t stick, but was definitely coming down. Wife and I were totally amazed. Found out that, some years before, snow had fallen on the beach in Daytona Beach. Anyway, unlike when we lived in Colorado, very little to do here in preparation for winter. We do put away the shorts and t-shirts and bring out the jeans and long-sleeve shirts. Bring the coat rack, with some “winter” type coats on it, and put in the corner of the dining room. Our winter parkas, from Colorado, stay in the closet. Get the vehicle window frost scrappers out. Bring the fireplace tools in from our garage and have store-bought fire logs ready. Since living here, we’ve seen some winter daytime highs in the mid 40’s. We never/ever thought it would get that cold here! Also have to take every thing out of boat and either drain both sides of the boat block or “winterize” the boat. Have done both. Take both batteries out and take home to keep recharged. Put both new cockpit cover and full cover on. Have a month or so before all of this has to be done. And, can’t forget that wife gets her electric throw out and ready. Just think, we are making plans, and doing some packing, to move back to where “Old Man Winter” really hits....the northern part of the Eastern Slope/Front Range of Colorado or perhaps the southeastern corner of Wyoming. Oh Boy!!
Given that I bought my snowblower new last year, I wasn't too concerned but had intended to have it serviced over the summer. Well, I didn't do that, although I did drain the gas tank. We had our first real snow last night and, although it wasn't a major storm by any means, I did want to blow the snow away so that I could start out the winter with a wide berth in the driveway and sidewalks. But I couldn't get it to start and managed to shovel only enough so that we could get the car in the driveway, and a path to the front door. I am not very good at mechanical things, so I gave up on the snowblower after letting it sit for an hour or two, then trying it again. I don't have a way to get it to a service center, which is why I didn't have it served in the first place. I need to buy a trailer anyhow, so maybe that's what I'll have to do.
@Ken Anderson , we have some kind of stuff here that we can use to quick start lawn mowers, etc. I don't use the mowers so I'm not sure what it's called. It's in a spray can and I think you spray it into the carburetor. Maybe some of the men know here what it is called and can tell you. And, since I'm an expert at gas engines, maybe you need a new spark plug. Hey, it can't hurt.
@Ken Anderson buying a trailer is one option to consider. I have several pieces of equipment that I need to have serviced now and then. I thought about buying a trailer but the local repair shop will pick up and deliver for a minimal fee. Buying a trailer to sit around in the way most of the year was not the best option for me.
I have a camp up north that I need to haul stuff to, so the trailer would get some use. Plus, we live in a small town too far away from everyone's delivery radius so whenever we want to buy a new refrigerator, stove, or large piece of furniture, we have to borrow our neighbor's truck, so a trailer would be handy anyhow.
I'll be getting one. I bought a hitch this summer, which was far more expensive than I had anticipated.
From what our weather map shows, most of the East Coast is expecting a snowstorm, and it looks like the snow has reached the southern part of Maine already, from what it shows on the map. Hopefully, you got the snow blower running, @Ken Anderson , because if all of that rainstorm that just plowed through this area turns to snow as it goes north, you might get a lot of snow dumped in your driveway. If you have not got it running yet, and no trailer to take it anywhere, it is quite possible that you can find a handyman-type of person on Craigslist that would just come out to your house and start it for you. Since it is basically a new snow blower, there can’t be much that needs done to get it started, I remember one time, we were having a terrible time getting a new riding lawnmower started, and there was some little inline fuel switch that was supposed to be turned off to stop the gas from going through, and then you turned it back on again when you wanted to use the lawnmower. We hadn’t had one like that before, and until someone showed us the little switch, we could not get the mower to start.