Attic Maintenance After The Winter Season
Spring is here, which means it’s time to give some extra attention to that attic maintenance! Last month, we talked about the importance of checking your roof during the springtime. If you still haven’t done that yet, that’s okay! Time to knock them both out!
Proper insulation, a key to attic maintenance.
Insulation in your attic is the key to keeping energy bills low year round. It can keep air from escaping the house, and it can keep outside air from getting inside the house! Any changes in the homes temperature have to be compensated for by your HVAC system, whether that’s heating or cooling. Considering heating and cooling can account for up to 50-70 percent of energy used in the average home, this is significant. Next to bad windows, bad attic insulation can result in throwing away significant amounts of money per year!
Look out for pests!
Squirrels, racoons, opossums….we could go on. Look, sometimes these animals like a break like the rest of us! You can’t blame them for wanting to take shelter in the winter, but, you can’t let them stay!
It’s not uncommon for pests or rodents to creep into attics during the winter to hide from the elements, so it’s good to take a look for any evidence of extra residents in the attic come spring time. Do be careful poking your head and hands in the attic if you suspect there may be pests up there – and call a pest removal professional if you do run into any!
While it may not be likely these pests will harm you – it is possible, and they certainly may do damage to your attic framework, insulation, ventilation, or maybe worse any electrical wiring they find!
Check that framework and roof sheathing!
With snow melting and rain falling, now is the best time to check the framework of the attic, and roof sheathing, for any evidence of current or past water damage.
Discoloration of any kind is almost always a problem, from water to mold. Unfortunately, something like this is never an easy fix – and that’s why we recommend checking these things routinely. Getting to this level of rotting is going to mean that roof sheathing needs to be replaced, and at the very least the framework needs to be treated for mold, if not replaced.
We very often see ventilation and insulation issues in the attics we inspect, so we highly recommend getting to attic maintenance before any serious damage occurs.
As a reminder, we offer full inspections, pre-inspections, and targeted inspections like roofs, termites, mold and more! Visit our Pricing and Services page for more info, or to request an inspection today!
