Fall is here. The weather is getting cooler, and our energies are shifting from summer fun to battening down the hatches before winter sets in.
Just as it’s a good time to check your furnace at home, it’s also a good time to take care of your church maintenance needs. Here are some useful tips that will help you prepare your church building for the colder months ahead.
Lower the thermostat. For every degree you reduce the temperature in your church, your utility bill will go down by an average of one percent. People tend to wear more clothing in the winter, so a degree or two will likely not be noticed. Invest in a programmable thermostat and let it automatically set back during unoccupied hours.
Change those HVAC filters. Regular filter changes allow your furnace (and air conditioner) to operate more efficiently. It’s also a good time to make sure your furnace is in good working order.
Invest in the right doorway entry mats. Winter means a lot more dirt, mud, snow, and ice come into your building on peoples’ shoes. Install mats that don’t collapse under the pressure of all those feet and that safely store the dirt and moisture for safe and easy removal.
Inspect the caulking on all your church’s windows and doors, and the weather stripping on the door frames. Seal any place that would allow warm air to escape or cold air to seep in.
Clean gutters and downspouts—both now, and after all the leaves have fallen. Clean off any debris on the roof and trim trees that overhang your church building.
Seal any cracks in your walkways and parking lots. This prevents water from entering and freezing, which can widen cracks, cause areas to sink, and generally create tripping hazards.
Inspect your Shingle roof. Check for loose roofing shingles and make sure there are no cracks at any intersections in the flashing, chimneys, and plumbing vents. If your roof has a low slope, you’ll want to check it for leaves and other debris every week this fall.
Inspect your Metal roof. Check for loose fasteners and make sure the flashings such as plumbing vent flashings are in good shape. If your roof has a low slope, you’ll want to check it for leaves and other debris this fall. Be sure not to use a sealant on loose fasteners or trim but replace the fastener all together if you cannot get it tight.
Check the attic. If your church building has an attic, make sure the insulation is properly thick and evenly distributed. If animals have gotten into the attic they might expose pipes that are in the ceiling which could lead to a frozen pipe this winter.
Learn more ways to help your church building
The colder weather is bringing people home from vacation, back to school, and indoors once again. Use this handy maintenance checklist to make sure your church building is warm, dry, safe, and ready for the influx of people it will be seeing.
For more church maintenance and improvement tips, visit our website today. There you can sign up for our i3 webinar series. Choose whatever webinars you wish—they’re free for the watching.