It’s October now and I have a lot on my plate to get ready for winter.
I had to get the motor rebuilt on my snowblower if I didn’t want to have to buy a new one for the onslaught of snow and ice that we get here.
I decided to resurface my deck with a new coating of polyurethane lacquer. This protects the wood from the moisture and the inevitable freezing and thawing effects that causes cracks and holes in asphalt. Although I couldn’t fix my snow blower on my own, I was able to get the new coating on my deck without any outside help. Still, there are other things I’ll always entrust with the professionals instead of myself. My heating and cooling system is one example. I am never going to use a furnace or air conditioner for longer than 12 months without having a professional HVAC technician inspect the system to ensure everything is working. I don’t want to burn through a good air conditioner through needless abuse and neglect. Before I get maintenance though, I like to test the equipment myself. If something malfunctions, then I have specific things to tell the technician when they arrive. That way they can focus on anything I didn’t find myself. My furnace in particular always smells when I turn it on for the first time since the previous winter. My technician told me that this is normal because dust and microbial growth gathers on the heat exchanger with the furnace off. When it’s turned back on again, this particulate is burned off and creates the distinctive odor.