The home inspectors at Pacific Coast Inspections have put together a list of fall maintenance tips and reminders to keep your house and your clients’ houses in tip top shape.

1. Gutters and Downspouts – Remove debris from gutters… Consider installing gutter screen guards… Seal leaking gutter sections seams… Clean downspouts.

2. Chimney and Fireplace – If you burn wood in your fireplace on a regular basis, calla professional chimney specialist to inspect and clean the chimney/fireplace.

3. Windows and Doors – Check the weather stripping around all exterior doors… Caulk gaps around all exterior doors and windows… Contact a garage door specialist to clean, lubricate and adjust the garage door hinges, springs, rollers and tracks.

4. Heating Furnace – Replace/clean the air filter, if needed… Consider having a heating/cooling professional to check the performance of the heating/cooling system for the price of a tune-up.

5. Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 4, 2012, 2:00am… Move your clocks back 1 hour and enjoy the extra hour of sleep.

6. Smoke Detectors:

- If your smoke detector uses a 9v battery (rectangular)… Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms once a year. We recommend you do this each fall when we change our clocks to end of Daylight Saving Time.

- If you have ten-year lithium battery smoke detectors installed… They don’t need to have their batteries changed. Replace smoke alarms that use extended-life, lithium batteries only when the alarm “chirps” or fails to respond to periodic testing. The batteries in these units cannot be replaced.

7. Carbon Monoxide Detectors:

- California's Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010 (SB183) requires that all residential property be equipped with a carbon monoxide detector when the property has a) "fossil fuel" burning heater or appliance, b) fireplace, c) or an attached garage. The law provides that all single-family homes, including individually-owned condos, (owner or tenant occupied) must be equipped with a detector as of July 1, 2011… CO alarms are required outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including basements.