Winter home maintenance checklist for Kerry homes

Winters in Kerry are usually mild rather than freezing, but they are wet and windy, and Atlantic storms can arrive with little notice. That combination is hard on roofs, gutters, render and timber, and it finds out any weak spot in a house. A few hours of checks in October or November can save expensive repairs and a lot of stress later.

This checklist works from the roof down and from the outside in. Most items are simple visual checks; where something needs a qualified person, we say so.

Roof and chimney

• Look at the roof from the ground with binoculars if you have them. Check for slipped, cracked or missing slates and tiles, lifted ridge tiles and damaged flashing around the chimney. Do not climb onto the roof.
• Check for moss build-up. Heavy moss holds water and washes into gutters. Removal is best done by someone with proper roof access and safety equipment.
• Get the chimney swept before the heating season if you burn solid fuel. Soot and debris, including old birds' nests, increase the risk of chimney fires and can block the flue.
• Check the attic on a rainy day with a torch for drips, damp patches on the underside of the roof, or daylight showing through.
• Check TV aerials and satellite dishes are secure, as they can work loose in high winds.

Gutters and drainage

• Clear the gutters once the leaves have fallen, and check that downpipes run freely. See our step-by-step guide on how to clean gutters safely.
• Clear gullies and drains at the bottom of downpipes and in the yard.
• Check that water drains away from the house and is not pooling against walls or at the back door.
• Keep air vents and weep holes clear of soil, leaves and plants.

Walls, windows and doors

• Inspect the render for cracks and hollow-sounding patches, especially on the wall facing the prevailing wind. Small cracks let driving rain in.
• Check seals and sealant around windows and doors. Replace cracked or missing sealant on a dry day.
• Look at sills, fascias and soffits for soft or rotten timber and flaking paint. Exterior painting is a summer job, but make a note now; see painting the outside of a house in Ireland.
• Fit draught excluders to doors and letterboxes, but never block permanent ventilation such as wall vents or window trickle vents, which are needed to control condensation and, where there is a fuel-burning appliance, for safe combustion.

Heating and safety

• Service the boiler before winter. Gas boilers should be serviced by a Registered Gas Installer; you can check an installer at the RGII website, rgii.ie. Oil boilers should be serviced by a competent oil-fired heating technician.
• Test carbon monoxide alarms and smoke alarms, and replace batteries or units that are past their expiry date. Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour; any home with a fuel-burning appliance, including an open fire, stove, or gas or oil boiler, should have a working CO alarm. Gas Networks Ireland's carbonmonoxide.ie has advice on alarms and the symptoms of CO poisoning.
• Bleed radiators that are cold at the top.
• Check the oil tank for leaks, damage or weeping, and order fuel before demand rises in cold spells.
• Look into energy upgrades. If the house is draughty or expensive to heat, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) runs grant schemes for insulation and heating upgrades; check its website for current schemes and eligibility.

Pipes and water

• Know where your stopcock is and make sure it turns. In a burst pipe, every minute counts.
• Insulate exposed pipes and the cold water tank in the attic, and pipes in garages or outhouses.
• Disconnect hoses from outdoor taps, and fit an insulated cover to the tap or turn off its isolating valve if it has one.
• If you go away during a cold spell, leave the heating on a low setting or on a frost-protection setting.

Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) publishes advice on protecting pipes in cold weather and what to do if a pipe bursts on water.ie.

Preparing for storms

Met Éireann issues weather warnings at Status Yellow, Orange and Red, and storm warnings for coastal counties like Kerry are common in winter. Keep an eye on met.ie and, when a storm is forecast:

• secure or bring in garden furniture, trampolines, bins, pots and anything else that could blow about;
• check that sheds, garage doors and gates are fastened;
• look at trees near the house, power lines or the road for dead or overhanging branches, and get them dealt with in calm weather;
• park away from trees if you can;
• keep phones charged and a torch and spare batteries to hand.

Never approach fallen electricity lines; report them to ESB Networks. After a storm, check the roof and gutters from the ground for damage.

Damp and condensation indoors

Wet weather and closed windows mean more condensation. Run extractor fans when cooking and showering, dry clothes outdoors or in a vented dryer where possible, open trickle vents, and wipe condensation from windows in the morning. Persistent black mould in corners or behind furniture usually means too much moisture and too little ventilation or heat. Damp patches that appear after rain point to a leak from outside, often a gutter, roof or window problem.

Garden and outdoor surfaces

• Clear leaves from paths, patios, decking and drains; wet leaves are slippery and stain paving.
• Treat moss and algae on paths and steps to keep them safe in winter. Our guides to cleaning patio slabs and pressure washing a driveway explain how.
• Check decking for slippery algae and loose boards; see cleaning and oiling decking.
• Cut back hedges and overhanging growth during the open season, which runs from September to the end of February. See our guide to the hedge cutting season in Ireland.
• Service or store garden machinery and clean tools before putting them away.

Quick checklist

Area	Job	Who
Roof	Check slates, ridge and flashing from the ground	You; repairs by a roofer
Chimney	Sweep before the heating season	Chimney sweep
Gutters	Clear and flush; check downpipes	You, or a handyman with access equipment
Boiler	Annual service	Registered Gas Installer or oil technician
Alarms	Test CO and smoke alarms	You
Pipes	Insulate; find the stopcock	You
Outside	Secure loose items, clear leaves, treat moss	You
Trees and hedges	Cut back in the open season	You, or a tree specialist for large trees

For the outdoor jobs on this list, including gutter cleaning, power washing, tree work, roof maintenance and odd jobs, Alpine Home Improvements provides handyman services in Tralee and across County Kerry.