October

Fire Prevention Week is observed during the week of October 9 to mark the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; President Coolidge made it a national observance in 1925, and NFPA's 2026 week runs October 4 to 10. USFA's smoke alarm rules: put alarms inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area and on every level of the home; choose interconnected alarms so when one sounds they all sound; mount them on the ceiling or high on the wall; test monthly; replace batteries at least yearly; and replace the whole alarm every 10 years. CPSC: carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup on every level and outside sleeping areas.

The American Red Cross list: remove, drain and store hoses used outdoors; close the inside valves supplying outdoor hose bibbs, then open the outside faucet to let it drain; and drain the sprinkler and pool supply lines following the installer's directions. Even a frost-free sillcock, whose shutoff sits inside the heated wall, gets its hose removed; the Red Cross list starts there. What a hose bibb is.

UGA's fall checklist: clean gutters and downspouts and make sure they discharge 2 to 3 feet from the house. NFPA's wildfire guidance adds a second reason to keep roofs and gutters free of leaves and debris: embers.

The Red Cross: pipes in unheated areas (basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages, under kitchen cabinets) and along poorly insulated exterior walls freeze most often. Insulate them with pipe sleeves. Where a sleeve is not enough, the Red Cross allows UL-listed heat tape, and CPSC's rules for it are strict because heat tapes start fires: buy a tape certified to the safety standard, plug it into a GFCI-protected three-prong outlet, apply it directly on the pipe following the maker's instructions (never on top of insulation), never wrap it over itself, do not cover it with insulation unless the maker says you can, inspect it every fall for charring, cuts or discoloration at the plug, and replace any uncertified tape more than 3 years old. Then seal the air leaks that let cold air reach the pipes.

If you had ice dams last winter, the University of Minnesota's lasting fix comes in two steps: first make the ceiling airtight so no warm, moist air can flow from the house into the attic, then add insulation. Minnesota's energy office names the usual leaks: around plumbing vents, wiring and chimneys. For most houses this is contractor work: ENERGY STAR's own do-it-yourself guide says to hire a professional when the attic has a history of ice dams, old wiring or many recessed lights, and the University of Minnesota points to weatherization contractors, who can test the house with a blower door and find the leaks with an infrared camera. If you do go up yourself, walk only on the joists, keep insulation at least 3 inches from any recessed light that is not marked IC-rated, keep it 1 inch from metal flues and 2 inches from masonry chimneys, do not disturb loose, pebbly vermiculite insulation (it may contain asbestos), and stop if you find knob-and-tube wiring, which is a fire hazard under insulation. DOE's Building America guidance adds passive roof ventilation (soffit and ridge vents, not a powered attic fan) in cold climates to keep the roof deck cold. October is dry enough for the work and early enough to matter.

USFA: heating fires are the second leading cause of home fires, and heating equipment and chimneys should be cleaned and inspected each year by a professional. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators and space heaters. If the chimney inspection in September has not happened, do it before the first fire.