September

Ready.gov observes National Preparedness Month every September. The house side: CO alarms with battery backup on every level and outside sleeping areas; a generator plan that keeps it outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from openings, never plugged into a wall outlet, and shut off and cooled before refueling; a fire extinguisher with a good gauge; and 3 days of food, water and medicine. Write down where the main water shutoff, the gas shutoff and the main breaker are, and show everyone in the house. One rule travels with the gas valve: turn it off only if you smell gas or hear it escaping, and once it is off, leave it off. The gas utility or a qualified professional turns it back on and relights the pilots, never you.

ENERGY STAR's fall tune-up covers the gas or oil connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and the heat exchanger. DOE explains why the heat exchanger matters: a leaking one mixes combustion gases with house air, and combustion gases leaking into the house can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. CPSC's standing advice is to have the heating system professionally inspected and serviced annually. Change the filter at the same visit. Read how a gas furnace cycles to follow what the technician is testing.

The national standard, NFPA 211, says chimneys, fireplaces and vents shall be inspected at least once a year for soundness, freedom from deposits and correct clearances, even if you rarely use the fireplace; animals build nests in flues. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends sweeping a masonry fireplace at 1/8 inch of soot, sooner if there is any glazed creosote. USFA: have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected each year by a professional.

The EPA's advice: choose a filter rated at least MERV 13, or as high a rating as your system's fan and filter slot can handle; most furnaces and HVAC systems can take a MERV 13 without trouble provided the filter is replaced frequently. Denser filters restrict airflow, so if you move up, change it on schedule, and ask the technician at the tune-up whether the system is happy with it. What MERV means.

The USDA Forest Products Laboratory's rule: install wood at the moisture content it will average in service, and it will not change size significantly afterward. For interior woodwork, flooring, furniture and trim that is about 8 percent in most of the country (6 to 10 percent for individual pieces), about 6 percent in the dry Southwest and about 11 percent in damp, warm coastal areas. For flooring, FPL says to break open the bundles inside the house so all sides are exposed to the air, and keep the house closed and heated about 15 F above the outdoor temperature for about three days before laying the floor. Read how wood moves.