As the leaves change colors and the days get shorter, you’re readying yourself for fall, but are you readying your faith community’s facilities as well?
With our help, your congregation will be prepared for the change in seasons and the colder weather to come.
Here are our ministry’s seven tips:
Service and maintain your heat source.
- Check furnace filters when you change from cooling to heating. Replace them quarterly or according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.
- Consider installing programmable thermostats. They allow you to keep your sanctuary, fellowship hall, and other structures cooler when they aren’t in use and automatically heat them so that they are warm before members arrive.
Protect pipes from freezing in cold temperatures.
- Wrap water pipes in unheated or non-insulated areas with pipe insulation.
- If pipes freeze or burst, turn off the water immediately, then contact a licensed plumbing contractor, photograph the damage before you begin to clean up, and contact your insurance carrier.
Assess the condition of doors and windows.
- Close windows near water pipes and cover crawl space vents to protect exposed pipes.
- Inefficient windows and doors can leak heat—make sure to repair or replace any damaged or broken ones.
Address attic issues.
- Seal any cracks in the attic as well as air-conditioned and heated spaces, such as around heat ducts, light fixtures, and vent pipes.
- Install wireless temperature sensors in the attic and crawl spaces that have water heaters and/or pipes. The sensor can be set up with alerts for specific temperatures.
Keep water (in all its forms) moving off the roof.
- When it comes to asphalt shingles, examine the roof for cracking, blistering, cupping, peeling, or loss of granulation. Identify and repair roof damage before the rain, snow, and ice hits, it can prevent significant losses inside due to leaks.
- Inspect scuppers, drains, gutters, and valleys to ensure no leaves, twigs, and other debris have built up to block water from draining off the roof.
Check your bushes and shrubs.
- Pruning plantings close to your building ensures branches don’t touch the exterior walls or roof, especially when weighed down by snow and ice.
- Remove anything under the branches that might appeal to rodents.
Don’t neglect parking lots and walkways.
- Fill cracks, reseal, and stripe pavement parking lot surfaces every three to five years.
- With the shorter days, install or update exterior lighting to avoid liabilities. This is especially helpful for holiday guests not familiar with your facilities.
- In November, mark the parking and walkway edges so that snow clearing can be done without damaging curbs, grass, or equipment.
- If you do not have a snow removal team or contractor, hire one that will clear the snow from parking lots and walkways to avoid accidents.
- Use ice melt according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pay special attention to how much you’re spreading, over application will likely result in damage to surfaces.
Does your community of faith need help transitioning its building into winter? Our Green Loans can help you improve operations that contribute to a more energy-efficient building. Contact your Building and Capital Services Advisor for assistance.