Category: Lilac Park News

The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.

Autumn is invariably a prelude to falling winter temperatures, regardless of where you live. It might rain or snow or, as David Letterman says, “Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.” Did you know there is only one state in the United States where the temperatures have never dipped below zero? Give up? It’s Hawaii.

Here are ten tips to help you prepare your home for winter:

1) Furnace Inspection

• Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
• Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
• Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
• If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
• Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.

2) Get the Fireplace Ready

• Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
• If the chimney hasn’t been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
• Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
• Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
• Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.
• Top off your propane tank BEFORE the snow arrives.

3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows

• Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
• Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.
• Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.
• If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
• Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.

4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts

• If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.
• Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.
• Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
• Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
• Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.

5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment

• Drain gas from lawnmowers.
• Service or tune-up snow blowers.
• Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
• Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
• Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.

6) Check Foundations

• Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
• Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
• Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
• Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
• Secure crawlspace entrances.

7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

• Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
• Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
• Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.

8.) Prevent Plumbing Freezes

• Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
• Drain all garden hoses.
• Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.
• Cover spiggots and faucets with insulation or insulating caps available at local hardware stores.
• Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.
• If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.

9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces

• Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
• Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.
• Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.
• Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
• Don’t automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
• Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.

10) Prepare an Emergency Kit

• Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.
• Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.
• Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.
• Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.
• Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.

Hi Everyone, this is a note for those who use their Lilac Park homes as rentals. I know, there’s only a month left in the pool season, but we needed to get this done sooner than later.

There is a new “Tenant Authorization Form” under the Pool section of the web site. If you use your cabin as a rental, particularly a short-term rental, please use this form to generate the printed authorization for them to use the pool. The info this form collects is sent to the board, the pool attendants, and to you. Once the form is completed, you’ll get an authorization via e-mail right away. This will make it easy to send the authorization to your short-term tenants via e-mail, which they will print and take with them.

If your place is a long-term rental and you have existing month-to-month tenants, please complete the form as soon as you can so we can update our records.

https://wp.yob.qeb.temporary.site/wp/homeowners-association-information/swimming-pool/pool-rules-and-renters/

It’s going to be warm this weekend! Safe travels.

The ALPHA Board of Directors

The regular HOA Board Meeting scheduled for this weekend (Saturday, July 9, 2011) has been cancelled because nearly all of the regular business was completed at the special board meeting this past weekend. What wasn’t addressed at the last meeting will be at the next one.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 6. A reminder will be posted here and will also go out via e-mail preceding that event.

The ALPHA Board of Directors

When: Today, July 3, 2011 from noon to ???

Where: Arnold Lilac Park Swimming Pool

Why: Discussion of various topics including, but not limited to:
Recent board changes and future plans, allocation of board duties to board members, swimming pool solar project, common area improvements, guest use of swimming pool, and more.

We will also be discussing the need for the regular board meeting scheduled for next week.

Who: This meeting is open to all Lilac Park Homeowners.
If you want to meet your board members, voice concerns, or are want to check out having  a more active role in your homeowners association, we encourage your attendance.

There will be a special meeting of the Board of Directors on Sunday, July 3, 2011. Topics to be announced at the meeting. All homeowners are welcome to attend.

WHERE: Lilac Park Pool
WHEN: Sunday, July 3, 2011 at NOON. The meeting will last between one and two hours.

If you want to have a say in what happens in Lilac Park, we encourage your attendance.

Good news! The Arnold Lilac Park Pool will officially open on Wednesday, June 15th, at 12:00 noon. Pool hours will be 12:00 – 6:00 PM.

Come over and enjoy. Our snack bar will also be open for business.