What the house needs in September, south of the equator
16 jobs, in five groups.
September is spring and the month the outside work opens up. The rains are coming in the summer rainfall regions, so the priority is water: clear the gutters and the downpipes, check the water butt and the diverter, lift the drain covers and look for standing water in the gullies. Look the roof over from the ground and deal with anything the winter lifted. Clear the moss off the paths before the wet, check the pointing and the render after the cold, and wash the patio down giving it a couple of days to dry before deciding what needs repointing. Do the spring safety round: earth leakage test, carbon monoxide alarm, fridge coils, a hot empty cycle in the washing machine, and a proper look at the ladder before the year's work. The spring equinox, around 22 or 23 September, brings twelve hour days again. On the Highveld the first storms usually arrive in October, so September is the month to finish the roof and the gutters before them. In the Australian states with daylight saving the clocks go forward on the first Sunday of October.
Safety
- Test every smoke alarm
- Every month. See January for how.
- Test the carbon monoxide alarm
- In March or April, before the heaters and the gas fire go on for winter, and again in September as the cold season ends. Look at the back as well, because the sensor has a limited life and its replacement date is printed on the case.
- Press the test button on the earth leakage unit
- Twice a year. See March for how.
- Look the ladder over before the outside work
- Before the spring jobs begin, because the gutters, the painting and the roof all start with a ladder. Check the feet, every rung and the locking catch while it is still leaning against the wall.
Water and heating
- Clear the gutters and the downpipes
- The timing depends on when your rain comes. In the Western Cape, clear them in April before the winter rains; in the summer rainfall regions, clear them in September or October before the thunderstorms. A blocked gutter sends water down the wall instead of into the drain.
Inside
Outside
- Look the roof over from the ground
- Twice a year, from the ground and with binoculars: in April before the winter, and in September before the summer storms and the Highveld hail. Look for slipped or cracked tiles, a lifted ridge and anything nesting in the flashing.
- Clear the moss off the paths
- Twice a year: in April, before the wet winter in the Western Cape, and in September, before the summer rains elsewhere. A path grown over with moss or algae is slippery when it is wet.
- Wash the patio down
- In September or October, when the weather settles and the outdoor season begins. Let it dry for a day, and look at the joints between the pavers while the surface is clean.
- Bring the garden furniture out and look at it
- Bring it out in September or October and check the joints and bolts before anyone sits down. Oil the timber in the first dry spell, before the summer sun gets fierce.
- Look at the pointing and the render
- In September or October, after the winter rain in the Western Cape and before the summer storms elsewhere. A crack in the pointing or the render lets water into the wall, and it appears inside as damp much later.
The garden edge
- Turn the compost heap
- Three times a year. See March for how.
- Check the water butt and its diverter
- Before the summer rains in the summer rainfall regions: clear out the leaves, check the tap, and set the diverter to fill. In the Western Cape the rain comes in winter, so do it in April instead.
- Service the mower before the mowing starts
- In August or September, before the grass starts growing again: new plug, clean filter, sharp blade and fresh fuel. Book it early, because everyone else remembers once the lawn is already long.
- Check the irrigation timer and the sprinklers
- Before the dry months, run each zone and watch where the water lands. In the Western Cape that means spring, ahead of the dry summer; where the summer brings the rain, check the timer again before the dry winter.
Tick them off as you go
This page is the plain list for September. The same list is tickable on the house through the year, where the ticks are kept on your own device and cleared at the start of each year. Nothing is sent anywhere.
The garden half of the month is on the almanac page for September, which covers what to sow, what to plant out and what is ready to pick.