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Oconee Hospitality’s Property Maintenance Tips for Winterizing Your Lake House

Winter always brings its own set of challenges, especially for homeowners who rent their Lake Keowee Homes to guests in these off-season months. We never want our homeowners or your guests to experience any outage or interruption in stay due to something that could have potentially been prevented. To safeguard your lake house each winter, we offer the following tips as well as free services that we provide for winterizing your home:

Dock Maintenance

Docks are not only functional, but they also add to the charm of waterfront living. Ensure your dock is maintained and inspected for any loose boards, nails, or damaged parts. Remove and store any loose equipment to prevent damage from ice or harsh winds. If your dock has electrical components, consider consulting a professional to make sure that everything is turned off and properly winterized. We recommend a professional company for this service.

Sealing Windows and Doors

For the most part, our winters are fairly mild. However, we can have brisk days of cold wind and rain at times. During the off-season of guests in your home, we want to ensure your home is as economically friendly and efficient as possible by taking all precaution to close windows and seal door drafts. We regularly check for drafts around windows and doors and will seal any gaps or cracks found. Oconee Hospitality does provide this service for home owners.

Protect Your Hot Tub

One of the most sought after amenities in a Short Term Rental is a hot tub in the winter months. Guests specifically look for properties that offer this value when booking during the off season. This means that we must ensure your hot tub is ready at all times. To keep it in prime condition, we do drain and clean, calibrate the water chemistry and change filters. Oconee Hospitality does provide this service for home owners.

Winterize Your Pool

Of those fortunate enough to have a pool with their lake house, winterizing your pool is necessary to ensure the longevity of it. We recommend installing a winter cover, lowering the water level, and maintaining the balance of your pool’s chemistry. You can also try pool antifreeze in the pipes to avoid cracking or damaged pipes. We recommend a professional for this service.

Heating System and Gas Logs

Consider scheduling a professional inspection of your heating system and any gas logs before winter arrives. A professional HVAC company will come do a routine maintenance, replace air filters, check the efficiency of your heating systems, and address any potential issues on the spot before they become major. Also, it is important to ensure any propane tanks are full for grills or outdoor fire pits. For homes with gas logs as a heating source (ex: living room) it is especially important to ensure your pilot light is lite and the gas fireplace ignites properly. This prevents emergencies in the colder months as well as ensuring comfort for your tenants. We recommend a professional for this service.

Insulate Exposed Pipes

Especially in lakefront properties, freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on your rental’s plumbing and irrigation systems. We recommend insulating exposed pipes to prevent from freezing. As a service to our homeowners, we pay close attention to ensuring outside faucet covers are put on and exposed pipes have an insulation barrier. Oconee Hospitality does provide this service for home owners.

Gutter & Roof Clean-up

We all love when the fall brings a change in leaf color across Oconee County, especially on the shores of Lake Keowee. However, leaf drop and buildup can cause issues with clogged gutters, making rainfall and any snow melt drainage more difficult. We recommend a complete roof and gutter clean up after the majority of leaf fall has happened. This is also a great time to check for any roof issues that may be starting to appear. We recommend a professional for this service.

Addressing these maintenance tasks before winter sets in will not only protect your home, your asset and your revenue from rentals, but it will ensure a more pleasant and stress-free experience during the colder months. Enjoy winter knowing your lake house is well prepared for the seasonal challenges that lay ahead!