4 Things to Consider When Raking Your Leaves

You know it’s September when the back to school pictures start popping up all over Facebook, coffee shop blackboards proudly display their fall specials, and the fresh green leaves of summer slowly start to change color.

In your yard, it may not be time just yet to start raking your leaves, but you will have your rake out before you know it.  Once you are out there, enjoying the crisp air and creating piles of crunchy leaves, there are a few things to consider.

4 Things to Consider When Raking Your Leaves

1. Small leaves are easier to rake than large ones

Brandi Braxton for Real Simple advises us to break up our leaves. Before pulling out the rake, mow your lawn.  The shorter grass will make it easier to rake up leaves and the mower will cut up the leaves into smaller pieces.  If you don’t have a lawn mower, take some time to stomp around areas with lots to break them up.  If you have children, this is a great job for them.

2. Dry leaves are easier to rake than wet leaves

Wet leaves are heavy, slimy, and all around kind of gross.  Check the weather forecast for a stretch of dry weather in order to strategically choose the best raking leaves day.

3. Watch where you are raking

If you have a high efficiency furnace (90% AFUE or above), the intake and exhaust pipes are not located in your chimney as they are with other furnaces.  Instead, they are PVC pipes located somewhere along the side of your home, usually fairly low to the ground.  When leaves get stuck in these pipes, that can cause your furnace to malfunction. Before raking, find these pipes and make sure not to create your leaf pile anywhere near it.  It’s also a good idea, after a really windy day, to check them out and make sure no leaves have blown inside.

4. It’s OK for adults to still jump into a pile of leaves

A tall pile of dry, crunchy fall leaves is so tempting.  Even grownups are allowed to have a little bit of fun, right?  So, go ahead!  Just know that you will be the one re-raking afterward.

Looking for more advice on making sure your home is ready for heating season?  Contact us at FLAME Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Electrical to learn more about our residential heating services.