Nebraska gives you about six good weeks between the last mow and the first hard freeze. Here is how to spend them so January does not send you a plumber’s bill.
Before the first hard freeze — usually mid-to-late October in Omaha — blow out the sprinklers, disconnect the hoses, and service the furnace. After the leaves are down, clean the gutters and walk the roof line. Once the windows are shut for the season, run a radon test. Then set up for snow: a shovel by the door, salt on the step, and a plan for the sidewalk, because the city expects it cleared.
Water is the whole story in a Nebraska winter. Almost every expensive winter call I hear about from clients comes back to water sitting somewhere it should not be when the temperature drops below 20.
So the first pass is simple: find every place water lives outside the heated part of the house, and get it out or protect it before the first hard freeze.
Do these in October. Not November — November is when the sprinkler companies are booked two weeks out.
An irrigation line that freezes with water in it cracks, and you find out in May when a section of yard turns into a pond. Most Omaha companies start blowouts in early October. Get on the list in September.
A hose left attached traps water in the spigot, and a frost-free spigot is only frost-free when nothing is holding water in it. Unscrew, drain, and put an insulated cover on older spigots.
A tune-up in September is a 45-minute appointment. A dead furnace on the first 10-degree night is a waitlist. Swap the filter while you are there, and put a reminder on your phone to swap it again in January.
Pour a bucket in the pit and watch it cycle. Then walk outside and make sure the discharge line is not going to freeze solid at the end — a frozen line means the pump runs against a wall.
Pipes along an exterior wall, in an unheated garage, or in a crawlspace are the ones that burst. Foam pipe insulation is a few dollars a length at Menards and ten minutes of work.
Omaha’s oaks and maples hold on into November, so this pass happens later than you think.
Clean in early October and you will be doing it twice. Wait until the trees are bare. Clogged gutters are how you get ice dams, and ice dams are how you get a water stain on the bedroom ceiling in February.
Hail season here runs spring through summer, and a lot of damage never gets reported because nobody looked. Binoculars from the yard: missing shingles, dented vents, granules piling up at the downspouts.
Soil settles against the foundation over the years. If it slopes toward the house, fall is the time to fix it — before spring melt sends it straight into the basement.
Nebraska has some of the highest radon levels in the country, and eastern Nebraska is squarely in it. Radon comes up through the soil, and winter is when it builds — the house is closed, the furnace is drawing air, and whatever is under the slab stays inside.
That makes winter the most honest time to test. A short-term kit is inexpensive and takes a few days. If it comes back high, a mitigation system is a known, fixable thing — not a reason to panic, but a reason not to guess. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has a radon program with testing guidance if you want the official version.
Not in the back of the garage behind the lawnmower. The first storm is always the one you were not ready for.
The City of Omaha expects residential sidewalks cleared within 24 hours after the snow stops. It matters most to the neighbor with a stroller or a walker.
High-efficiency furnaces vent out the side of the house through PVC pipes. Drifted snow over them can shut the furnace down. Worth a look after every big storm.
Closed-up houses and gas furnaces are exactly the conditions a CO detector exists for. Batteries in November, same day every year.
It moves year to year, but plan for mid-to-late October. The practical rule: when the ten-day forecast shows a night in the mid-20s, anything with water in it should already be drained.
Only on the coldest nights, and only on faucets along exterior walls. A slow drip keeps water moving so it is less likely to freeze. Opening the cabinet doors under those sinks helps too.
Do not turn the heat off. Most people leave it somewhere in the mid-50s. Have someone check the house if you are gone more than a few days during a cold snap.
Yes — the showing path matters more than the kitchen. A salted walk, a clear driveway, a mat and a place to leave boots inside the door, and every light on. Buyers who come out on a January Tuesday are serious, so make it easy for them.
Tell me the year it was built and what kind of heat it has. I will send you the short list for that specific house and the local people I would call for each item. The Buyer’s Guide above has a full first-year maintenance calendar too.
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