As a homeowner, the safety of your home is your responsibility. This means protecting it from such problems as flooding and fires. This article will explain how to guard against these threats to protect yourself and your family.
Protecting your home from flooding
In order to protect your home from flooding you want to make sure you take steps to prevent excessive rainwater from becoming a problem and prevent plumbing pipes from bursting.
Make sure your rain gutters are cleaned out and regularly check any drains on your property to make sure they are free of debris so rain water doesn't back up into your home. Repair roof leaks as soon as you notice them or they can grow large quickly and cause flood damage to your home.
Protect your pipes in the winter by draining and storing your garden hoses. Also, keep the inside of your home warm, even when you aren't going to be there. Open cabinets that will expose the pipes in the house so the warmness gets to them. Leave the faucets on a fast and steady drip when it's below freezing so there is water continuously going through the pipes.
Protecting your home from fire
There are some very important steps you want to take to ensure your home is protected from fire and that measures are in place to deal with a fire if one should start.
The first thing you should do is to get fire extinguishers for your kitchen, garage and/or your work shed immediately. Pay attention to the date on your extinguisher and make sure you get it serviced by that date so you know it's being kept in good working order.
Have an electrician come out to inspect your electrical system any time you notice something wrong with the electricity, such as hearing buzzing in the walls, an outlet that's hot to the touch, an outlet that sparks when you plug something in or anything else that you find worrisome.
Have a fire alarm system installed in your home by a company like Bevan Security Systems, Inc. The system will be networked throughout the house and this means if there is smoke in one area then the entire house will be warned. The system will also alert the local fire department so help arrives as quickly as possible. If the system includes fire sprinklers, then they will turn on to put the water out before it gets out of hand.
The advice here is going to help you prevent major problems such as flooding and fire that pose safety risks, as well as the risk of extensive damage or even total destruction of your home.
