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It used to be that one of the main reasons for homeowners not wanting to have a security system was because of their concern of having to deal with false alarms. While this may have been a problem in the past, it is one that has been mostly rectified. Not to say that it still doesn’t happen, but with the new home and business security technology, and the caliber of security equipment now being used it has great reduced the false alarm instances.

One common reason that false alarms still take place however, is because of human error. It is not unusual for homeowners to trigger their own alarm. This causes them to sometimes panic, but a simple solution to this is to utilize the verification program of your security provider. What this means is that if the monitoring company receives a signal of a triggered alarm, they will first reach out to who you have listed on your contact list, usually with the homeowner being the first contact. This gives you a chance to verify the alarm was false and as such no responders will be notified.

Proper Installation

With this being the “do it yourself” era, a lot of people want to install their own security systems rather than depend on the professionals to do this for them. While the over the counter general department store security equipment may be easy to install, it may not give you all the extra factors that you need to consider. Without these you are more at risk of having to deal with false alarms. Often what happens is the detectors are placed in areas where they are going to be subjected to common place movement that takes place in the home which in turn triggers them unnecessarily. For example, they may be too close to the ventilation system of the room or near the fireplace. Then if there are pets in the home and by not buying applicable security equipment again it raises the risk for false triggering of the alarms.

Another potential problem with using this type of store bought equipment is simply not learning how to use it properly. It may be that if you are the one installing it you will take the time to learn this. But what about the rest of the family? You must ensure that they too have this knowledge.

The best route to go is to rely on not only high caliber security equipment for your protection, but to utilize the services of security professionals who not only can advise you as to the best system for you but can ensure it is properly installed. Not only does this give you the confidence in knowing that your home or business is protected but you won’t have to be so concerned about false alarms.

There are a lot of different ways that our homes need protecting and one of these is to ensure that we don’t have to deal with basement flooding, plus ensuring that the home can withstand whatever winter has to throw at it.

When people think about protecting their most prized possession or at least their most expensive possession, their home they often think of security devices such as cameras and security systems and even the most important device to keep your home safe… a good, solid front door lock!

All of these items are extremely important for keeping your family and possessions safe over the course of the year but when winter begins the list of things to do gets a little bit longer and more complicated.

There are a variety of things you should do to get the house ready for whatever winter tosses at us this year, and with climate change influencing things you never really know what you are going to get anymore.

It used to be that we expected to get a blast of cold and potentially even snow by around mid-December and that would typically last until mid-March or so with very little in the way of thaw over that period. Unfortunately, with climate changing the way it has over the past decade or so we can no longer expect that same scenario and have even experienced at least 6 or 8 freeze/thaw cycles alone this year already with more to potentially come.

Why is this a problem? The main issue comes when the snow flies and we get an accumulation and then just as rapidly it thaws creating a huge amount of water that has to go somewhere! And that somewhere usually becomes the basement if your house is not prepared properly.

Here are a few tips to get the house ready for winter.

Firstly, you should make 100% certain that any pipes that may be exposed are sufficiently insulated so that they cannot freeze and burst if the weather turns extreme. This includes the outdoor taps and the sprinkler system if you have one.

Another must do is to fully inspect your roof ideally before any snow comes to make sure that there are no loose shingles or areas in need of repair. After the snow flies and you realize that you have a leak it is much harder to find and repair.

When you are up there inspecting the roof make sure to check the eaves so that they are not crammed full of leaves and other debris as this can lead to improper draining when snow melts and can cause ice dams that will make the water back up into your house. Never a good thing!

Now, about that basement. Being absolutely sure of having a working sump pump is a must in case of unexpected thaws and the potential of having water entering the basement if there are any leaks in the foundation or elsewhere. The incredible amount of water the freeze/thaw cycle creates is a major hazard and one you should be prepared for fully.

One of the best investments any home owner can make is a sump pump sensor which is designed to let you know if your sump is having any issues before there is a massive problem. There are many on the market and they are very cost effective.

Here at Pre-Lock Security Service we can sell and install sump pump sensors that will give you safety and even more important peace of mind!