Why Summer is the Best Season to Update Your Home’s Security System
A security system is an excellent way to keep your home safe, but once it’s installed, it does require maintenance and updating now and then. For one thing, technologies are always changing and improving, so the security measures you put in place ten years ago may be due for an upgrade, and there's likely some new equipment available now that just didn’t exist when your system was installed. If it’s time to start thinking about updating your home security, here are three areas where you can begin this summer.
1. Create a Home Safety and Emergency Plan
For any family to be safe in a home, every member needs to know how to act and where to go in case of an emergency, such as a fire, flood, or severe storm. Put together a plan of urgency that outlines escape routes from each room, details what to do in the event of various emergencies, and describes at least two outdoor meeting points where everyone should gather. Everyone should also know where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them, where all the phones are, and who to call in an emergency.
The thing about contingency plans is that they work best when they're practiced because this will prevent panic. And it’s much more pleasant to have a practice fire drill in the middle of summer than it is in the dead of winter!
2. Install Outdoor and Indoor Sensors
Thanks to technological advances, there are sensors out there for everything these days. Outdoor sensors are reserved for motion detection and door/window sensors that alert you to an intruder. When it comes to indoor sensors, there are your basic motion detectors, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors, but in recent years there have been some others come out on the market, including broken glass detectors, flood and water sensors, and smart thermostats that can detect temperature changes.
You don’t necessarily have to install all these sensors, but you should consider ones that make sense for your home or area. For instance, if there's virtually no crime in your neighborhood, a broken glass alarm may not be what you need, but a carbon monoxide detector is a must if you have any gas appliances.
Summer is a much easier time for installing certain things, such as outdoor motion sensors because you don’t have to contend with snow and the elements. It’s also a good idea to have smoke alarms, and other safety devices installed well before the winter when more cooking will be done indoors, people will be spending more time inside, and there may even be a fire roaring in your heart.
3. Keep up With Regular Maintenance
3. Keep up With Regular MaintenanceYou may not think of regular wear and tear as a safety hazard, but it can certainly become one. Think about what would happen if a child or animal ate some of the paint that’s chipping on the wall, or if that broken piece of siding revealed a rusty nail that someone could get snagged on. And when it comes to the roof, the safety and integrity of your entire home depend on it, so it’s important to keep up with regular maintenance and repairs.
There is seasonal maintenance that must be done throughout the year, but summer is the best time for a lot of it because there's no snow on the roof, it’s not cold outside, and outdoor repairs are much more pleasant when the sun’s shining rather than during an ice storm.
You want to keep your home and your family safe, and Falcon Plumbing can help in Miami, FL. Call us at 305-251-7333 for help with your repairs, emergency plumbing issues, device installation, or for more tips about updating your home security system.
