It is time to get away for the winter. You used to have to take so many steps to ensure the safety and warmth of your home to prevent damage from frigid temps while away – but there are some new tools you can add from our online services and showroom that can help you keep an eye on your home so that you can relax and enjoy the warmer weather.
One of the biggest concerns for an empty home in freezing temperatures is pipes can freezing. This can happen when temperatures drop below freezing and the pipes are exposed to that temperature for a extended period of time. When water freezes, and expands in a closed pipe, the ice displaces the water, which increases its pressure.
Here are 5 ways to prevent frozen pipes:
- Drip Water from a Faucet.
Prevent standing water in pipes by dripping water through farthest faucet from your main valve. Running water through the pipe helps prevent pipes from freezing. The drip can be very slight. A flow of one gallon per hour is enough to prevent freezing.
- Maintain at least a 55 degree temperature in your home.
To keep your home heated enough to prevent frozen pipes, we have all the tools you need to monitor the temperature in your home and adjust the thermostat from afar.
Install one of our smart thermostats in your home and you will have the ability to monitor and change temperature settings while away with direct access to sensors that can be controlled remotely by adjusting the temperature directly from your smartphone app.
You can set-up notifications for when the temperature gets to low or if there are any power outages that might affect the functionality of your heating system. Catching temperature drops early can help prevent a more catastrophic issue
- Insulate pipes in unheated areas.
There are specific products designed to insulate water pipes like a pipe sleeve, heat tape, heat cable, or similar materials on exposed water pipes. These products provide significant protection in areas that usually do not have frequent or prolonged temperatures below freezing.
Check around the home for other areas where water supply lines are located in unheated areas. Look in the garage, and under kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Both hot and cold water pipes in these areas should be insulated.
- Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer air.
Kitchen and bathroom cabinets can keep warm inside air from reaching pipes under sinks and in adjacent outside walls. It’s a good idea to keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to let the warm air circulate around the pipes.
- Install flood sensors throughout your home.
These sensors will alert you when you need to take extra precautions. You can even link these sensors to a device that shuts off the water main. Our flood sensors can be wired or wireless with ensures installation comes without a significant amount of installation difficulty. You can make sure everything at home is just right with our automated home system. You can view the status of your system, arm and disarm sensors from a single, intuitive app.
Contact Us for Peace of Mind this Winter
Be fully prepared for your trip away by knowing all the options Strauss Security provides for the safety of your home. Contact Strauss Security Solutions today to discuss how we can ensure you have all the tools you need.
