Water Alarm- Surge Protection - Temperature Guard

Protect Your Home from Flooding, Power Surges and Extreme Temperatures

Several years ago I left the house with the washing machine running to do some errands. Imagine my horror when I returned home to find the laundry room and kitchen flooded. Even when the washing machine had shut off, the water kept running. I called for a neighbor’s assistance and we finally got the water shut off - but only after the damage had been done. The floor was ruined and the hassle and expense for replacing it was extremely stressful. Not wanting to ever experience that again, I had an anti-flooding device installed that automatically cuts off the water supply from the washer - before my new floor went into place. These devices sense any leaks and shut the water off. We may not be able to avoid an impending flood, but at least my house won’t flood because of a faulty washing machine hose or failure.

When I researched damage from washing machines, I found out that they are one of the most damaging appliances in the home. Flooding can happen from hoses, internal failures or failed switches. Unfortunately we all leave the water on to the washing machine when we are not doing laundry. That could be a costly mistake without an anti-flooding device. By leaving the water on, the hoses are still pressurized at 60-80 pounds. What if the hoses burst? It could mean that over 650 gallons of water per hour pouring onto the floor, or worse yet from an upstairs location spilling into the lower floors. This could cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Since we travel a lot and addressed the washing machine problem, we decided to add a temperature monitor as well. Now on our road trips we have peace of mind knowing these potential problems are taken care of. Extreme temperature fluctuation is something most of us don’t think about. We have a lot of money invested in computers since it is our business. Power failures, drops in temperature, or high humidity and extreme weather conditions can cause considerable damage to computers, musical instruments, expensive electronics (like that new plasma television), harm pets and plants, or freeze pipes. If you are away from home there is no way to know if the temperature or humidity is regulated in the house unless there is an alert system in place. If the temperature falls or rises above the set level, the system alerts you either by phone or pager. With a sensor in place, you have peace of mind when you are away from home.

No one wants to come home to find damage or loss of valuables or damage to property because of temperature extremes, power surges or flooding. Protecting your home and its contents are an essential part of home maintenance and care. In some cases, adding this protection will lower your insurance premiums - but check with your insurance company to find out if they offer such rates. So, go ahead, take that vacation, install power surge protectors, a water monitor and a temperature alert system and enjoy yourself knowing that when you return everything will be just as you left it.

This article written by "Safe Home Sue", a product specialist for Safe Home Products®