Home Security and Your Summer Vacation

Summer usually means summer vacation. And while you’re away enjoying, you probably wouldn’t imagine a pipe leaking or bursting in your home. And the thought of the heat causing a circuit to short and igniting an electrical fire isn’t crossing your mind. But these are realities that bring people’s vacations to a crashing halt followed by serious expense and inconvenience.

There are options for peace of mind that don’t involve obsessively checking every facet of your home before leaving or wondering every five minutes if you forgot to turn off the gas.

Home security systems have taken on new dimensions. Besides protecting and monitoring for entry, theft, personal protection and defense of property – security systems are now advanced enough to monitor your home against disaster.

Some of the higher grade packages like ADT’s Expanded Family package, now include sensors that can monitor heat and smoke. Rising temperatures can alert your security company even before smoke rises enough to trigger conventional smoke detectors.

Of course, water is far stealthier than fire. By the time anyone notices your house is flooded, expensive and serious damage has occurred. Amazingly, sensors are now designed to watch for rising water levels in your home –  even from sources as seemingly minor as an overflowing washer.

But there are some things we often don’t even consider – like carbon monoxide. The quiet and deadly gas is easily watched by the right home security system.

And better yet, systems today can give advanced warning on extreme temperatures in your home. For anyone getting away from cold temperatures in the winter, there’s no better peace of mind than knowing a failed furnace won’t lead to frozen pipes. Avoid floods and damage before they happen.

Many companies make it so that you can login to your security systems online and check on your home’s status. And of course, in an emergency – like a shift in temperature – your security provider can contact you.

These advanced features of home security may have other advantages besides peace of mind. In many cases, you can receive discounts on your homeowners insurance for having your home monitored in these ways. After all, prevention saves insurers a lot of money

How do you get going with one of these advanced systems? Numerous security providers offer them. Every region has its own high quality local providers and national companies like ADT, Broadview Security (formerly Brinks) and GE offer quotes and often introductory specials.

Photo via supernewbie (sailing persa)