Winter Freeze Protection
If you are planning on leaving your home for an extended period of time this winter (more than a day or two), we strongly suggest that you use some type of winter freeze protection. During cold winter weather, there are many things that can cause your heat to go off, including a power failure. If the heat goes off and your house is unattended, serious problems can occur. When water freezes, at 32° F, it expands with tremendous force. This expansion will break pipes, toilets or anything else in its way. While broken pipes are bad enough, it's not the worst of it. If the weather warms up, the broken pipes may thaw and leak, causing severe water damage.You can protect your home from winter freeze-ups in one of the following ways:
- If you have a central station alarm, you can have your alarm company install a low temperature sensor. If the heat goes off, the central station will be notified, as in the case of a burglary or a fire. The central station will follow up to make sure the heat is restored before there is freeze damage. If you don't have a central station alarm, we can offer you a free basic system from ADT.
- Install a device know as a "Telefreeze" to monitor the temperature in your home through your phone line. With this device, you must call your home every day while you are away. If the phone rings, you know that the heat is on. If you get a busy signal, the heat is off and you have a potential problem. A Telefreeze is easy to install and use and can be purchased from Hart & Iliff for $125.00 including shipping and handling.
- Install a device known as a "Winter Watchman" which monitors the temperature in your home and turns on a light if the heat does go off. We recommend using a red light, which can be readily seen from outside the home. This device is useful only if you can have a neighbor or a relative drive by your home on a daily basis. A Winter Watchman can be purchased from Hart & Iliff for $60.00 including shipping and handling.
Each of these devices works well and can save you thousands of dollars in damage and lots of aggravation. In any event, while you are away, it is important to give us, a neighbor or a relative keys to your house so it can be accessed in the event of a problem.
