Recently Consumer Reports compiled tips for homeowners to protect our home outside and in. Let’s look at areas inside the home that you can monitor to stop a problem before it starts.
Watch Over the Indoor Environment
Smart thermostats connect to a smartphone app allowing you to remotely control your home’s heating and cooling. This is convenient—and can help you avoid disaster during unexpected cold snaps or heat waves while you’re away. A smart thermostat can also help you track heat and humidity. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends indoor humidity in the 30 to 50 percent range to avoid mold, mildew, and bacteria growth, or the humid conditions dust mites (a known allergen) thrive in.
Maintain HVAC Systems
Have your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems inspected every year. The average cost is $75 to $200, and it can help keep your system operating smoothly and economically. What’s more, it can ward off damage, such as a fire from a furnace issue or water damage from your AC’s condensate pan overflowing.
Avoid Likely Leaks
“A leak detector is like wearing a seat belt,” says Kirk MacDowell, CEO of security consulting firm MacGuard Security Advisors. “You don’t realize its value until you need it.” And you may well need it: About 1 in 60 insured homeowners file a water-related claim every year.
These devices either measure the flow rate in pipes on your main water supply or detect water leaking onto the floor. They can be put near your water heater, under sinks, by pipes that run to your washer, and near exterior walls that could freeze. The detectors can be security system add-ons or purchased independently. They can notify you (and possibly a central monitoring station) of leaks, and some can even turn off the water.
Don’t Let a Thunderstorm Fry Your Tech
Poof! One good lightning strike, and your valuable computer and TV can sizzle their way out of service. Surge protectors are helpful but putting your most valuable devices on an uninterruptible power supply, which is a bigger version of a power strip that looks like a black box. Prices range from around $50 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the type. If you live in an area known for frequent lightning storms, you might want to consider a whole-home surge protector, a device that goes on your breaker box and costs around $500.
Do a Fire-Safety Sweep
In 2021, a home fire was reported every 93 seconds in America, and a home fire injury occurred every 47 minutes. Help protect your home and loved ones by requiring all smoking to take place outside and having smokers douse butts to extinguish them; taking care not to leave burning candles unattended; and moving combustible materials (such as papers) away from space heaters—and always turn those off when you leave a room or go to bed, the American Red Cross says.
Make sure you have operational smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, located in or near bedrooms. Change the batteries whenever the clocks spring forward or fall back.
