Archive for March, 2011
Theft-Proof Your Garage
Garages especially detached garages and other outbuildings present special challenges for the securityminded homeowner. You store many valuable items in these vulnerable places. Keep them safe by following a few easy security tips.
Close and lock the garage door even if you leave the car parked in the driveway and even if you are at home. It is not just your car that could be stolen most people have tools and toys stored in the garage which are much easier for a thief to carry off than a whole car. Leaving your garage door open while you step into the house for a quick nap leaves all those valuables at risk for the quickwitted burglar.
Cover all the windows in the garage or use opaque or frosted glass. Burglars will take a quick peek in the window to see if your car is at home and if they don’t see it may then take a quick jaunt into the garage or house to steal your property.
If you have an attached garage install a peephole or inconspicuous small window you can open from inside the house. If you hear noises in the garage you can check what’s going on without opening the door between the house and garage.
A quick and cheap extra lock for your garage door is a cclamp clamping the door to the track. Even if a burglar broke the garage door lock the cclamp would be in place making it impossible to raise the door from the outside. Just don’t forget you’ve clamped the door shut the next time you want to use the garage door opener.
You must install motion sensor lights that click on when there is movement within a certain range. Contrary to popular myth these lights are not clicking on and off all the time whenever a squirrel walks past. You set the motionsensing eye to recognize movement within a certain distance or at a certain angle. Aim the light so it will not bother you while you are sleeping but will deter burglars who might want to steal your belongings.
The best way to protect your garage and all the property you have stored in it is to install a quality home security system. If you have valuable tools and equipment stored in your garage or another outbuilding consider installing a security system in just that building. Include window and door alarms and your valuable investments will remain safe from theft and damage.
A home security system comes equipped with an alarm that sounds anytime it is triggered blasting the confidence of a wouldbe burglar and sending him running. A home security system also comes equipped with the backup of a monitoring center which will call the police fire department or emergency personnel if the alarm is triggered. Your garage and outbuildings are being watched 24 hours a day 7 days a week by professionals whose only job is to keep your valuable tools and equipment safe from thieves.
About the writer: An ADT alarm system can help protect your home and family with cuttingedge equipment and monitoring. ADT home security is America’s numberone security company. You can’t go wrong when you go with the home security leader.
The Dangers Of Carbon Monoxide And What You Can Do To Avoid Them
UK gas safety watchdog CORGI is urging consumers not to cut back on essential servicing and maintenance of their gas appliances despite costofliving rises.
The reasoning behind their campaign hinges on the dangers of Carbon Monoxide; the silent odourless killer that can creep through a home via a malfunctioning boiler or cooker. It can be the cause of serious illness or tragically on some occasions death.
Carbon monoxide problems can be easily averted by ensuring appliances are safety checked on a regular basis. Having gas appliances serviced and maintained is the only way to guarantee that they are in full working order and any dangers are avoided. But this work must without exception be carried out by a CORGI registered engineer.
It is imperative that homeowners never allow anyone who is not CORGI registered to carry out work on their gas appliances. CORGI engineers are gas experts who have undergone extensive training to qualify for registration. They go to great lengths to make sure that all gas appliances are correctly installed serviced and properly ventilated so that they are safe and function efficiently. Not only does this ensure safety but also optimum energy efficiency.
Most of the work carried out by gas workers operating outside of CORGI registrationis said to be dangerously flawed. Homeowners should never scrimp on vitally important things like gas safety even amidst the credit crunch when they are tightening their belts because lives could be put at serious risk.
Make a note in your diary for the same date every year: boiler service and gas safety check by a CORGI registered engineer check the id card it could save lives.
About the writer: Ivor Bates is the director of Bates Heating and Plumbing Limited a plumbing and heating company established in 2001 and covering all areas of London Docklands and Essex. Bates Heating is CORGI registered and all engineers are fully qualified and specially selected for their experience and range of skills. A 24 hour emergency plumbing service is also offered. For more information visit http://www.batesheating.co.uk or telephone 020 8924 3558.
The Best Home Security Help And Advice
Is home security important? Well if you have already been burgled then you know the answer to that. So many people think that home security is something they must do but dont really get around to doing anything about it. By not taking action and addressing your home security weaknesses you are running a big risk. TVs hifis and games machines can easily be replaced but can you really afford to lose all of your personal possessions precious heirlooms and sentimental items of value and importance? The following are the many ways that you can improve your home security and give peace of mind that your home is properly protected.
Burglar Alarm Systems This should be the first home improvement you must make if you want to increase your home security. Alarm systems generally consist of a control panel siren and a variety of sensors to trigger a burglar intrusion. There is a choice of hard wired or wireless type systems. Wireless systems are a very popular choice as they are cheap and easy to install although sensors require a regular battery change. Technology has improved somewhat and they are less prone to false alerts nowadays. Hard wired systems are generally more permanent and more stable and used in professional installations. They have higher install costs and there will be a lot of disruption during installation.
Monitored Home Security Monitored home security is when your home burglar alarm system is connected to a alarm monitoring company and their job is to watch over your home 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If your alarm is triggered they will send out help to assist with your emergency be it police fire or ambulance. They will charge a small monthly fee but you may find that by having monitored home security your insurance premium may drop thus offsetting the monitoring costs.
Security Cameras Closed Circuit Television or CCTV is a popular method to visually and sometimes audibly monitor and record activity directly outside your property. There are simple inexpensive systems that simply send a signal to your TV or a monitor for you to view. Or there are more sophisticated systems that can record images and video digitally from many security cameras that may be monitoring your property. The digital images can sometimes be viewed remotely all around the world via the internet. There are many choices of camera. Again security cameras can be both hard wired and wireless color or black and white and some even operate in the dark via infrared.
External Security Lighting External security lighting is one of the cheapest yet effective home security improvements you can make. The burglar does not want to be seen when breaking into a property so external lighting will be sure to put him off. It is recommended to buy the security lighting with an attached PIR motion sensor this will switch on immediately when movement is detected.
Deadbolts Locks For Securing Doors Deadbolt locks provide an additional security obstacle for your external doors and will make it nigh on impossible for the burglar to get into your property via the protected door. These days biometrics are becoming popular offering keyless locks with gadgets such as fingerprint readers to allow the door to be opened.
Driveway Monitors A driveway monitor will detect the entry of someone onto your land giving you an early warning of someones presence. It could be an expected visitor friend or neighbour but it could equally be an unwanted intruder.
Security Window Bars Security window bars provide both a visual and physical deterrent to a burglar making them think twice about breaking into a property. A burglar does not want to draw attention to himself when breaking into a property and also wants to be very quick to enter the property. By installing window bars you will slow him down and he will create noise when trying to remove the window bars. This should be enough for him to move on even before he has attempted a breakin.
These are just a few of the many ways to prevent to burglar entering your property and making off with your property and valuables.
About the writer: Learn more about home security systems and for more great advice on the best burglar alarm systems go to Secure Home Advice.