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Gadgets That Protect Your Home From a Disaster

Gadgets That Protect Your Home From a Disaster

If your home has ever been damaged by fire, mold, or water, you know how it affects your life. Even a small fire or flood can leave a lot of destruction behind and cause you to lose your precious belongings. Cleanup can be a nightmare and usually requires professional help.

While you can’t prevent a water leak, mold, or fire with absolute certainty, you can prepare for the possibility of a home disaster so you can lessen the damage. Here’s a look at some products that help protect your home from home disaster damage.

Water Damage Protection

A broken water pipe gushes water out fast and causes damage quickly. One way to prevent this disaster is to have an automatic shutoff valve installed on the main water line to your house. This type of protection is particularly useful if you travel a lot or if you have a vacation home that is vacant frequently.

One type of automatic shutoff valve works by attaching the valve to the water main and then placing sensors in areas of your home where leaks might occur, such as near a hot water heater or dishwasher. If water contacts a sensor, the automatic valve is triggered to shut down water flow. This response can save your home from significant water damage.

Other water-leak sensors sound alarms rather than shut off the water supply. If you’re home at the time, you’ll hear the alarm go off so you can take action quickly to shut down the water. You can place the small sensors behind a toilet, next to the water heater, and even under your sinks so you’ll know as soon as water starts leaking.

Mold Growth Protection

Mold thrives in specific humidity conditions, so one way to determine if mold is a threat is to use a hygrometer that measures humidity in your home. These are inexpensive gauges or digital meters you can carry from room to room or mount on the wall.

You may want to keep track of the humidity in your bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, or even your attic. Some digital meters even have alarms so you’ll be notified when the humidity in your house is too high and favorable for mold.

Another way to check for favorable mold conditions is with a thermal leak detector. The thermal cameras that professionals use are very pricey, but you can buy a home model that’s less expensive and that has a smaller screen. You won’t need videos or the capability of making crisp pictures.

The colors on the screen will tell you what you need to know. These work by picking up on temperature changes. If you have a water leak behind a wall or under the floor, the leak detector will show a color change as you scan the area. This lets you know that a roof leak or plumbing leak is hidden in your home and you need to have repairs done before significant damage occurs.

Fire Alarm Protection

Your home should be equipped with smoke detectors on all floors. You’ll want to change batteries so they are always on duty and ready to pick up on smoke in the air. You can integrate your fire alarms with a home automation system so you’re notified immediately by phone if the alarm goes off when you’re not home.

Smart smoke alarms are able to tell you exactly where they’re detecting smoke so you know what’s going on in your home. With this advanced notification, you can call the fire department so they arrive on the scene as quickly as possible.

Despite your best efforts at detecting and preventing problems in your home, you may still have damage to clean up after a water pipe bursts or when a small fire fills your home with smoke.

No matter what kind of home disaster you face, DRC Cleaning Solutions can help. Call us right after the disaster so we can get to work quickly before smoke or water does permanent damage to your belongings and home.

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