(Al)Arm Yourself against Flood Damage
If you’re like most homeowners, you already have several alarms in your home – a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector, a burglar alarm and of course, the hated alarm clock. All these alarms help alert you to potentially dangerous or otherwise unsatisfactory conditions.
But what do you do in the case of flooding? Do you have an alert system to clue you in when the water level in the basement gets too high? Rather than waiting to discover this problem on your own, risking serious possible damage, a water alarm can help you respond to flooding conditions quickly.
Where Flooding Comes From
There are several potential sources of flooding around your home, such as:
- Washing machine
- Water heater
- Dishwasher
- Drains and pipes
Any of these can malfunction, break, become clogged, leak or otherwise break down and cause a potential flood in your home. Frequently, this water collects in the basement, where you may not even realize it is a problem until it is too late.
In addition to your own home turning on you, there is always the possibility of heavy rainfall or other precipitation leaking into your home, potentially causing a flood. No matter where the flood comes from, the result is the same: damage to your home and possessions, costing you a lot of money to repair—at least, for anything that actually can be repaired.
What a Water Alarm Does
As the name implies, a water alarm is a device that monitors moisture levels and emits an audible alert signal when it detects higher than usual levels. By installing an alarm in areas where flooding is possible, such as in the basement or near your water heater, you’ll be aware of rising water levels before any damage even occurs.
For an added layer of protection, some water alarms can also be connected directly to your plumbing. This enables the alarm to turn off the master valve on your main water line, which turns off the water to your home, thereby preventing further flooding. Of course, this feature won’t help if the source of the flooding is outside, like in a torrential downpour, but it is a big help for regular household floods.
Installing a Water Alarm
You may be able to install a water alarm yourself, if you are a savvy homeowner. For models that connect to the water system, however, professional installation is recommended. Whatever you choose, know this is a great way to protect your home against the kind of catastrophic damage you have nightmares about whenever the rain picks up.
5 Tips for Dealing with Messy Autumn Leaves
Fall is a beautiful time of year, as the leaves change color, creating a kaleidoscope in your backyard. That is, until it comes time to clean all those leaves up. Then you have a mess on your hands.
Try some of these tips to get those leaves off your grass more easily:
- Rake Leaves as they Fall - This requires raking a few leaves very often, rather than doing it one or two times and gathering a ton of leaves. The advantage of raking leaves as they fall to the ground is that the work is spread out over the fall, rather than you busting your back on that one day when you decide to round up every last leaf. Plus, this gets them up before the rain falls, and dry leaves are much easier to work with.
- Mow Them - Scientifically speaking, the reason we rake the leaves off our lawn is so the grass can breathe and be ready to grow again in the spring. If the leaves are left on the grass, they form a thick, smothering blanket which can kill the grass. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you must rake them up. If you just set your mower blade low enough to shred the leaves, and mow the lawn as usual, the mowed leaves will break down naturally.
- Blow Them Away – Or suck them up! Leaf blowers and vacuums are powerful ways to get rid of leaves. If you don’t have a big mess to contend with, you can just use a shop vac, rather than purchase a new piece of equipment. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions for the best way to use a leaf blower or vacuum.
- Mulch Them - By turning some of those leaves into mulch, you can turn them from potential lawn killers into powerful lawn nutrients! Use a mulcher or do it yourself with a mulch bin.
- Make Compost - You can also add the leaves to your compost bin for another environmental benefit. This can be tricky, though, so make sure you know how to compost leaves before starting.
Hopefully, one of these ideas will work for you. Remember that the important thing is to get those leaves off your lawn so they don’t suffocate your grass and turn your front yard into a wasteland. Take care of them now so you don’t have to seed all over again in the spring.
Happy raking!
