You’ve spent the summer making sandcastles on the beach, and cooling off swimming in the lake, but now it’s time to pack up and head home for the fall. The end of summer seems to come sooner each year, and it’s always difficult to pack up and prepare for a new season. We’ve come up with a list of tips to think of when you’re closing up the cottage to prevent expensive damages come spring.
Winterizing Your Cottage or Summer Home
Turn of water and drain your pipes: To prevent pipes from freezing and bursting during the winter months, turn off the water at the main supply point. Additionally, drain pipes leading to appliances, sinks, and toilets.
Purchase a water leak detector: If you visit your vacation home throughout the fall and winter months and you prefer to keep your water turned on, you can buy a water leak detector. This detector is placed at the lowest level of your home or near a sub-pump/water source. In the event of a flood or leak, the sensor detects the water and sends an alarm signal through your home security system to our EPS Monitoring Center where we can immediately notify you of the alarm. This allows you to keep the water turned on with the assurance that, in the case of an incident, you will be notified instantly.
Unplug electronics and appliances: Protect your electronics and appliances from power surges and lightning strikes by unplugging everything before you leave. Remember to keep refrigerators and freezers open while unplugged to prevent mildew and mold. Keep valuable electronics elevated off the floor in the case of a flood or water damage.
Turn up the heat: Keeping the temperature in your home about 55 degrees during the winter is beneficial for keeping the inside of you home dry and warm enough to stop your pipes from freezing. You can either purchase a temperature monitoring system that will alert you if the temperature in your home drops unexpectedly, or you can connect your thermostat through the EPS Security Total Connect mobile app. The Total Connect app allows you to control the temperature of you home from wherever you are! You can manage your thermostat without having to make the long drive out to your cottage to check-in.
Security Tips for Closing Your Home
Leaving for a long time can leave your home a target for intruders, theft and damage, but with these quick safety tips you can protect your home, and ensure that you have control from wherever you are.
Make your home appear lived in: An intrusion usually occurs when no one is home, so making your home appear lived in makes your house less of a candidate for a break in. Some ways you can do this include: putting lights or televisions on timers, keeping window treatments open, and stopping mail delivery while you are away.
Keep critters out: Animals like raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, and bats can be quite dangerous intruders— possibly causing more damage than humans. Be sure to clear any perishable food items out of the house, and thoroughly clean cupboards, and appliances.
Consider a home security system: Even after taking all the precautions to winterize, empty summer homes are easy targets for intruders in the winter. You might want to think about installing a home security system that can monitor your home. Here at EPS Security, we have an around the clock monitoring system that will keep an eye on your home, and we will let you know immediately if there are any issues. If you would like more information about our security systems, or would like to get a quote, fill out the form below!