Columbus Day came and went, and winter is coming soon. Seasonal businesses are closing, and part-time residents will be returning to their winter homes. Everyone hopes to return next May to find their work or living quarters in the same conditions as they left them.

Unique Vacation Property Protection

Naturally, property owners should take basic precautions when leaving for the winter: properly secure doors and windows; install monitors, lights and alarms; alert neighbors and police that they, the residents, are leaving; and so on. Here in New England, however, special winter precautions must be taken — as noted by a New York Times article on winterization. The house, store or shop must be weather proofed externally and internally alike. For instance, citing a South Yarmouth plumbing and heating specialist, the article emphasizes protecting the water pipes as a priority.

If power goes down during a storm, so can a home’s heating and hot water systems. If a radiator’s attached pipes freeze,  heat doesn’t return when the power is restored because the water can’t flow through the pipes. Then other pipes freeze and burst. As the expert notes, “The water can flow for weeks if no one’s watching the house. I’ve seen ice forming at windows. It can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Layers of Protection

Even when you are far away, there are a variety of practical and high-tech options available to secure your property against break-ins and environmental threats. Here are a few suggestions from the New York Times piece and a Cape Cod Times article:

• Deploy all the necessary surveillance/alarm systems to protect against intruders
• Install a “smart” thermostat accessible via smartphone
• Hire a regular maintenance services specialist to monitor the house
• Prepare relevant pipes via insulation, etc.
• Evaluate the heating systems for potential upgrade

The Extra Step for Protection

For a comprehensive approach, you can also turn to a company such as American Alarm to install intrusion detection and environmental sensing solutions — and to monitor your home or business 24/7.

As a proven local vendor, American Alarm can deploy commercial and residential systems that sense changes in temperature, the presence of gasses and water, and more. These can be integrated with security systems to offer automated, reliable, 24/7 monitoring through the entire New England winter. 

Next Steps

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