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Home security tips before going on vacation

Before going away on a vacation, make sure your home is safe and secure with some of these tips.

When getting ready for a trip I have to admit my wife is a blessing. She’s the organizational bug, ensuring we have everything we need for the family vacation. The only thing she usually asks of me is to shore up our home security before we take off.Father and son in car going on trip.

The first thing I do is verify the alarm system is working as it should. I test it and send signals for peace of mind. My alarm system is one of those things that I assume is always working correctly, but testing it verifies this for me. I don’t want our family vacation to be the time that I find out our alarm system wasn’t armed or functioning properly.

The next thing I do to bolster my home security before a vacation is to make a check list of things to turn off right before leaving. For example, the water and all the lights. You may be surprised how often something happens to someone’s home due to water running and not realizing it. Running toilets are a common occurrence, and can run up a high water bill, or worse, damage the home. It’s a good idea to shut off the water and breakers before leaving. Though, you may want to check and see if you have any vital electronics or appliances that should not be disconnected, like your alarm system keypad, or a water heater that may be on a program through your electricity provider.

Another good idea is to unplug the power to your garage door opener after loading up your vehicle. Many years ago I was gone and came home to an open garage door. Closing and unplugging the power to the garage door opener adds peace of mind that it will be closed the entire time our family is on vacation.

These are just a few things I do to improve our home security when we are planning a vacation or trip away from home.

For servicing your WH Security alarm system, call 763.477.3664.