While most of the country has experienced harsh snow storms and wintry conditions this season, the risk of cold winter weather does not end there.
Freezing temperatures often cause water pipes to freeze and burst, causing major damage to homeowner's property and valued possessions.
Identify the places in your home where water pipes run along the exterior walls, getting more exposure to cold weather.
In many homes, these pipes are typically located in the basement, attic, or garage.
The easiest way to keep these pipes from freezing is to keep water flowing through the pipes.
Pipes that have stagnant water freeze more easily and are at greater risk of bursting.
If your home loses heat or power for a long period of time, as many homes do during winter blizzards, it is especially important to know how to drain your home's water supply in order to reduce the chance of the water freezing.
Follow local weather advisories closely and monitor your home's water supply during extreme conditions.
If you are going away on vacation this winter, be sure to ask a trusted neighbor or friend to check on your home.
Ask them to try running the water and to inspect areas like the basement (or anywhere else water pipes are located) to make sure the pipes have not frozen, or even worse, burst.
The easiest way to reduce the risk of burst pipes causing severe damage to your home is to first install a home security system with flood monitoring capabilities.
With flood detection monitoring, your home alarm will alert a monitoring center if it detects rising water in your home, which could be caused by broken pipes, flooding, etc.
Whether you are home or not, local authorities will be alerted immediately if there is flooding in your home.
Installing a flood monitoring system could save you from the annoyance of a burst pipe and the chance of severe property damage to your home.