5 Ways to Check and Test Your Home for Safety and Security

October 3, 2019

Considering that this month is home security and safety month too... Dye Home Improvement asks; What are you waiting for? A fire? A burglar? Check your home now!

Dye Home Improvement wants to examine some spaces in the house where you may not ever check and probably should.

1. Check Your Wood Stove or Fireplace

Woodburning stoves and fireplaces can plainly help keep us hotter in the cold season! But please DO NOT dismiss or forget to maintenance your fireplace or wood stove before you use them each year. If you have a fireplace, routine inspection or maintenance/cleaning before you start it back up for the season could rule out an unwanted house fire. You may not need to clean it but once a year. Some areas to look for are the top vents, you might want to purchase new ones and replace them if they are rusted, old, or damaged, etc. Investigate and test to see that there are no blockages or hinderances in the chimney, by lighting very small pieces of wood and observe if the smoke goes up and is not hindered by anything. Also, don’t forget to review the outer part of the chimney for cracks and any damaged blocks. If these are not fixed, these can leak combustion gasses indoors, forming a fire hazard.

If you need help, have licensed pro miantance and clean your chimney. CSL (Creosote Sweeping Log) logs available at Dye Home Improvement do support and help improve your fireplace operation as it helps hinder the growth of deposits, which are both a hinderance and fire hazard to efficiency. Creosote is a brown or black residue that can be crusty and tar-like, all varieties of it are highly combustible and can create a fire. Always burn seasoned firewood, no trash, no driftwood, treated wood, or artificial logs, for the best results and safety of your fireplace or woodstove.

If you use a wood stove, it’s important to know some of these facts. Your wood stove should have a stack thermometer to aid in helping monitor the gases leaving the stove. This is necessary when checking efficiency and pollution control. Also, smaller fires actually facilitates and improves deterioration and quality air control. Try to learn to keep the ash cleaned up, it helps oxygen better get to the fire to fuel it. The lesser the smoke, the cleaner the burning will go. So get your fireplace and/or wood stove equipped for the harsh cold by buying products at Dye Home Improvement today.

2. Secure Your Flat Screen TV To Avert A Mishap

With thin televisions, they topple over easier, especially with children and animals running around. According Consumer Reports, three hundred and forty persons have been killed from a television tipping from the years 2000 – 2017. (https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/tv-tipovers-still-pose-danger-despite-lighter-flat-screens/)

It can be easy! Install the special Anti-tip hardware to your Furniture or TV shortly with any of these options:

Wall mounting
Anchoring furniture with anti-tip brackets
Installing anti-tip straps on the back in non-mounted

Most neighborhood hardware stores will have an assortment of brackets and fasteners if you plan to mount by a custom design.

3. Scan Your Driveways and Walkways

This can seem like a no brainer, but how many times do you consider that you have Inspected and then someone stumbles on an odd part or there is bad weather that came in overnight and there is an accident on the sidewalk?? Over time the cement can buckle or settle due to tree roots or other causes. If you notice some cracks or uneven areas, have them fixed up by doing it yourself, or have a pro fix it. If you are in a snowy area, during winter make sure to have ice melt and snow shovels ready to go. Our store is your place for bitter winter weather help. Just ask a friendly associate in the store for help with cement crack filler to repair your sidewalk or ice melt for seasonally cold days.

4. Replace Your Door Locks

If your locks are worn, old, or you have lost all the keys, it could be the occasion to improve your locks and door knobs. With the influx of a variety of smart locks on the market, finding the right way to preotect your home will depend on what is best for your family. Dye Home Improvement features smart locks with keypads, smart locks with touch screens, smart locks to use with your smart phone, and smart locks with hidden key options in a variety of styles and colors. Do a smidgen of research for which design is best for you. Some maybe are special order only. But just ask an associate to to help service you.

Did you know? You can save money by re-keying your lock, instead of buying new. You might need to change out your lock due to a new renter, you lost your keys, or you need to change your keys for the lock. You will need to re-key your lock instead of buying a new one to save money. You will need to safely remove it from the door and take it into the store, because the cost of doing this is far less than a new lock. Inquire with our hardware store in Monticello and Monon to see if they have this service.

5. Try Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Make certain to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every six months. A lot of smoke alarms could last generally 10 years. Some a shorter time, some a bit longer, but on an everage it is recommended to replace both your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors every ten years. If your detectors are not hard-wired, change the batteries at least once a year. You can not ever rely on the “bird” chirp of the detector to alert you for new batteries. There are a variety of styles and brands of detectors on the market now, if you are unsure, visit Dye Home Improvement in Monticello and Monon to ask about smoke alarms, and other safety items needed for the home.

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