Last night at around 11:00pm, we received a number of alarm signals from a client’s home in Shaughnessy. When our first responder got inside the house, he discovered that a sprinkler pipe in the basement had burst… causing the basement to quickly fill up with water. The alarm was caused by the water getting into the alarm control panel and shorting the alarm system.
Our responder quickly turned off the water supply to the home as well as coordinated with a plumber to attend. As our client is in Asia and was not reachable, nor were any of the other emergency contacts, three of our team members spent several hours in the basement moving every item possible out of harms way, including lifting the billiards table onto blocks.
Using shopvacs, they evenually got rid of all of the water… although the hardwood floor, ceiling and a few of the walls sustained a fair bit of damage.
Unfortunately, hundreds of Vancouver homeowners were forced to deal with frozen or burst pipes this weekend… and likely many more until the weather returns to normal. Some will only discover that they’ve had an issue when they get back home after the holidays.
What can you do to reduce your risk of a similar situation?
1. Add flood sensors to your alarm system
Adding flood sensors to your alarm is much simpler than most people realize. If your basement is unfinished, adding a hardwired sensor is easy… if the entire house is finished, we can easily add a wireless sensor behind every toilet, the dishwasher, washing machine, hotwater tank and any other likely troublespot. That way, we can respond to your alarm while you still have a leak… and not yet a flood.
Click here to learn a little more about flood sensors.
Give us a call at 604.664.1087 to schedule an appointment to have flood sensors, sprinkler flow switch, sump pump or other environmental sensors added to your system.
2. Book a homewatch with Provident
If you are leaving town for the weekend, week or month, Provident will pick up your papers, water your plants, shovel your walk and anything else that you need done. Most importantly, we’ll come inside and run your taps as well as make a complete inspection to ensure that your home is exactly as you left it. Just give us a call at 604.664.1087 to book… we’ll even drive you to the airport and fill your fridge with fresh groceries for your return.