With recent heavy rain, several of our clients (as well as some neighbours in our building) have experienced some flooding in their basements.
While the picture above is clearly not from Vancouver, it does provide a fairly graphic example of what can happen when a pipe bursts.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, more than 7 times as many insurance claims are caused by water damage and freezing (17%) than by theft (2.35%). Of those water related claims, 60% were caused by faulty indoor appliances or plumbing leaks, 25% were caused by heavy rain or flooding and 11% caused by sewers or sump-pumps that overflowed.
What can you do?
Your security system is capable of monitoring much more than just intrusion detection devices like motion detectors, door/window contacts, glassbreaks, etc. We regularly install and monitor flood sensors, water flow switches (which are typically already installed with sprinkler systems and we simply connect to them), temperature sensors and many other devices that can help minimize your losses due to environmental factors.
The photo above shows an installation of a hardwired flood sensor that has been affixed to a hot water tank in a client’s home. Underneath the white plastic bar, there are two metal prongs that sit a few centimetres above the floor. In the event that both prongs make contact with water, an alarm signal is sent to our central monitoring station here in Kerrisdale letting us know that water has been detected at this particular location. Typically, we install these devices at/near the water tank, sump, laundry rooms as well as behind toilets throughout the home.
In the event that hardwiring is impossible, or impractical, wireless versions of this (or any device) are available and are very easy to install.
Once tripped, our response teams will investigate immediately and, if necessary, turn off the water supply as well as arrange for plumbers or other appropriate service providers to attend and help fix the problem.
Is your alarm system providing early detection of fire, smoke, flood, freezing or anything else other than intrusion?