In a perfect world, you could all leave your doors unlocked and never worry. Since the world isn’t perfect, it’s important to take some basic safety precautions to secure your property against intruders and those just looking to commit a crime of opportunity.

Lights

A great deterrent to someone coming on your property when they shouldn’t, is landscape lighting that lights up the dark places where someone could lurk. Setting the lights on a timer means the front and back of your home is lit up whether you’re there or not. Motion sensor lights are a great option if bright outside lights might disturb the peace of the sleepers in the house. Just be aware, though, that cats and possums can set off these lights as easily as humans.

Fences

The more hurdles you put between the street and your front door, the less likely an opportunist is to cross that line. A security fence Texas is the perfect way to suggest that would-be burgers keep walking. Fences come in all shapes and sizes and there is no reason why the one around your home can’t be both beautiful and secure.

Dogs

Nobody likes a barking dog, but they do make intruders think twice about targeting your house. It’s much easier to break into a quiet, dark house than one that is difficult to get to and has the potential for lights and noise. Even if you’re not sold on a classic guard dog such as a German Shepard, there are plenty of smaller breeds who will alert you to anyone who comes near your property.

Alarms

An alarm system is the hallmark deterrent to thieves but installing and monitoring them can be costly. Another option might be a camera at the front and back door that you can view on an app on your cell phone.

You should feel safe and secure on your property. One way to bring about that feeling of security is to take precautions before it’s too late.

For anyone who has been outside, you know the type of damage the sun and water can do to metal objects. Nothing looks worse than to see a bunch of rusted metal when you take your kids to play on the playground, but thankfully there is something that can be done to help reduce this sort of damage from happening in the first place.

Galvanized Steel

Galvanizing is a process that can help make metals resistant to corrosion and other harmful effects of the elements. By using hot dip galvanizing equipment, you can turn a piece of metal into a long-standing type of product. This process uses a large plastic galvanization tank that is filled with a protective zinc chemical. The metal object is then dipped in this large tank and the zinc coating on the metal prevents corrosion and rust. 

This sort of treated pipe is crucial for playground equipment, buildings, and anything else that will be subjected to the elements. Trampolines and chain link fencing are all made from galvanized metal in order to look the same on the date of install and for multiple years after due to the zinc coating.

Application

Depending on your area, the galvanized metal may be more or less expensive than non-galvanized metal. In this situation, it is important to make sure you understand where galvanized metal is absolutely essential as opposed to when it’s not. If you have pipes that are subject to water, then you need galvanized pipes. If you have pipes that are merely just allowing cables to run through them and they aren’t exposed to the elements, then you probably don’t need galvanized pipes. By understanding the types of applications that require galvanized pipe, you may be able to save some money based on which type of pipe is cheaper to accomplish the task at hand. 

Getting a utility bill that is uncharacteristically high can be frustrating. Utility bills may seem like they are in a different language and are hard to challenge. Water bills can be especially hard to wrap your head around since most people have no concept of how much water they use. If your water bill has slowly crept higher, or if it has spiked in the last month, the problem is usually one of two things. The water meter may be reporting incorrect measurements, or you may have a leak in the plumbing. 

Start by looking at your water bill. The bill will list the number of gallons used for a specific time period. Divide the number of gallons used by the number of days in the bills’ time period. This will give you the average number of gallons used per day. Each person in a home typically uses 80 to 100 gallons of water a day. Therefore, if you have four people in your home you would expect to use around 400 gallons a day. If your water bill indicates a significantly higher daily water amount than the typical amount, there may be a problem with your water meter. If this is the case, then call your water company. Do not attempt to take apart or fix your water meter. Water companies have tools and equipment, such as a hydrostatic test pump, to check the precision of your water meter. 

Another problem that a high water bill may indicate is an unseen water leak. There are many pipes running through your house, and under it, which could be leaking without any indication. In order to check for a leak, turn off all running water in your home. Think about all the appliances that may be using water. Ice machines, water softeners, and HVAC humidifiers regularly use water. Once you are confident that no water is running in the home, then look at the water meter. Most meters have a leak indicator. This looks like a little dial or a spinning wheel. If the leak indicator is still spinning, then you may have a leak in your home. First, walk around the perimeter of your home and look for soggy spots. Gaskets in toilet tanks are a common spot for leaks, so check those as well. If you don’t see any visible signs of a leak, then call a plumbing professional. 

It may be tempting to ignore an increase in your water bill, but it could indicate a larger problem. The quicker that you can identify the problem the better, especially if there is a plumbing leak in your home.