A Few Tips Home Security Systems

Back in 1995 as a result of a violent crime that threatened our then younger family, we made the executive decision to go with a home security system.  It was installed and aside of a brief four year span at our last house we have used home security systems ever since that time.  Our security provider came out yesterday to install our new system.  My gosh have they ever changed!  The security provider no longer has a key to your house in the event of a problem.  The new security system has some really nice, high tech features like instant buttons for police, fire and medical.  You can no longer push one button to arm and another to disarm.  Instead, the security code must be entered to either arm or disarm.

Home security systems can be a DIY project, professionally installed, not monitored or monitored.   If there has been any previous history like being a victim of a violent crime as I was, or any concerns of break and enters, I would advise going with a professionally installed, monitored home security system.  It is more expensive but help is there when you need it AND most insurance companies will give a discount on your homeowner's insurance policy.  Used properly, home security systems give the homeowner peace of mind knowing that help will arrive quickly whether home or away.

It is mandatory that alarm systems whether or not they are monitored be registered with our local police department.  The fee is $36 for three years.  The reason they started this was to reduce the number of false alarms.   If you have two or more false alarms (police dispatched)  in a twelve month period, you can be fined and if you have four false alarms there can be a suspension of police response for a period of one year.  Our business security system is set for the police to respond immediately if the alarm goes off but our home security system is set for the monitoring company to call the house first and if they don't get an answer from someone with the password to then call the police.   A false alarm can be caused by alarm system mechanical failure, unauthorized testing, weather, excessive vibrations, power failure and user error.  False alarms are bad on three levels.  First they waste valuable police resources if an officer is dispatched for a false alarm.  Second, false alarms have a tendency to tick off your neighbours, the very ones you really want on your side, looking out for your home when you aren't there.  Third, if a homeower experiences a number of false alarms there is the tendency to not set the alarm putting them at risk for break-ins and/or personal harm.  Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your home security system:

• general household security - A security system is at best a deterrent.  It will not stop a break in especially if something valuable is near a window where a thief can do a quick smash and grab.  Keep all valuables including keys out of sight.  Use a safe if necessary.  Shut your blinds and curtains and don't advertise when you are away.  Don't put your away plans on Twitter or Facebook.  Use motion activated lighting and timers.  Don't advertise you just bought the latest, greatest television or other electronic equipment by putting the box out for the garbage.  Remove any labels from the box, open it then turn inside out and crush it so no one knows what you actually bought.  Keep your doors and windows locked or secured even when home.  If you are away have your mail held and arrange to have any newspapers or flyers picked up while you are gone.
• the system -  Read and understand the features of your home security system.  Be sure you know how to arm and disarm the security system.  It is of little use if not armed!  Surprisingly, some home break-ins are happening even with the homeowner home so use it even at home especially when sleeping.  All key holders should be educated in how to use the security system. All doors and windows should be secured before arming the alarm.  Ensure there are no animals or things like curtains blowing in an open window, in the house that could accidently trigger the alarm.  Be sure to routinely inspect and maintain the monitored home security system.  Some wireless components may need battery replacement.  If any electronic device like a garage door opener, cordless phone or cell phone affects your home security system in any way, call your security provider to remedy the problem immediately.
• security code - A monitored home security system has a security code  that must be used to activate or deactivate the system.  This is the security code set by the homeowner.  It should not be given to anyone even other key holders.  Rather a temporary security code for the key holder should be set up for the time period you will be away then removed upon your return.
• post your property - At one time there were two schools of thought on posting your property that you have an alarm system.  Some recommended posting as a deterrent but others said posting let the thief know what they were dealing with.  The reality now is a homeowner can easily have a DIY home security system set up in addition to their monitored home security system and the monitored security systems are so much more sophisticated that even posting doesn't give a thief the upper edge.  Besides, the average thief is not all that smart to begin with and I doubt they even bother looking for signs of any type of home security system or video surveillance.  Now technically here is if you use video surveillance of any kind it has to be posted on the premises but if using only a home security system you can choose whether or not to post your property.  We have stickers in every window saying our home is protected via a home security system which acts as a deterrent.  We have no indication of our second DIY security system but once the cameras are installed we will have to post it near the most common point of entry for our property.  The regulations are for video it must be posted at least once on your property, but there is no stipulation as to size of sign and you certainly do not have to post on each side of your house or on out buildings. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Genie SilentMax 1000 Garage Door Opener

We had a garage door opener on the detached garages at our last three homes.  There was a garage door opener at our new house when we bought it last September.  A garage door is more than a simple convenience especially for homes with attached garages where it becomes a security feature.  Garages are a common target for thieves looking for power tools or other quick, grab and run items.  An attached garage allows a thief to gain entry into your house under the cover of the garage itself.  The thief can actually take their time breaking into your home because they can't be seen by others in your neighbourhood.  A garage door opener prevents the garage door from being manually opened from the exterior of the garage, adding that extra bit of security in addition to ensuring the garage door is always locked when closed. 

Our new home has an attached garage with the main garage door for vehicle entry, an exterior door to the backyard and an entrance door into the house.  Both doors have locking handsets and dead bolts that were replaced when we removed in.  The only ones with keys to either door and the rest of the house for that matter are the ones we have given keys to.

The existing garage door opener was a Chamberlain 1/2 HP The Protractor System (chain driven).  It worked fairly well when we first moved in but then started acting up once the weather turned cold.  When the garage door failed to work we thought a piece of ice had frozen to the chain drive.  We unplugged the unit and let it sit until a warmer day but the garage door opener refused to work.  Our solution was to replace the garage door.

This house has really been about being at the right place at the right time.  In this case it was a sale at Canadian Tire that came right when we needed it.  We bought the Genie SilentMax 1000 (Model 3042) belt driven garage door opener that was on sale for $189.99 plus GST/HST.  The regular price was $369.99.  This garage door opener has a lot of nice features like Intellicode®2  which encrypts the access code and continuously changes it each time the remote is used with the garage door opener responding to each new code only once.  It has Sure-Lock™ and is HomeLink®/Car2U® compatible as well as Watch Dog™ Monitoring System that monitors the Safe-T-Beam system to ensure proper functionality that will automatically stop and reverse a closing door if a problem is detected.

Installing a garage door opener is a DIY project and it is a bit easier if there was a garage door already installed.  The old opener is removed, the new one installed in its place using the same wiring.  We did not install the garage door opener as my husband was extremely busy at the office so our friend and crew who is doing our custom work, installed it for us.

The Genie is belt driven.  Unlike the Chamberlain garage door opener that was loud enough to wake me, the Genie cannot be heard in the master bedroom.  In fact, it can barely be heard in the upper living room just off the entrance landing leading to the garage.  The garage door can be opened using the new keypad outside, the on wall console in the garage or via the remote controls.  We have HomeLink® in one of our vehicles but haven't programmed it yet.

Over all the install was problem-free and straight forward.  We are quite pleased with the results.  As you can see, the garage ceiling needs a bit of work but that will be a summer or fall  project once we get the indoor work finished.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Quick & Easy Easter Table Decoration

Aside of Christmas, I am not big on decorating the house for holidays.  I hang a Canadian flag for Canada Day, put up a few decorations for Hallowe'en just for the kids visiting and then there's Christmas.  Honestly, unlike some I have no intentions of decorating for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and all the other days there are.  It's not that we don't celebrate those days I just don't decorate.  I did when our kids were smaller but when they left the nest, I gave it up.  Now with grandkids that's changing.  I'm back to doing a bit of decorating for any holiday they are here and even adding a few extra touches to make things special for the kids and grandkids when they visit even if it isn't a holiday.

Our local dollar store is amazing.  I'm not kidding!  Even though the prices have gone up I can find a lot of things that are Canadian made so I will support them just on that basis.  Besides they have a lot of neat things.  I wanted table decorations (not exactly centerpieces) for the tables in the games room where we would be eating our Easter dinner.  So I checked our local dollar store.  I found cute bird nest wreaths with three spots for decorated eggs to sit.  I added my standard candles that don't get burned because they are paraffin  so used only for decorative purposes.  I put two of these decorations on the games room table then used the extra decorated eggs that came in a sleeve of 10 in the fruit bowl for a hint of Easter and that was it.  I really liked the table decorations and the fact they were easily dismantled to be used again for another holiday.

We have storage under our stairs.  There is existing shelving so what I've been doing is creating a box of decorations for each holiday.  I package up the items then put a label printed on painter's tape on the box.  Next year I can easily pull that box out, add to it if necessary then go ahead and decorate with little fuss or muss.  It's neat and organized ready to grab and go.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Home Security Tips

Our area has been experiencing more break and enters, mainly vehicles and small businesses but also out buildings and a few houses.  Most of these have been grab and run without doing much damage.  While this may be a sign of the times. as homeowners or tenants there are a lot of things that can be done to deter break-ins.  I will focus mainly on what homeowners can do but many of these tips apply equally to those who rent their homes.

• lock it - Vehicles, even if in your own driveway or garage should be locked at all times.  Burglars will move on to easier targets rather than try to get into a locked vehicle.  Entrance doors including garage doors should be locked at all times even if you are home.  Ensure there are dead bolts on every entry door, locks on all windows and patio doors, and use them!  The only time a door should be unlocked is if you are right there.  For example, it is fine to have your patio door unlocked if you are right nearby within close viewing range.
• valuables - All valuables both those in vehicles and homes should be kept out of sight.  Lock anything GPS, shopping purchases or other valuables in your glove compartment or trunk.  Keep valuables (eg. jewelry, electronic equipment, money, etc.) away from easy viewing through your home windows.  Close your curtains or blinds especially when away from your home.
• garages - Garages can be either attached to your house or unattached.  An attached garage should be equipped with a garage door opener.  This ensures your garage door remains locked when you aren't there but be aware, some garage door opener controls can open other garage doors if they are on the same frequency especially older models so do be aware of that.  If that happens, change the frequency on your garage door and any keypad password.  If it continues, replace the garage door opener (under $200 on sale).  This is not a problem with newer garage door openers as they constantly change frequencies as part of their security features.  It is imperative that the entrance door between the attached garage and house has a dead bolt and is kept locked at all times.  If someone gets into your garage, they have easy access to your house if that door is not locked and they are hidden from view of your neighbours if in the garage.  If there is an entrance door to the outside, keep it locked as well.  Garage doors should be kept closed and locked unless you are right there. 
• sheds - Sheds are an easy target because some by design are difficult to secure.  Don't keep anything of any value (eg. tools, lawn mower, power equipment) in a shed unless it can be secured with a dead bolt lock.  Instead use shed for storing lawn furniture, planters and other items of no real value to thieves.
• locks - Door handle locks and dead bolts should be on all exterior doors to your home.  All windows should be equipped with locks as well as opening restrictions so you can leave you window open about 3 inches for air circulation but it is still secure against break-ins. Pay particular attention to securing patio doors especially those at ground level.  Patio doors come with a lock but additional security can be added. 
• keys - Household locks should be changed as soon as you take possession of your new home.  If there are no dead bolts, now is the time to add them.  While this won't be possible if you rent, a good landlord will do this for you.  This is very first thing we do after picking up the keys from the lawyer's office before our possession start arriving.  Keep keys out of sight of prying eyes.  Don't hang them near a window or entrance way where they may be easily seen.  If having your vehicle serviced, give them only the key to your vehicle, not any of the other keys on your key chain.  If using a valet service, use the valet key for your vehicle and lock your glove compartment.  Do not leave any household keys with the valet.  Keys should always be out of the ignition and in your possession when you aren't with your vehicle.  In the cold winter months folks are tempted to leave the car running in their driveway to warm up or leave it running while they run into a variety store but it only takes a second for a thief to drive away with your vehicle and he/she now has your home address along with keys to get into your home!  Household keys should only be given to a select few people you trust.  If at any time you think your household keys got into the wrong hands or you lose your keys, change the locks.  Weiser SmartKey sets make this very easy to do yourself.  Do not have your address on the key fob or label the keys in any manner that would aid a thief if they got a hold of your keys.  Use a colour coded system or different designer keys (eg. Disney design for house, sports design for shed, etc).  All exterior household doors can be keyed to use the same key making it very easy and inexpensive to replace your keys if necessary. 
• security systems - A household, monitored security system should be installed and used.  Not only will it deter thieves, should a break-in occur, help will get there faster and most insurance companies give a discount if you have a security system.  A security system can be added even if you rent although you should check your lease first, however there are easy DIY wireless systems that will alert your neighbours if there is a problem.
• lighting - Thieves like to work under the cloak of darkness so remove that with lighting.  Motion activated indoor and outdoor lights should be used in combination to lights on timers and solar lighting.  Motion activated lights can be battery operated,  electric outlet type or solar.  GE makes a really nice motion activated LED night light (2 pack for $17) that plug into the wall.  They have two bright LED lights that really light up well when motion is detected up to 20 feet away.  X-10 has interior and exterior motion detector controls that can be turn on the programmed light and there are a wide range of other motion activated lighting available.
• empty house - When you are away even for brief periods of time like going to the grocery store, do not Twitter as that is an open invitation to anyone reading your tweets that your house is empty.  Do not put that you will be on vacation on Facebook for the same reason.  If away for an extended period of time, set your security system and notify your alarm company.  Give your house key to a trusted family member or friend to check on your house on a regular basis as well as collect any newspapers.  If you have good neighbour relations and you should, let them know you will be away and what vehicles may be in your driveway so if they see any suspicious activity they can notify the police.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

How to Build a Solar Light Bulb

Solar power really is the wave of the future.  Currently it is a bit too expensive for many homeowners and not easily incorporated into rental units.  However, there are many simple, DIY solar projects using recycled or low cost parts that can help save a bit of money.  For example:  solar ovens, solar water heating,  solar window heaters, solar greenhouses and cold frames are all something anyone can make using recycled materials.  You really don't have to spend a lot of money to start using a bit of solar around you home.  What you do need is a bit of imagination!

I was browsing YouTube videos the other day for a few gardening ideas when I stumbled upon solar light bulbs.  Now this is about as ingenious as you can get!  Each light bulb is made using a recycled 2 L plastic pop bottle, water, a little chlorine bleach, a small piece of corrugated metal, glue and sealant.  As simple as this sounds, each one of these solar light bulbs produces the equivalent of a 50 W light bulb but uses only solar power.  Basically, the solar lights work this well because the water causes the natural light to refract resulting in a amplification of the light hitting the solar light.  These solar lights are being used in under developed countries like Brazil and Mexico, bringing light into homes where little existed and they are even being used in storage facilities and factories.  The down side is these lights only work during the daylight hours but that is when most of household lighting is used anyway so they will still save money.  Household lighting at night is task or room specific, usually only for a couple of hours.

I can see a definite use in our area of southwestern Ontario for lighting up chicken coops, out buildings like tool sheds and covered boat wells.  It might be possible to adapt these lights for use in an attic but that would mean cutting one or more holes in your house roof, something that might not be desirable.  Well sealed, the solar lights should not leak but for household indoor application an actual solar tub be a better solution.  It does freeze in our area during the winter but a clear anti-freeze agent could be added to the water that wouldn't interfere with the light refraction.  Either glycerin or alcohol would work to prevent the water freezing. 

Here's a video demonstrating how to make the solar lights: 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

A Whirlwind of Household Activity

It is only human nature to want to change wall colours, window treatments and even decor when you first move into a different home.  As tempting as this is, it is better to live in the home for a few months before rushing out to buy new decor items.  Even repainting should be left until you get the feel of the house and see how the natural light affects each room.  We have been in our new home for seven and a half months.  Our house has become a whirlwind of activity since the new year.  There are service people coming and going, painting, various installations combined with still unpacking and organizing.  I am so glad we resisted the urge to make immediate changes which kept us with enough money to cover emergency and unexpected repairs.  Here are a few reasons why:

• unexpected repairs -   It is common to encounter unexpected repairs that may need immediate attention but were not apparent during your viewing.  Sellers can be very good at hiding these types of problems and even a home inspection may not uncover them.  Since moving in we have had to fix a shower leak, two leaking toilets, replace the outdoor sewer cap, repair the fence and fix one of the kitchen sink drains.  Every sink in the house needed drain cleaning as they were clogged almost to the point of not draining at all.  We had to replace the winter pool cover as the one on the pool was full of holes and quickly getting worse.  We had to have the seals on three windows repaired.  These are all repairs that needed immediate attention and the shower involved getting a plumber in.
• unexpected security issues - We live in a lovely, relatively safe community but there have been a rash of break-ins.  In addition we live in what our insurance company considers a high risk flood location and we have a pool so our house insurance actually increased by $300 per year.  We a water powered backup system installed for the sump pump so if the power is out the sump pump will still work.  With being urban and a recent rash of break-ins along with our extend period of time away, we had a monitored security system installed.  Our garage door opener suddenly stopped working so we had to replace that as well.  A garage door opener really is part of your overall household security plan despite it's convenience as your garage is always locked when the door is closed.   We still have to install motion activated outdoor lighting which is on my to-do list but I will more than likely use our X-10 for this as well as extending interior motion activated lighting.
• basic maintenance - We had to clean to our standards from top to bottom which is expected but that meant buying a few necessary pieces of cleaning equipment (eg. dust mop, vacuum cleaner [replaced with central vacuum]) to compensate for all hard flooring.  The vacuum cleaner bought new when we moved in broke so we replaced with a central vacuum that was on sale for less then the cost of a better quality rolling vacuum cleaner.  The furnace and hot water tank had to be cleaned.  We had the exterior of the house power washed as well since it looked like it had not been cleaned in several years. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Home Security

Over the past few weeks our area has seen a large increase in home break-ins as well as vehicle break-ins.    Most home burglars want a quick in and out with a bit of hiding.  They are looking for things that can be quickly turned into money more than likely for drugs but that is just an educated guess.  In our area they are targeting the easy grab and run items like money,  gold jewelry, and booze.  The reality is there are several things you can do to reduce your chance of being broke into.  Here's a few tips that work for us"

• lock it - This seems like a very simple concept but honestly a locked door whether it be on a vehicle or home is a real deterrent for break-ins.  They aren't going to spend the time trying to get through a locked home or vehicle if there is an easier mark near-by.  The current recommendation is to keep your vehicle locked even if it is in your driveway or garage and to keep all doors to your house locked whether or not you are home.
• lighting - An unlit house is more apt to be broken into than a lit house.  Use solar lighting mixed with motion activated lights.  Place the motion activated lights near possible points of entry.  Motion activated as well as timed lighting should be used indoors as well.  Do not leave outdoor lights on for extended periods of time if you aren't home as that is a dead give away the house is empty.  Timed lighting is great if it mimics your normal living style but quite frankly, an experienced burglar can likely see through this one.
• get active in your neighbourhood - We are active in our neighbourhood watch program and I volunteer for our local program.  The thing is when neighbours get involved there is a decrease crime rate.  That is because now a days, neighbours have things like cell phones and digital cameras so can even catch criminals trying to break into your home.  Not only that, good neighbours are seriously worth their weight in gold.  Get to know your neighbours.  They know what vehicles should be at your home and who should be there when you aren't there.
• alarm systems - An alarm system is a wonderful deterrent however, there has been some debate whether the system should be announced.  Generic decals are likely better because the burglar won't really know what system they are dealing with.  By far, monitored alarm systems are superior to those systems that are not monitored.  Monitoring usually costs about $20 per month but if something ever happens help is right there almost immediately.  Some alarm companies even add a red flashing light outdoors on your house so if your home is broken into, it becomes very visible within seconds sending the burglars to easier target.
• notify police - If you are going to be away for an extended period of time, notify your local police department.  They will do extra drive-bys and respond a bit faster should your alarm go off or a neighbour calls.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012