Paper Shredder is a Must

We live in the age of digital technology so while many are concerned with securing their computers and mobile devices, they overlook all the bits and pieces of paper with their personal information that has the potential to be misused.  These include financial statements, personal documents, expired credit or identification cards, and any correspondence that could be misused.  The main concern with this type of information getting into the wrong hands is of course identity theft but there have been cases where it has been used as evidence in civil or criminal cases, as well as stalking.  Once you put your waste to the road, any of this type of information could easily be misused.

There are several solutions to this problem.  The first rule of thumb is to never put anything with your personal information including your name and address to the curb.  Set this information aside in your home where it is safer than at the curb then purge at regular intervals.  A very secure and permanent way to purge is to burn this type of information.  Burning works well if you have a fireplace, fire pit or go camping where it can be burnt as fire starter for your campfires.  The second most common method is to use a crosscut paper shredder.  The shredded information can then be put to the curb or in the recycle bin OR burnt if possible later. 

Paper shredders are not expensive.  I consider a paper shredder a must have for anyone concerned with privacy.  We have a Royal 12 sheet crosscut paper shredder with ultra quiet motor at our primary residence and our vacation home.  I leave the shredder turned to the auto position then shred any personal information as needed, usually when opening mail.  That way, we don't have a build up of paper clutter with personal information with the potential for misuse.

Garage Safety Tips

Yesterday, I shared a few of my views on garages.  We have had five garages, four of which have been detached.  By far, I much prefer an attached garage.  I insist on having garages secured at all times after a bit of a wake-up call where my bike was stolen from our garage, I watched the kids go by riding it but it didn't click in until the police showed up with my bike.  Honestly, I was likely about 30 from the garage!  Not only that, at that time we had a freezer in the garage that the police kindly pointed out there was a very good chance that food had gone missing when the garage door was open even though I thought I was saving a little on hydro costs by letting a cross breeze into the garage keeping the ambient temperature lower. Then I got involved with Neighbourhood Watch, a program designed to increase awareness while decreasing crime.

Garages can be a weak link in your home security because folks simply don't think about them. Depending on the design of the garage there are certain measures you should take to protect the contents of your garage.  Failure to do so can result in theft, property damage, and increased vehicle or property insurance.

• generic -  All newer built garages have a secondary door to the outside as part of the building code but it is possible to buy older houses with garages that do not have a secondary door because they were built before that stipulation became code.  A secondary door serves as an emergency exit in the event of a fire or malfunction of the automatic garage door opener so it should never be blocked.  If you have an older garage without a secondary door, I highly recommend installing one.  Keep the area around the outside of your garage free of vegetation that could give a hiding spot for burglars.  Keep the inside of your garage free of flammable fumes and other combustibles.   Any vehicle parked in a garage should be locked preferably with the alarm system activated and any valuables out of sight.  The garage door should always be closed and locked unless you are leaving or entering the garage or if you are in the garage.  I am not a huge fan of windows in any garage.  They present a weak link in security and while one could argue that a garage window allows neighbours to see if there is someone in your garage, most neighbours never pay any attention.  Any window should be secured by way of locks, bars and if necessary mesh or bars to prevent unauthorized entry.  An alternative is to eliminate any garage windows.   Never, ever announce to anyone you are going to be away from your home if even for only for an hour.  If you are planning on being away from your home for an extended period of time, have a trusted neighbour or family member check on your house including the garage.   If for any reason you suspect someone may be in your garage, do not enter it! If you are in your vehicle, lock the doors and  AND if at all possible park on the street then lay on the horn after calling 911 to attract the attention of neighbours while scaring off the burglar.  If you are in the house and hear someone in your garage, call 911 immediately.  If you have a monitored alarm system, arm it then hit the panic button before calling 911.  Be sure any doors and windows are locked and stay out of sight until help arrives.  
• detached garages -  Detached garages are more prone to break-ins simply because the home owner cannot hear someone breaking into their garage.  A detached garage can be protected through your home security system if desired or you can add DIY alarms that will emit a loud noise if compromised.  All secondary doors on this type of garage should have a locking handset and a deadbolt AND they should be kept locked at all times.  Don't store valuables in your garage and keep valuables out of sight because quite often break-ins are a crime of snatch and grab opportunities.
• attached garages -  All attached garages should be equiped with a carbon monoxide detector and the garage door should be open fully before starting a vehicle.  A carbon monoxide detector should be installed in the house Attached garages are easier to secure against break-ins, less prone to break-ins but homeowners often get slack in locking the door between the main house and garage.  This door should be locked even when you are home.  If someone gets into your garage, this gives them immediate access to your home under the cloak of prying eyes from neighbours  You should never store valuables in your car and your vehicle should be locked at all times even when in the garage but it general a car in a locked attached garage is less prone to break-ins than a car locked in a detached garage.

Our Neighbours are Away

At our previous home that was rural, folks depended on each other.  Everyone knew if someone was away and would pitch in to make it look like they weren't.  The thing is burglars target homes that look like there is no one home.  We have had a rash of recent home and vehicle break-ins.  I am a member of our local Neighbourhood Watch so know some of the clues to watch for but so do the criminals.  The thing is, a lot of this type of theft can be stopped by a bit of defense by the homeowner.  I'm looking around our neighbourhood, seeing that at least four of our neighbours are away and it is rather blatantly clear.  One neighbour has had their porch light on for over a week yet if she is home that light is never on.  Another neighbour has two bags of subscription newspapers waiting to be picked up in their driveway.  Another neighbour's grass needs cutting which is something very noticeable in a neighbourhood where folks keep their yards neat and trimmed.  Finally, a neighbour put their garbage and recycle bins out last Monday where they sat on his lawn empty for for over a week.  What is wrong with this?

First and foremost all of these signs are clear flags to the would be burglar that no one is home, in essence the perfect invitation to break in.  Even if the home has an activated security system, the owners should not announce the fact that they are away.  Arrange to have someone pick up newspapers, mail and waste bins, putting them inside away from prying eyes.  The same should be done with grass cutting and/or snow removal even if it has to be hired out.  It is very inexpensive to put outdoor lighting on motion activated sensors, solar sensors or timers.  In fact, all methods should be used for indoor and outdoor lighting even if you do have a monitored alarm system. 

GE has nice LED motion activated lights for indoor use.  There's higher end home automation that can even control your thermostat from a remote location or there is the lower end, expandable X-10 system that incorporates all three types of sensors.  Motion sensors and times can also operate small appliances like radios, televisions, pool pumps to give your home that lived in feeling while you are away providing they aren't set to a rigid schedule.  Even solar powered radios can be used.  The goal is to mimic your normal household activity through home automation to make it look like someone is home. 

A vehicle sitting in the same position in the driveway is a dead give away you aren't home even if you use all the home automation tips but at the same time an extended period of an empty driveway is another clue you are away unless you routinely park in your garage and your garage has no windows for prying eyes.  Make sure your vehicle is locked and valuables out of sight even if it is in the garage.  Have a family member or friend move the vehicle, change how it is parked, borrow it for a short period of time, park in your driveway with their vehicle and that type of thing to give the appearance to would-be-thieves that either someone is home or someone is watching the house.

Finally, if you are going to be away for an extended period of time as in more than a few days, notify your local police department.  Let them know if you have a monitored alarm system, the contact information and when your expected return date is.  They will watch for any suspicious activity around your house and will respond faster to triggered alarms knowing the house is supposed to be empty.  DO NOT announce you will be away on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media format including newsgroups and forums.  DO NOT make any messages while you are away indicating that you are away aka my house is empty. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Lock Those Windows to Reduce Air Infiltration

Our first home was a duplex with fairly decent windows then we bought our turn of the century home.  It had old wood windows with no locks on them and storm windows to make them a bit more energy efficient.  By storm windows, I mean storm windows.  We took the glass storms off when the nicer weather hit, replacing them with screens and visa versa when the cooler weather hit.  Now this was the way it was when I was growing up so I thought that was the norm.  We lived there for eleven years, tolerating all of the drafts.  When we bought our next house, a back-split in a nice subdivision, I discovered windows don't need to be drafty.  Fast forward to this house, built in 1994.  The windows have built-in locks.

Window locks are more than providing security.  I have a lot of problems with my ears so aside of the intense itching, certain noises seriously hurt my ears and they don't have to be loud either.  Think, the low hum of the refrigerator or that low whistling of air coming in a window just cracked open.  Shortly after moving in, we had the AC on and all the windows shut.  I could hear a whistling that almost drove me nuts trying to find where it was coming from.  Eventually I tracked it down to our bedroom where we had shut but not locked the window.  What was happening is the AC was causing a small amount of air to be sucked in that window.  I locked the window and the noise went away.  Most would not ever have noticed the slight whistle but because my ears are so sensitive, I noticed it. 

Locking your windows when using your HVAC system saves you money.  The lock pulls the window tighter, creating a more effective seal preventing air leakage or air infiltration.  If your windows do not have locks and they should for security purposes, it is quite an easy and inexpensive DIY project.  So do take advantage of window locks to help save a bit of energy and money using your HVAC system.

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

Dealing With Mail When Away

We live in a rural area so our mail is delivered to our mailbox.  When we are are away this is always a concern especially since rural mailboxes tend to be the targets for vandalism.  There are several ways to deal with this problem.  When we moved here we became friendly with neighbours who would collect the mail from our mailbox if they saw the flag up and knew we were away.  Even in urban settings this is still one of the easiest ways to deal with mail when away for extended periods of time.  In urban settings where there is door to door mail service, a mail slot is the ideal, low-cost solution since mail can still be delivered when you are away but it is safely inside. 

Last December we were away for five weeks.  Our neighbours had moved and we did not know the new neighbours well enough to ask them to collect our mail and it was not feasible to get one of our kids to drive out to the house daily to collect the mail.  So we paid $60 to Canada Post to put a hold our our mail for that time period.  I wasn't impressed with the price but it gave peace of mind.  This year I discovered another way to deal with the mail problem when away.  For $47.46 Canada Post will forward your mail to your address of choice for six months.  Now it is still expensive but considerably cheaper than putting a hold on the mail.  Using the forward option means if we decide a spur of the moment get-away for a few days we no longer have to worry about mail delivery.  There is a forward mail option for a one year period that would be handy if you knew you were going to be away from home that long or you simply don't want mail delivery to your own home.   The forward option is a realitively low cost solution for dealing with mail for those who cannot have a mail slot, don't have someone to collect their mail and have an alternative address to forward the mail to.

The important thing is when away do not let mail collect in outdoor mail boxes regardless whether in a rural or urban setting.  An overflowing, unattended mailbox is a sure indication the owner of the home is not there.  It is an invitation for break-ins and vandalism.  Even if mail is forwarded on on hold someone should be checking your mailbox to make sure flyers and papers don't pile up.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

GE Nightlight

Night lights are rather popular lighting for adding a bit of low light just enough to see where you are going during the night.  The most common locations for night lights are hallways, near stair wells, children's bedrooms and bathrooms.  They are available in a wide range of styles to fit most decors and tend to be rather inexpensive.  Night lights are either controlled using a small switch, by solar or they are on all the time.  The bulb choices are small screw in Christmas light style, fluorescent or LED.  LED lights are the most economical to operate at at 0.5 to 0.7 W but they are on constantly when plugged in.  They give more of a dim glow just enough that you can see where furniture is in the dark.

When we are away, we usually leave the light over the sink on.  It is an 11 W CFL so slow cost to operate but if we are gone for an extended period of time then the light stays on the entire time, something I would rather not do.  I found this GE Nightlight that has a higher light output than other nightlights I've seen.  It is 5 W so when the light is on would be saving 6 W and it turns on only when the existing room light gets low.  So the light is not on all the time reducing the amount of electricity used. 

This nightlight uses a small fluorescent bulb.  The light output is quite good for such a small light. The shape of this nightlight is rather interesting.  There are three settings - on, off, auto.  When clicked to auto the light will come on when the existing room light dims enough to trigger the light.  This will be a good light that is automatically controlled for those times that we are away and want light in the kitchen.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011