Safety Tips for Your New Home
Moving into your new home is likely a mix of excitement and anxiety. This is especially true if you’re a first-time homeowner and your New Jersey movers just unloaded the truck. You probably have a dozen things going through your head as you seal the deal and move in. It’s easy to put the safety and security of your new home on the back burner, but making sure your home is protecting you as it should is a top priority. Here are some home safety tips to add to your list of things to do at move-in.
Water supply
Knowing where shut-off valves are in case of an emergency is an important first step when moving into a new home. Also, you should have had an inspection before purchasing your home. Depending on what your inspector found, you may want to go around your home and look for leaks, rusted pipes, etc.
Fire alert system
According to the National Fire Protection Association, your home should have smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside all sleeping areas, and on every level of the home. Make sure your home has them in all the right places and test them for proper working condition. If they fail your initial tests, install new batteries. Continue testing your alarms every month for optimal safety.
Also, you should have a carbon monoxide alarm on each level of your home.
Electrical
If it doesn’t look right, have it checked out by a professional. This is a good rule of thumb for all things electrical. If a problem goes unchecked very long, it could quickly become a fire hazard.
In case an emergency does occur, you should familiarize yourself with how to best shut off the electricity in your home. In most homes, turning off electrical to the entire home is as easy as flipping the main circuit breakers at the top of your electrical panel to the “OFF” position.
Home security system
Installing a home security system can protect your home and provide you with peace of mind. But before you begin considering home protection systems, start by checking your fundamental security measures, like door locks and bolts. If the hardware for one of your exterior doors is damaged, it is compromised and should be replaced. Also, it may be a good idea to replace all your locks regardless, because you don’t know who the previous owner(s) trusted with a key to their home.
After your New Jersey movers have safely delivered your possessions to your new home, the real work begins: keeping its residents safe and secure. Although this list may not be as exciting as picking paint colors or buying new furniture, they’re essential for preventing problems down the road.
