6 Safety Steps to Practice at Home
At JK Mechanical, we know that the safety of your family and home is your top priority. National Preparedness Month (NPM) is recognized each September to promote disaster planning now and throughout the year. Read on to learn more about six key steps you and your family can take now to plan ahead for safety:
Create Your Information Center
While cell phones and laptops are a great way to keep information handy on the go, it is always a good idea to make sure you have backups of important phone numbers, contact information, and emergency plans in case power or other electronic communications are unreliable. This worksheet from Ready.gov and FEMA can help you organize all the information you and your family may need in case of emergency.
Prevent Power Outages and Surge Damage
Unplanned, extended power outages can become more than an inconvenience, leaving you without heating or cooling, sump pump or well water, lights, refrigeration, phone chargers, and more. Never go without power again with a standby generator from Generac and JK Mechanical. An automatic standby generator protects your home against power outages 24/7, even if you aren’t home. Similarly, a Whole Home Surge Protector provides comprehensive surge protection right at your breaker box, safeguarding your valuable electronics against the risk of damage or fire.
Check Your Air Quality
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside our homes can have three to five times more pollutants than the outdoors. As we head into Cold & Flu season and kids are heading back to school, now is a great time to check and protect your indoor air quality. Air cleaning devices capture and kill contaminants such as mold, bacteria, viruses, pollen, smoke, and can eliminate up to 99.9% of airborne particles.
Practice Fire Safety
Be sure that your fire detectors, CO detectors, and fire extinguishers are in good working condition and located as needed around your home. Test all fire and CO2 detectors at least twice a year. For fire extinguishers, check the pressure gauges regularly, review operating instructions, and replace them when the pressure drops. (Don’t have a fire extinguisher at home? It’s never a bad idea to keep one on hand in high fire-risk areas such as a kitchen or garage.)
Bonus Tip: To keep an eye on things even when you’re away from home, consider investing in smart home monitoring devices such as the NEST Protect System (fire and CO2 alarms), Lyric Wifi Leak Protection, or the Moen Flo Smart Water system in order to receive alerts or control your devices remotely, right from your smartphone.
Safety Inspections
Unsafe heating & electrical equipment are a leading cause of home fire casualties, especially in the winter. We recommend scheduling regular maintenance visits for your home comfort system as well as a comprehensive electrical or plumbing safety inspection to ensure peace of mind by solving potential issues before they begin. If you’re past due for your Precision Tune-Up, Fall is a great time to schedule and beat the cold-weather rush. Contact the JK Client Relations Team today to request your appointment.
Don’t forget your Plumbing systems as well: regular maintenance and inspections are important to your home health and safety. If you have a sump pump, test it before rainy weather is expected by slowly pouring a small amount of water in (around 5 gallons) and watching to be sure it clears as expected. A sump pump can last up to 10 years, but may need to be replaced after 5-7 years if it is heavily used. At your JK Plumbing Precision Tune-Up, your JK Plumber will test and inspect your sump pump and provide recommendations if needed.
Stock Your Supplies
Stock your home, car, or office with emergency supplies such as drinking water, blankets, non-perishable food, first aid supplies, face masks, hand sanitizer, extra medication and, ok, maybe a *little* extra toilet paper. Store copies of your important documents such as IDs, insurance, and banking information off-site such as in the cloud or a safety deposit box.
Bonus tip: As you have probably noticed, supply chain issues continue to affect every industry, and Generators and Heating/Cooling are not exempt. Install lead times are longer than we are used to thanks to equipment shipment delays. If you are considering adding a generator or hoping to eke one more winter out of your furnace, understand that stock options may be limited or non-existent. If possible, plan ahead for your install and maintain your home heating, plumbing, and electrical systems regularly so that you don’t find yourself without the heating, cooling, or power you need when you need it most.
