A few weeks ago, I reached out to a journalist at the Las Vegas Review Journal since she was writing pertinent articles about home security.  She was preparing another article to be published prior to the Holidays.

I had an interesting interview highlighting what Home Watch is about and sharing a few tips and historical findings.

Here is the article.

JP

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#HOMEWATCHLASVEGAS

Yes, it is this time of the year again when you need to be proactive and protect your irrigation system as well as any exterior faucets.  We do not get very cold winters but it only takes one very cold night to cause serious damage to any exposed piping.

We install insulated faucet cups or socks to all faucets and install insulating material to the vacuum breaker,  The following video from the Nevada Water Authority talks about the importance of protecting your vacuum breaker.  Have a  look and stay warm.

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

JP @ Home Watcher LV

#Homewatch

Many clients are somewhat surprised that I talk so much about closing the main water valve if possible.
I was at a client's home today and this is a house where the water supply could not be shut-off for multiple reasons.  Well, guess what? The ice machine is leaking, so it started to build ice in the freezer. There is no stopping to this.  Fortunately during my visit, I saw the issue and found a way to turn of the water to this freezer as an immediate corrective measure.

This is just to demonstrate how important it is to shut-down the main water valve if at all possible.  You never know what can happen. Fortunately, the ice machine leak was not major and water could actually freeze and stay in there but if it had been more significant, perhaps the freezer would have started to leak on the wooden floor.  Can you spell disaster??

JP
​Home Watcher LV, Las Vegas
#HomeWatch

Yes, we are here again.  It's time to think about protecting your exterior faucets, vacuum breakers and any exposed water lines.  Many people say, ahh, don't worry about it, we never covered them.  What they do not realize is when a house is vacant and not heated at normal temperature of about 70 degrees, there is less heat available through the walls to keep exposed faucets above freezing.  In Las Vegas we may not have one night below freezing throughout the entire winter, but it only takes one cold snap to change everything.

If your faucet freezes, it will start spraying water and cause a significant water leak. The repair cost can be significant if the plumber has to cut through the wall to repair the water line too.  If the vacuum breaker freezes, it will no longer be able to seal the water line tight and prevent a leak.  Actually I see the plastic cover splitting or breaking at or near the top screws.  That is a sign of deformation and it will eventually fail and leak.

The solutions for all of this are quite simple. The faucets and vacuum breakers need to be insulated.  There are home made ways with an old towel and plastic wrap or you can use products that are designed for this and available at most hardware stores.

The faucets can be protected by using an insulated cup or an insulated sock.  The vacuum breaker can typically be protected using an insulated pouch which slides over the unit.  Sometimes there are water lines coming out of the wall preventing the insertion of a pouch.  In those cases, you have to be a bit creative and cover it with some thick fabric and cover everything with a plastic bag. (be aware, wet insulation is not working)

​Happy winter

Over the years, I heard many times, "Nothing ever happened in our condo while we were gone".  That may be the case but the reality is different. During this week's visit to our client's condo, we found a bathroom floor flooded by water dripping from the ceiling.  The problem is from the plumbing for the unit above and the repairs are underway. Walls, ceiling and cabinets are damaged.  Just imagine if the owner did not have anyone check the condo for months.

JP at Home Watcher LV
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