National Preparedness Month: Your Home’s Essential Components

September marks National Preparedness Month, and we encourage families to focus on ensuring they have the resources and information needed in an emergency.

Preparation means safeguarding your home from unexpected disasters. Here are three crucial components to your home’s preparedness: generators, sump pumps, and surge protectors.

Generators

Losing power in your home isn’t just an inconvenience. For some, it can be life-threatening and leave your family vulnerable.

We rely on power to maintain our air conditioners, heating systems, and water heaters, stay connected through our communications devices, and access lifesaving medical equipment.

A snowstorm or a grid failure can disrupt your power, but getting it back up and running is essential. A generator can bridge that gap when your power goes down.

• Portable generators are an option for short-term power generation for a few essentials. They are manually activated and usually gas-powered.
• Standby whole-home generators can power those essential appliances in your home while your power is out, including sump pumps, HVAC, water heaters, and security systems. Because the standby system has power-monitoring capabilities, the generator automatically turns when your electricity goes out. A professional electrician can help decide if a whole-home generator installation is right for your Maryland or Delaware home.

Sump Pump

Your home’s sump pump is your first line of defense against flooding. In the event of heavy downpours or melting snow, your sump pump directs groundwater away from your home.

Sump pumps are installed at the lowest point of your home, usually in the basement. A sump pump is automatically activated when the groundwater water table rises.

The sump pump removes the water via a drainage pump. Without it, that water could create a flood in your home. In many cases, a sump pump is a requirement for homeowners insurance coverage for basement flood damage.

While your sump pump is located out of sight, it’s important to keep it top of mind when it comes to maintaining it. Ensure your sump pump is in working order and tested before it’s called into action.

Surge Protectors

Power surges can happen due to a lightning strike or a power grid issue. Surges can destroy expensive electrical appliances in your home or even cause fires. Surge protectors are a great way to help avoid the damage caused by power surges.

• Point-of-use surge protectors, which are built into some power strips, are an easy and inexpensive way to ensure protection for individual electrical devices.
• Whole-house surge protectors are installed at the motherboard of your home’s electrical source — your electrical panel. It’s important to have a professional electrician install a whole-home surge protector that diverts any excess voltage into the ground before it reaches your electronics.

Request Home Services & We’ll Make It Right… Right Now!

Emergencies happen, but being prepared can help protect yourself and your family. At Service Today, our team is available 24/7 to help with your cooling, heating, plumbing, and electrical needs.

When it comes to keeping your home safe, you can count on our team to keep your essential systems working efficiently when you need them. We offer sump pump installation in Maryland, Delaware, or Pennsylvania or whole-home generator or surge protector installation in Maryland or Delaware.

Call Service Today to request home services!