Following are just a few tips FOR YOU WHEN AWAY

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Rotate lighting on / off at dark, open and close curtains and shades regularly.  Potential thieves love routine and will watch for lack of change.  Help throw them off by alternating these things.

Smart Outlets/Lights:

An inexpensive way to control lamps, radios/TVs.  This provides a layer of helping to make your home look occupied by controlling devices to be turned on and off when you are away.

Cameras:

WIFI enabled, cloud based cameras are readily available, easy to install and relatively inexpensive.

This is an excellent way to check in on your home while you are away.

Take precautions to prevent others from hacking into your camera.

This is a nice way to share your life with family and friends.  However, you may also be tipping off some bad dudes that you are not home.  Especially be careful using location services on social media that shows your last photo and location from a far away paradise.

• Prescott: prescott-az.gov
• Fire: https://www.prescott-az.gov/services-safety/fire/fire-safety/fire-restrictions/
• PV: prescottvalley-az.gov
•  Yavapai County: https://yavapaiaz.gov/
• USPS Informed Delivery: https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Set your temperature as low or high as practical, depending upon season, that minimizes risk of interior damage.  Talk to us about what we recommend in the Prescott area.

Lots of WiFi enabled thermostats are available and you can control the temperature yourself. 

Call us anytime and we will coordinate a free evaluation and estimate for our services.  Absolutely no risk and no obligation needed; we are a small independent and family-owned service provider.  We will evaluate how secure your home is, what areas of risk may exist and what we would focus on, if hired. 

Shut main water off, if possible.  This can reduce your chance of having a water leak.  

Our favorite plumbers; the AZ Super Plumber (aka The Plumbing Store), also warned that the older the home, it can also be risky to turn water on and off, due to the age of the valves.  Consult with AZ Super Plumber or your favorite plumber to minimize your risk of water leaks.  Also, there are systems (stand-alone or at the water meter) that can help detect water leaks throughout the home.  These range from inexpensive to pricey.

We do recommend the team at AZ Super Plumber based on the quality of their work and customer-focused attitude; they have done for work our customers and for our home and we trust them.

THEPAHW does not receive any financial benefit from our endorsements and we are vendor independent. 

Also, your irrigation system will likely need attention seasonally while you are away.

Have someone (like us) regularly run taps, shower heads, garbage disposal and flush toilets at least once monthly while you are away.  This can help ensure no buildup occurs within your water lines and possibly avoid methane gas from occurring from your toilets; this also helps keep p-traps retain some  water.    

Make sure you address your water heater, continuous circulation system and any water conditioning systems, as well.  

How do I shut off water to my house?

Finding My Water Meter

Leak Detection Program 

Please visit The City of Prescott's website for answers to the above and other useful water tips: 

http://www.prescott-az.gov/documents/?filter=1193#water-operations

If you have an automatic ice-maker, empty it and turn it off if you are leaving for an extended period of time.   Why?  If power goes off for a long time, ice may melt and flood your kitchen.  

Create defensible space around your home.  

In Arizona, wildfires are a reality and here are some resources for you to better understand and prepare your home.  Wildfires can happen anywhere, including urban environments.

Dan is a Certified Firewise Assessor by AZDFFM and he can make suggestions for your home, for free, if you request.  

The following sites provide valuable insight about wildfire and your responsibility.  Take preemptive steps to help avoid disaster should fire strike near your home.

www.yavapaifirewise.org

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education

Dan has been a Volunteer Docent since September, 2018 at the Granite Mountain  Interagency Hotshot Crew (GMIHC) Learning and Tribute Center www.gmihc19.org and is a current Board Member.  Fran advises Dan with his volunteer efforts in this area.

Dan and Fran became involved after two of their best friends lost their home in the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs in 2012.  Dan's son is a Firefighter/Paramedic and his daughter works for a hospital; public service seems to be in their blood.  

Giving back in a small way for our Prescott Quad Cities Area remains a key objective for both Dan and Fran.