What is the purpose of a low temperature sensor?

Extreme temperatures can be very unsafe for a home. Extremes aren’t limited to the hot summer months potentially overheating the home – in fact, extreme low temperatures are arguably more dangerous for homeowners. Low temperatures in the home can cause pipes to freeze – and frozen pipes can burst, causing damage to your plumbing and extensive water damage to your home.

Statistics compiled by iPropertyManagement from sources such as Stanford News, the Environmental Protection Agency, FEMA, and the Insurance Information Institute confirm the dangers of water damage in the home. 98% of basements experience some form of water damage. 14,000 people every day are effected by water damage, and nationwide, this water damage costs up $20 billion annually. The best way to prevent your home from becoming part of these frightening statistics is by investing in low temperature sensors for the home.

Additionally, low temperature sensors are useful for second homes, vacation homes, and of course, your home while you’re away on a trip. As you won’t be there to manually monitor the temperature – whether through checking a thermometer or just feeling the ambient temperature in the room – it’s key to have a way to check temperatures remotely when you aren’t there and notifications when the temperature drops to a potentially dangerous level, giving you time to act before any damage can be done.

How do low temperature sensors work?

Low temperature sensors can be wireless or wired. Similar to a thermometer, low temperature sensors monitor the temperature in the room they’re placed in. If the temperature falls below a set threshold in the sensor, residents are immediately alerted. Different temperature sensors can notify the residents in different ways. Many can set off an alarm on their own, while others connect directly to your security system’s central hub. Some more advanced “smart” low temperature sensors can even send a notification directly to your internet enabled device, such as smart phones and tablets to inform you when the temperature has gone down.

How do you properly place a low temperature sensor during install?

Low temperature sensors should be placed in areas that would see the most detriment to being exposed to extremely low temperatures. They shouldn’t go everywhere in the house; a draft from an opening and closing door could cause one of your sensors to display an incorrect reading for the ambient room temperature. The best places to install low temperature sensors include basements, under sinks, in the attic, and near any water lines. Placement near water lines is especially useful in preventing freezing pipes from occurring in the home.

What do you do if a low temperature sensor goes off?

The most important thing to remember when your low temperature sensor goes off is not to panic. After all, you smartly purchased and installed a low temperature sensor for this reason – to be informed of low temperatures before any damage can be done. The first thing to do when you’re alerted a sensor is going off is to try and find out the origin of the cold temperatures. Sometimes it can be something simple, like a window or door being left open for a long enough period of time to bring down the temperature to a dangerous level. Sometimes it can be more serious, however – cracks in the wall that lead outside, doors and windows that are drafty, or even broken windows and doors can cause temperatures to go down. Regardless of reason, it’s important to fix the problem as soon as possible to prevent the temperature from staying low, or potentially getting any lower. If there’s any concern that the pipes may freeze, many homes will have a main shutoff valve to cease flow of water through the pipes. This can help prevent there from being any water to freeze within the pipes before the cold temperatures cause it freeze.

Why should you include a low temperature sensor in an alarm system?

Home security shouldn’t be limited to ensuring your home is safe from intruders. Equally important to protecting your personal property and belongings is protecting your home from the elements. New England can drop to extremely low temperatures in the winter, temperatures then can cause pipes to freeze if you aren’t mindful. Pipes exposed to freezing conditions for at least six hours run the risk of freezing – this could happen while you’re out of the house at work, school, or even overnight when you’re trying to sleep. Without a proper alarm and notification system to inform you of these temperature drops in key areas of the house, your pipes could freeze and potentially burst without you ever knowing what was happening.

Additionally, keeping second and summer homes safe while you aren’t there is key. For those of us who migrate south to avoid the winter chill, a low temperature sensor should be something we keep in our home while we aren’t there in order to avoid the dangers that low temperatures can bring. Equally important is setting these low temperature sensors up in these second homes. These are locations you will be away from for long periods of time throughout the year, places that may be a good distant from your primary residence. Even summer homes can succumb to freezing temperatures; it’s when you can’t actively check these temperatures that dangers can arise. Placing low temperature sensors in your home away from home can keep it safe from burst pipes while you’re away.

Low temperature sensors are handy for a variety of purposes. Some rooms, such as those storing items that may need to be kept above a certain temperature, benefit greatly from having a sensor in the room to monitor the temperature. Children’s rooms, especially the rooms of young children, benefit from these sensors to keep them at safe temperatures while they sleep. Being aware of low temperatures in your home not only keeps your loved ones and valuables safe, but is also key to preventing damage in the home caused by flooding and burst pipes.