Sizzling Hot Summer Creates Fire Risk to Homeowners
One question that professionals in the home remodeling industry often hear is, “How can I fireproof my home during the summer months?”
There are several steps you can take without spending any money and whether you own a home or rent. Here are a few suggestions:
Have your electrical wiring checked, especially if your home is located in a wooded area.
Don’t cook when you are drinking alcohol or feeling tired. It’s important to be alert when dealing with hot elements, especially gas stoves.
If you smoke, never take your cigarette with you to bed when you nap or turn in for the night.
Inspect your home and its surroundings for loose wires or dry brush.
Check the batteries in your smoke detectors to ascertain they are functioning correctly.
Fireproofing Measures
If you own your home and you live in a densely wooded area, you should want to consider replacing your cedar roof with a tile roof because clay and concrete tile roofs are fire resistant.
A tile roof may also save you money. Concrete and clay tile roofs have a Class A fire rating, the highest possible fire-resistant rating available. When you replace your roof with a Class A tile roof, you may be eligible for the lowest possible fire insurance rates.
Additional Steps to Protect Your Home
Selecting a tile roof is an important step in protecting your home from the threat of fire. Here are some final steps for you to also consider:
- Check your gutters for debris and remove dried leaves and other items collecting there.
- Use fire-retardant, non-combustible materials on your eaves.
- Double- and triple-paned windows can act as a barrier to a fire that would otherwise penetrate your home.
- Consider adding a sprinkler system to your roof.
- Ask your contractor about fire-retardant siding. Brick cladding is one example of effective, fire-retardant siding.
- Make certain that your chimney has a spark arrester located no less than 30 feet from surrounding tree limbs.
- Trim nearby trees so that the branches don’t hang over your roof and the leaves don’t collect in your gutters.
- Keep nearby shrubs trimmed.
If you have additional questions about how to best fireproof your home, don’t hesitate to contact Letitia Hanke-Ryzhkov, CEO of Alternative Roofing Solutions, Inc. at 855-54-ROOFS, www.arsroofing.com.