Before leaving for vacation, make sure you inspect your home

Before leaving for vacation, make sure you inspect your home

Did you know: an 8 inch crack in your pipes can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day?1
Tips to protect your home while you are away:
■■ Turn off the water supply to individual fixtures like your washing machine, icemaker, toilets, and sinks. Flooding often occurs when hoses are worn or ruptured, or there is a leak at the connection.
■■ Use storm surge protectors on high-end electronics in case bad weather leads to flooding or fire.
Establish safety rules for the swimming pool and surrounding area

Did you know: more than 200 children younger than 15 years old drowned in a swimming pool or spa between Memorial Day and Labor Day in 2013?

Tips to keep your kids safe by the pool:
■■ Never leave children unsupervised around water, even if they know how to swim.
■■ Enclose the pool on all sides with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide.
Take safety precautions before you fire up the grill

Did you know: June and July are the peak months for barbecue fires?
Tips to prevent a grill fire:
■■ Place the grill outdoors and away from the house, deck, overhead branches and anything else that may catch fire. Make sure you also clean and remove any grease or fat buildup on the grill.
■■ If the flame goes out on your propane grill while cooking, turn off the grill and the gas. Wait 15 minutes before you relight to provide time for the propane to dissipate to avoid a gas explosion.