Honestly, I’m with you on the monitoring service. I’ve had tenants ignore alarms for days because they thought it was a smoke detector battery or something. If you’re out of town, you can’t count on neighbors to notice—or care. I’d rather pay a little up front than deal with a full-blown mess later. It’s just not worth the gamble.
Yeah, I get that. I’ve seen alarms get ignored too, and it’s just not worth the risk. If you’re away, here’s what I’d do: set up a monitoring service, double-check your backup power for the alarm, and maybe even let a trusted neighbor know what the alarm sounds like. It’s a pain to prep, but way less hassle than coming home to a flooded yard.
It’s a pain to prep, but way less hassle than coming home to a flooded yard.
Totally agree with that, but I just can’t justify the cost of a fancy monitoring service right now. Here’s what I do instead:
- Cheap wifi camera pointed at the panel (alerts if the light goes on)
- Gave my neighbor a key and a quick rundown, just in case
- Unplug non-essentials before trips to keep backup power focused
Has anyone tried those battery-powered alarms? Wondering if they’re actually worth it or just another gadget to worry about.
Wondering if they’re actually worth it or just another gadget to worry about.
I get what you mean about not wanting another gadget to babysit. I’ve looked at those battery alarms too, but I keep thinking, what if the battery dies while I’m gone? I kinda like your idea of the wifi cam—feels more reliable. Once, my neighbor called me because the alarm went off and I was hours away. Luckily, nothing major happened, but it made me wonder if I should trust tech or just stick with good neighbors. Anyone ever had one of those alarms actually save the day?
