Preventing Freezing and Bursting Pipes – February 2019

How do you prevent freezing and bursting pipes?

When temperatures drop or even reach subzero degrees you are at risk of your pipes freezing or bursting.  Pipes are most at risk in unheated areas such as basement, attic and garage.  Once temperature start to drop and reach 20 degrees or below you should take necessary measure inside to keep pipes warm and water running.

Here are some steps in protecting your pipes:

  1. Keep garage door closed, especially if there are water supply lines in the garage.
  2. Open Kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors, this will allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing, especially if your sink in on an exterior wall.
  3. Turn on cold water and allow it to drip from the faucet, allowing water to run through the pipes or even trickle will help prevent pipes from freezing.
  4. Keep thermostat set at the same temperature during day and night. During a cold snap is not the time to reduce your thermostat setting so you can save money on your heating bill.
  5. If you plan to be away during cold weather, leave your heat on in your home, and set no lower than 55 degrees.
  6. For the long term, add insulation to attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Insulation will maintain higher temperatures in those areas.  To prevent drafts, seal cracks and openings around windows, doors, and at sill plates, where the house rest on its foundation.

Do you know how to thaw frozen pipes?

If you turn on your faucet and only a trickle of water comes out, you may have a frozen pipe.  If you think you have a frozen pipe, be careful when thawing because if the pipe has already burst, the water will come flowing out and flood your home.  If a pipe is broke, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve.  If the water is still running and no pipes have burst, you can take the following steps:

  1. Tun on the faucet. As you heat the frozen pipe and the ice plug begins to melt, you want the water to be able to flow through.  Running water through the pipe, even as cold as it is, will help melt the ice in the pipe.
  2. Apply heat to the section of pipe. Use an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe, a hair dryer, or a portable space heater, or you can wrap pipes with towels soaked in hot water.  DO NOT USE – a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, a charcoal stove, or any device with an open flame; the high heat can damage the pipes or even start a fire.
  3. Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. Make sure you check all your faucets in your home to see whether you have additional frozen pipes.  If one pipe freezes, other pipes may too.
  4. Call a licensed plumber if you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if unable to thaw the pipe.

                       

Insurance News Jan 2019

Happy New Year ‘2019’ 

It’s time to ring in a New Year.  This is when people make resolutions but never really follow through with their resolution.  We are entering “2019,” so what is your resolution or promise to yourself?  Most people would recognize the following phrase:

  • “This is the year I’m getting organized.”
  • “This is the year I’ll stop smoking.”
  • “This is the year I’m going to get into the best shape of my life.”

These are great New Year’s resolutions, but what about resolutions that provide you with peace of mind, secure protection for you and your family, and saving money on your insurance that could put money back in your wallet.  Lancaster Insurance Center encourages you to take the time and review three simple “insurance resolutions” that could help you start 2019 off on the right foot.

  1. Check to see if you qualify for auto and home insurance discounts to help lower your premium.  Saving a little money is always nice, and by speaking with Lancaster Insurance Center about any potential discounts is a great place to start.  While premiums are calculated based on the level of risk an insurance company must take in order to provide you with coverage, there are steps you should take in order to reduce those risks.  Here are few examples: “protecting your home by installing an alarm system in your home that will alert local authorities if there is a fire or a home intruder, this will aid in the prevention and mitigation of a fire or break-in.  This will help in providing you with peace of mind and help by reducing your homeowner’s insurance premium.  If you have teen driver that is starting to drive or already driving, speak with your agent about the “good student discount,” and all drivers may be able to lower their premiums by successfully completing the “defensive driving course,” if offered in your state.
  2. Make a home inventory list.  We purchase home insurance for the primary purpose to protect from fire, or any other loss that may occur.  Homeowner’s insurance is designed to protect you in the event of a loss or damage to your property.  There are ways to reduce your exposure and drastically reduce your premium; we suggest you review your insurance thoroughly once every three to five years.  Preparing a comprehensive detail home inventory list will help you at a time of a loss in replacing your belongings.  Keeping accurate records such as, a list of all items in your home, receipts of items purchased with serial and model numbers, and pictures will ensure the less possible chance of having any issues or disputes between you and the insurance company during the claim process.
  3. Find and fix gaps in coverage.  Not having enough coverage or the right coverage is a one of the worst experiences anyone could have during a time of loss.  You file a claim, and then your claims adjuster informs you that you do not have enough coverage or any coverage for the loss.  The purpose of homeowner’s insurance is to get you back to whole in the event of a loss or/total loss.  It’s important to remember cutting coverage to save money now could only hurt you at the time of a loss.  Lancaster Insurance Center will work with you to try and eliminate any of these situations from happening.  There will come a time when your circumstance could change, and if you do not review and update your insurance coverage accordingly, you may find yourself with a gap in your insurance coverage or no coverage.  If you have any high value items such as jewelry or collectibles make sure you have the proper coverage in case of a loss or you may not be covered under your homeowner’s insurance.  Your homeowner’s insurance should offer you a coverage called “scheduled personal property,” this coverage is an add-on to your homeowner’s insurance.  Did you know that flood insurance is not covered under your homeowner’s insurance?  In the event of a storm such as Sandy or any other storm related where intense flooding may occur will not be covered homeowner’s insurance, even if your mortgage company does not require you to have it.  If you want coverage for this type of loss you need flood insurance.  Having a flood insurance policy could provide you with an important piece of protection and piece of mind knowing that you are protected in the event of a flood loss.

Remember, find and fix any gaps in your homeowner’s insurance coverage before it’s to late.  Lancaster Insurance Center would be happy to sit down and review your homeowner’s insurance policy with you to identify where there may be potential gaps, and help you obtain the proper coverage to fill them.

It’s a New Year, a new start and a time to start over.  Commit yourself to these resolutions could help provide you with peace of mind, more protection, and hopefully a little more savings that provides you with more money in your wallet this New Year.

 

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