Category: Homeowners Insurance
Going away for Spring Break? Review our home safety tips
If your family happens to be flying or driving somewhere warm and sunny for spring break, we have a few safety tips for you!
1-Have a family member or neighbor check on your house. They can bring in your mail or newspaper, turn on some lights, check that there are no water leaks anywhere, water your plants, and even take your dog out if your dog doesn’t handle being kenneled. Your family has a routine with lights on and off, noises coming from inside the home (many families keep a tv or radio on while they’re gone), etc. Nothing screams “no one is home” like a mailbox overflowing with mail and a pile of newspapers on your porch.
2-If having someone check on your house daily isn’t an option for you, invest in timers to turn your lights on and off for you at their regular intervals. Stop the newspaper, and go online and have the USPS hold your mail. You can even set it to have the old mail delivered all at once when you return. You’ll save yourself a trip to the post office to pick it up.
3-This isn’t a home safety tip, but a driving tip: have your vehicle serviced before you drive thousands of miles. Change the oil and filter, have your fluid levels checked and topped off. Air your tires to the proper inflation. Check your insurance policy. Do you have emergency roadside assistance? Allied Insurance provides roadside assistance to all household members even if they’re passengers in a car that they don’t insure! What a relief to know that your (almost) adult child would have a number to call if their friend’s vehicle broke down on the way to PCB.
Lastly, some experts warn about posting pictures on social media advertising you’re far from home on the beach! Set your privacy settings to “friends only” if you must post and be cautious.
Above all else, have fun and enjoy your time away~
How you can prevent frozen pipes
We are consistently experiencing freezing temperatures nightly and your home is at risk of frozen pipes. What can you do?
We’ve made a list of some of the most simple and effective ways to keep your home dry and claim free:
- Turn off the main water supply to your home if you’ll be away for an extended period of time. One of our claims last year occurred almost 3 months prior to it being noticed by the homeowner. The home was a secondary residence and the homeowner didn’t go there much. The heat was turned off, but the water was left on. A neighbor noticed water seeping out from under the doorway. By that time, mold had grown, ceilings had collapsed, and the home was deemed a total loss and torn down.
- If leaving your home for a few days or so, make sure your thermostat is set to a minimum temperature of at least 55 degrees.
- If you have a security system, contact your security system provider and inquire if they offer alerts for temperature drops below 55 degrees, and even high water use (water bursting and then running for days)
- Take a few minutes and inspect your outdoor water spigot. Last year, 2 separate insureds had frozen pipe claims after the thaw. The outdoor water spigot copper line had split about 6 inches into the home. When the homeowner turned on the water spigot outside, they were unaware that water was gushing through their home. Turn off the water supply to your spigot if your home doesn’t have the safety pipe that automatically does that. Remove your garden house from the spigot. And cover your spigot with an insulated cover to prevent freezing.
Our agency has purchased 20 spigot covers for you. Please come in, have a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and pick one or two up and take them home and install them immediately. While we handle any claims as best we can, our goal is to prevent claims from happening in the first place.
Stop by! We look forward to seeing you and answering any other safety questions you may have. While here, check out our 2015 wall calendars and our snow scrapers. Don’t let winter sneak up on you.
Fireplace Safety
The weather outside is downright COLD! And from what forecasters are saying it will remain that way for much of our winter. We at Blevins Insurance want you and your family to be WARM, but also SAFE! Here are a few quick tips on fireplace safety:
- The National Fire Protection Association recommends having your fireplace cleaned once a year by a certified chimney sweep. This will remove creosote and any debris build up from last year. They will check for birds nests or anything else that may prevent smoke from getting outside where it belongs.
- Check your chimney for cracks, any missing mortar, missing bricks, and the liner for any cracks.
- Never use lighter fluid or any other flammable liquids to start your fireplace fire. Use kindling, if necessary, or a designated fire starter log or product.
- Only burn seasoned hardwoods. Don’t burn leftover construction materials, cardboard, newspapers, etc.
- Remember to open the flue. You might be surprised how many claims occur by smoke damage because the flue was closed and the smoke could not get outside.
42% of home heating fires are caused by fireplaces or wood burning stoves. It pays to take a the necessary precautions today to prevent a fire tomorrow.
