Winter Insurance Tips - C. T. Lowndes & Company Insurance Agency

Winter Insurance Tips...

Is Your Home Ready for Winter?

Is your home ready for winter weather? Many consumers don’t realize that lack of preparation could mean unwelcome home damage and unexpected repair expenses...

Snow or ice is the fifth leading cause of homeowners’ insurance claims. Also, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), the average homeowners’ claim for water damage and freezing is a whopping $5,531. Follow these tips to protect you and your home from serious financial liability:

Prevent Ice Dams — An ice dam is a build-up of ice that blocks water drainage from the roof and the gutters. Ice dams can cause leaks from ceilings and walls that can ultimately lead to mold and other problems. To prevent ice dams, remove leaves, sticks and other debris from gutters or install gutter guards (available in most hardware home stores) that will prevent debris from getting in the gutter and interfering with drainage.

“Watch Out for That Tree!” — Trees and branches weakened by snow, ice and wind can snap and seriously hurt a person on your property as well as cause serious damage to your home or car. Trimming trees and removing dead branches can help prevent serious damage and injuries.

Roof Care and Repair — High winds, snow and ice can damage a roof. Check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow and ice. After a heavy storm, check for water stains in the attic and on any overhangs. Lastly, repair or replace split or loose shingles and fix any leaks.

Pipe Dreams…and Nightmares — First, the bad news: Frozen or broken water pipes disrupt hundreds of thousands of American lives every winter. You can prevent frozen pipes by following these tips:

Keep the inside temperature of your home at 65 degrees or warmer.
Wrap heating tape and/or standard insulation around pipes wherever possible.
Look for pipes with cracks or leaks —they freeze first.
Keep cabinet doors open during cold spells to allow warm air to circulate around pipes (particularly in the kitchen and bathroom).
If you’re leaving your home for several days, turn off the water completely and drain the pipes, or keep water dripping through one or two faucets, as moving water prevents freezing. However, if you are leaving your home for an extended period of time, plan to turn the water off. It also helps to have someone check your home every day while you are gone.
If your pipes do freeze, quickly shut off the water and immediately call a plumber.

Prevent Personal Injuries — Homeowners are liable for any injuries that occur on their property. Keep kitty litter, sand or rock salt on hand to sprinkle over frozen driveways, walkways or sidewalks. Additionally, ensure that your outdoor steps and guardrails are in good repair to prevent injuries from falls on ice.

Winter Tips for your Auto

If your car needs regular service, get it done now...

Check for cracked hoses, worn belts, leaking water pumps, cracked spark plug wires, and distributor caps. These items might not seem like a big deal in the summer time when it is nice outside for a walk when your car strands you on the side of the road, but in the winter time, you may feel differently about it.

Make sure your battery and charging system are ready for winter...

You or your mechanic should check the battery, charging system, and belts. Your battery can leave you stranded simply because it's old and worn out. Or it could leave you stranded because your charging system isn't working well, and the battery isn't getting charged properly. So have your mechanic check the battery and charging system.

frozen car battery If you find that you need a new battery, get one that has more than enough cranking amps (more is always better!) that will fit in your car. Two things to remember about batteries: First, the battery that started your car easily in the summer may not have enough oomph to do it in winter. In winter, the engine is harder to start, because the oil isn't as "fluid" as it was last July. And secondly, batteries lose power as the temperature drops. So not only do you need MORE power to start the engine in winter, you also get LESS power from the same battery.

Batteries are rated by a measure called "cold cranking amps" (CCA), the maximum number of amps that the battery can deliver at zero degrees (F) for 30 seconds. Good, powerful batteries are rated at or above 600 CCA.

Check the cooling system...

Make certain the antifreeze will protect your car at the winter temperatures you'll experience in your area.

For most areas, you'll need a 50-50 mix of coolant to water. The 50-50 mix has a lower freezing point and a higher boiling point than 100 percent solution of antifreeze.

You can check the freeze rating of your car's coolant yourself with a little device that you can buy in an auto part store for a couple of bucks. With it you suck up a little of the anti-freeze from the radiator - or the overflow container - and see how many of the little balls float. By the way, having good coolant in your engine is very important because if the coolant freezes, it expands, and it will destroy the engine block which can very costly to replace.

But that's still only half the story. The other primary function of antifreeze is to keep your cooling system from rusting. The rust inhibitors in antifreeze break down over time and need to be renewed. So, at a minimum, change your engine's coolant at the interval recommended by your manufacturer. Besides, draining out the coolant and refilling the system also removes dirt and rust particles that can clog up the cooling system and cause problems, regardless of the season.

There are two primary types of coolants available on the market today. The first is traditional, green-colored antifreeze, which can be used in any car. The second is a newer, long-life coolant, which comes in a variety of colors. It should only be used in recent-model cars because it may damage some of the engine gaskets in older cars. If you're not sure whether your car uses the new or old-style antifreeze, check with your manufacturer.

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