How to prepare your home for winter’s worst
By Jonnelle Marte, Washington Post, December 26, 2014
Brrrrr! Winter is here, whether you’re ready or not. But there are still things you can do to protect your home from seasonal storm damage--and to keep costs low when emergencies happen.
The threats you’re likely to face will vary depending on where you live. In the Northeast, the most common insurance claims during the winter are for frozen pipes, according to the Hartford, a property and casualty insurance company. In the West, it’s damage from the wind and collapsing trees. In the Midwest, homeowners are most troubled by roof leaks and ice dams and in the South they’re more likely to deal with hail and roof damage.
Fixing the house up after a disaster isn’t cheap: It costs $18,000 on average to fix the damage from frozen pipes, according to the Hartford. Claims for hail damage average $10,000. But most people with insurance won’t have to foot the entire bill. Here are some things to keep in mind to prepare your home for the winter.
Know what’s covered. Most standard homeowners or rental insurance policies cover common winter-related incidents such as burst pipes, windows shattered by fallen trees and fires, says Jeanne Salvatore, consumer spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute. But some people may be caught off guard when they experience flooding from heavy rains or melted snow, which would require the purchase of a separate flood insurance policy, Salvatore says.
People should also make sure they have enough coverage, especially after renovations or improvements that may have increased the value of their property, she adds. And if you don’t fully understand what you would be required to pay if something happened to your house, it might be a good idea to call your agent and go over various scenarios.
Trim your trees. It’s not too late to cut down any trees or branches that may snap easily on a windy day. It’s also worth it to have someone take a look at any trees that may be sick or rotting, which can make them more likely to sway and fall on your roof, through a window or on your car during a storm, says John Kinney, chief claims officer for Hartford.
Check your heater. You don’t want to wait until the coldest night of the year to wake up and find out your heater isn’t working. “A lot of folks go too long between oil checks and boiler checks,” Kinney says. Such outages can leave you with much more than a cold home, they can also increase the chances that your pipes will freeze or burst, he says. Checking the heating system periodically can also reduce the chance of fire or smoke damage.
Take lots of photos. Most people know to take photos of the damage they incur on their homes after an accident. But those photos should be taken before you do any work to help repair the damage, to show the full extent of the accident. It may also help to snap a few photos now, both for keepsakes and for insurance purposes later on. Having some clear “before” shots can help the claims process go more smoothly.
Clear the gutter. It’s not the most exciting task, but you should remove leaves, sticks and other debris from the gutter to make sure water and snow can flow easily. Otherwise, water and snow can freeze in the gutter, in what’s known as an ice dam, Salvatore says. That makes it easy for snow to pile up on the roof, leading to leaks after the snow melts. Installing gutter guards can also make it harder for debris to fall into the gutter.
Prevent frozen pipes. There’s no fool-proof way to avoid frozen pipes, but it helps to pay attention to how your pipes are insulated, especially those in parts of the house that face to the north and the west where they are less likely to receive sunlight, Kinney says. Keep water flowing through the pipes on the really cold days, even if it means leaving the faucet open to a drip, he adds.
If you’re going to turn the heat down while you’re away on a trip to save on energy costs, don’t turn it off completely, Salvatore says. “Heating costs are expensive, but so are a burst pipes,” she says. Finally, know how to shut the water off for the house so that you can minimize damage when pipes do burst.
Fix what you can. After you’ve taken photos, do what you can to stem losses. Tarp broken windows to stop water and snow from coming in. Shut off the water after a pipe bursts. Document whatever steps you take, Kinney says. But use common sense here. “I wouldn’t want to hear about a 95-year-old person climbing a roof in the middle of a hurricane, he says. “So think safety first.”
