Prevent Problems Before they Occur
Article 9 in 12 on Home Insurance
Prevent Problems Before they Occur
The best way to avoid costly homeowners insurance claims is to prevent them in the first place. The tips below will help you head-off freeze and mold problems, which will help keep your premium low.
Freeze Problems
If you're going to be away from your home for more than four consecutive days, you should drain your plumbing pipes or make arrangements for someone to regularly check on your home to ensure there is enough heat to keep water pipes from freezing.
Before a Freeze
If you live where the winter weather can be bitterly cold, there are some measures you should take to protect your home, which helps prevent the need to make a homeowners insurance claim. Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover loss caused by frozen pipes if your house was unoccupied and you have not used "reasonable care" to maintain heat in your home, you have not shut off the water supply, and you have not drained the plumbing, heating, and air conditioning systems. Here are some things you can do to prevent damage due to frozen pipes:
- Use faucet cover, or wrap rags, paper, or plastic foam around outdoor faucets and pipes.
- Cover any vents around your home's foundation.
- On very cold nights, open the cabinets under the sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms. This allows your home's heated air to circulate around the pipes.
- Insulate your outdoor water meter box and be sure the lid is on tight.
- Protect outdoor electrical pumps.
- If you have a swimming pool, either drain the circulation system or keep the pump motor running. Do not allow the pump to run for very long periods, as you will damage the motor.
- Let faucets drip on especially cold nights. It is not necessary to run a full stream of water.
- If you are going away during a cold period, consider turning off your water. If you decide to drain your pipes, follow the instructions from your electric or gas utility company on protecting your water heater.
- Do not use lamps or electrical appliances to thaw frozen pipes. Leaking water from the thawing pipes could cause a short and you could be electrocuted.
Mold Problems
The best defense against mold-related problems is to avoid them in the first place. If you have a water problem, you must get rid of the moisture completely. Most policies cover mold remediation to a certain level, but there are some policies that do not provide any coverage. It is very important to read your policy carefully to understand what it covers and what the dollar limits are. If you think you have a water damage claim, notify your insurance company as quickly as possible.
Protect Your Home From Water Damage And Mold
As with most home issues, prevention is the best course when it comes to dealing with water damage and mold. Both water damage and mold can be very destructive to your home and your possessions, and pose health issues as well. So it's best to avoid these problems in the first place and never have to file an insurance claim.
Prevent Mold and Water Damage Inside Your Home
- Inspect your home regularly for signs and sources of indoor moisture. If you find mold, deal with it right away. Very often cleaning the area with bleach will cure the problem. You can use bleach on walls, floors, closets, shelves, and heating and air-conditioning systems.
- Every year, check your hot water heater for rust, deterioration, full overflow pans, and clogged drain lines.
- Damage can occur to A/C units when the condensation drain line from the evaporator coil clogs and water overflows the drip pan.
- Broken appliance hoses are a common cause of water damage. Regularly inspect hoses and hose fittings. Consider using steel-reinforced hoses for longer life.
- When water leaks from around bathtubs, showers, sinks, and toilet it can cause extensive damage because the leak has been hidden from view. Make sure you have a continuous watertight seal of caulk around the edges. Cracks or mold on the caulk or tile grout may indicate that you do not have a water-tight seal. You should also check pipes under cabinets and sinks, looking for signs of rust or other deterioration. Fix these leaks immediately.
- Check for cracks or other sources of leaks around your waste/garbage disposal systems.
- Check the caulking around windows and doors.
- Routinely check your attic and ceilings for wet insulation and water stains.
- Dry or replace water-damaged carpets and upholstery within two days of becoming wet because that is how quickly mold begins to grow.
- Remove puddles as soon as possible, as they breed micro-organisms.
- Check your wallpaper for bubbling, peeling or stains as these are signs of water leaks.
Prevent mold from the outside as well:
- Paint your home with mold inhibiting paint.
- Keep plant beds away from exterior walls so the soil does not touch the siding.
- Do not let sprinklers hit exterior walls for extended periods.
- Make sure your lawn slopes away from your house.
- Do not pile wood or debris against the side of your house.
- If you see mold, have your house inspected.
- Make repairs immediately after a flood or other damage.
Mold Remediation
The process of removing mold from your home is called remediation. There are several kinds of molds. Molds are microscopic organisms found indoors and outdoors. For molds to grow and reproduce, they need a food source such as leaves, paper or moisture. Molds grow by eating the material, so they gradually destroy whatever they are feeding on. Mold is often seen as a colored spot that is green, gray, brown, black or white. In general, if you can see mold, you need to have it removed.
Mold grows very rapidly - within 24 to 48 hours of a water leak. It is important to stop the flow of water and dry out the materials as soon as possible. Your insurance policy allows you to protect and remove the damaged property without jeopardizing your coverage.
If you hire a mold remediator, that person must provide you with a Certificate of Mold Remediation. If you sell your home, you must provide your buyer with a copy of all Certificates of Mold Remediation.
Mold can affect your health. Your homeowners insurance policy will not cover you for health-related expenses but it may pay you to live somewhere else while your home is being repaired. It is important for you to know what the dollar limit is for these additional living expenses (ALE) .
Your insurance company may provide you with an advanced ALE payment. It is very important to understand your policy's ALE dollar limit.
