Smart Insurance Tips

Water damage to a home is one of the most common types of insurance claims. Your home is vulnerable to water damage year-round. While it’s impossible to completely prevent water-related losses, these tips will help minimize your risk:

Have someone regularly check on your home while you are away, especially during cold weather. Before leaving for vacation, drain the water from your faucets and manually shut off the main water supply.
Perform regular maintenance on appliances, including water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, ice makers, refrigerators, and air conditioners. Install metal braided hoses, rather than rubber hoses, on your washing machine, dishwasher, and toilets. Rubber hoses can dry out, crack, and eventually break, causing significant water damage.
Have your roof inspected periodically, and clean your gutters and drains regularly.
Install protective devices such as a low-temperature monitor and an automatic water shut-off valve that can activate a central station alarm. A water shut-off valve is a smart device that automatically shuts off the main water supply if it detects an unusual pattern of water use in your home.
Speak with your insurance advisor about water-damage-related coverages on your policy, such as “Water Backup and Sump Discharge or Overflow” and “Mold Remediation.” Both water backup and mold are very costly to remediate.
Consider buying flood insurance, even if your home is not in a high-risk flood zone or near a body of water. It’s important to protect your home against flooding from heavy rain. Major storms are occurring with greater intensity and frequency.