Special article brought to you by A-Insurance Agencies

Clear out your rain gutters – while this sounds easy, when is the last time you did it? If you have trees around your home, it is a NEVER-ENDING job! Having clog-free rain gutters will allow water and melting snow to run away from your home and prevent ICE DAMS. We have all seen rain gutters with huge, seriously awesome ice cycles hanging off of them. Insurance guys like me, though, have nightmares when we see them hanging, because we know the unseen damage that is being caused to the home!
Downspout Extenders – When rain and melting snow is allowed to just run off without being routed away from the house with an extender, the water will find its way to the lowest spot which will sooner or later be your basement. Often the homeowners don’t even realize that the extender blew away in the last wind storm. Secure them in place and make sure the water runs away from the home for best results.

Double Check your Hose Bibs – I recently had this happen at my own house. I removed the hoses from the bibs before this last cold spell. However, I found that one of my daughters sprayed off her car on a sunny day and left the hose back on! This small thing can make a large issue when we reach freezing temperatures again. The pipes can freeze and burst inside the walls of the house. These are huge issues that none of us need in the middle of winter!

Insulate pipes in your cold areas. Each year we see pipes frozen in colder areas of homes, like a basement kitchen or bar area that are not often used. Those less used areas where the heat is off or low to conserve costs need to have better insulated pipes. It can also be a good idea to leave the front of the cabinets open to let in the warmer air. We all seem to have that one area in the house that is colder and is always an issue. If you plan ahead, it will save you money and aggravation.

One last strong recommendation is to have Carbon Monoxide Detectors in your home, especially in the area where you have your furnace or heating in your home. This silent killer is preventable by simply having a detector. If you CANNOT afford one, please reach out to your local Fire Department.
Wishing you a safe and happy Holiday Season from all of us at A Insurance!