Preparing to avoid Ice Dams and Pipe Bursts this Winter

It is just about that time of year!  Time for holiday fun, family and vacations!  Before embarking on the holiday excitement it is important to prepare your home for the brutal winter weather that is surely ahead.

An ice dam forms when ice builds up at the bottom of your sloped roof.  This usually occurs at the drains and gutters, and can cause a “dam” that pushes the water under the roof, and into your attic and home!  Some ways to avoid this problem are:

·        Install a water-repellent membrane under your roof covering next time you re-roof.

·        Use weather stripping around the entrance to the top story of your home.

·        Seal light fixtures, chimneys, attic ducts, and fans to prevent warm air from melting snow.

·        Make sure your attic is ventilated!  A cooler attic will result in less melting and refreezing on your roof.

·        Clean your gutters and drains so proper drainage can occur.

·        Replace your recessed lighting near your roof with an alternative.  The heat created by the recessed lighting contributes to melting and refreezing, which leads to ice build up!

When water freezes in your pipes, pressure builds between the ice in your pipes and the closed faucet at the end of the pipe.  This results in pipe bursts at the weakest points along the pipe.  The most vulnerable pipes to freezing are in crawl spaces, attics, exterior walls and near holes in exterior walls (example, television cables).   Some tips to avoid pipe bursts are:

·        Insulate your pipes by adding insulation sleeves, and wrapping pipes that are exposed.

·        Caulk your walls and foundations near water pipes to prevent cold air from freezing your pipes.

·        Shut off exterior faucets and leave them open outside.

·        Keep your cabinets open to continue circulation of warm air to your pipes.

·        Drain water systems when your home is unoccupied!

Source: Arbella Insurance Company

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great time to take a moment and reflect on the things in our lives that we are thankful for.  Here at IMA, we are thankful for:

           

Family, Friends and good food!  - Kristen, Personal Lines Sales & Account Exec

The health of my family, the love and support of my family and friends and the opportunity to make each day better for someone else.  – Mary, Commercial Lines Account Exec

               

The passion and dedication everyone puts into doing the right thing for friends, family and clients.  It’s been a challenging year for many people and as we approach year end there remains so much hope and positive energy – it’s very encouraging.  – Peter, President

            Every day is a blessing! – Rose, Account Exec

The strength of my family and for being exactly where I should be this time of my life. – Amy, Customer Service Assoc

My job, my family, my senses, my home and the people that love me. – Michelle, Personal Lines Account Exec

               

The health of my family, the support of my friends and a nice, relaxing long weekend with my daughter. – Katie, Marketing Exec

My loving husband, wonderful parents (who I get to see in less than two weeks) and great friends! – Dawn, Asst VP, Personal & Commercial Lines

My Family – John, IMA East Sales Exec

Having a Thanksgiving with my loving family. – Gail, Senior Account Manager

What are you thankful for?

What is this building worth?

Whether you are a personal or commercial insurance client, we need to work together to determine how much your building and personal property are worth in order to determine how much property insurance you need.  Sometimes, this can be a very difficult question to answer, and the actual numbers may surprise you. 

Most insurance policies insure buildings on a replacement cost basis.  Replacement value is the cost to rebuild the building, including labor and materials.  The market value of your home or building can vary greatly from its replacement cost.  Market value is fluid and varies according to supply, demand, and the sale of other similar buildings in your area.  While market value may fluctuate up and down, replacement cost is more likely to slowly increase over time. 

It is important to evaluate your building value each year before your insurance renewal to make sure you are insured to value.  Have you made any substantial improvements or additions to the building that would cost more to replace? Have you added a central station alarm or a sprinkler system, which might make you eligible for a discount on your property insurance?

You do not want to be underinsured in the event of a loss.  Luckily, we have tools that can help us calculate the replacement cost of any structure based on its construction and local labor and materials costs.  If you ever have a question regarding whether or not your home or building is insured to value, please give us a call and we can walk through this process.

Questions about coverage from snow storm

If you experienced damage from the October snow storm you probably have questions. A question that has been asked this week has been, a tree fell on my car, is this covered under my auto policy or my homeowners policy? The answer is this goes under your auto policy and is subject to your comprehensive deductible. Another question, a tree fell in my yard, is there coverage for removing it? The answer is possibly. It depends on your policy. Did you have a fridge/freezer full of food? You may have coverage for that too. When you have a claim question its best to contact us so that we can look at your policy and determine what you have for coverage. Just because you and your neighbor have the same insurance company, it doesn't mean that you have the same coverage.