ATTENTION SECONDARY HOMEOWNERS – the cold is coming!!!

As a secondary homeowner, you should know that most of the claims we see in our office are cold weather related and most include either pipes freezing and bursting or water damming up from the gutters and entering the house through the shingles.

In regard to the pipes freezing up, secondary homeowners typically leave their homes unattended for several days a week and that is when the problem arises. The furnace will shut off for a number of reasons, the house goes cold, the pipes freeze. So far, there has been no damage. The damage happens when the house heats up and the pipes thaw. The cold caused the pipes to crack. Water then escapes the piping and damages the walls, floors, rugs, furnishings. Moisture from the water can then destroy furniture, pianos, paintings, etc.

As for the water freeze-up claims, there is a solution!!! You can purchase low temperature devices that work several ways. When the temperature in the house falls below a certain temperature (we recommend you set it to 50 degrees), some devices will turn on a light for your neighbor to see (make it a red bulb) or some will dial a phone number to alert you or a caretaker the temp has dropped. These devices are relatively inexpensive…but can save you thousands of dollars and many months of hard work repairing or replacing damaged items. No matter how painless an insurance claim looks on a TV commercial, I can tell you that you do not want to have a water claim like this…it is messy.

The way to prevent water dam claims is to get a roof rake (sold at hardware stores) and remove the snow on your roof. Not all the snow, but rather just the first 3 to 4 feet of snow starting at the edge of the roof. This allows the water to run freely down the shingles where most of it will evaporate. The snow in the gutters typically will prevent the water from leaving the roof. The water then freezers over the eves where there is no heat escaping. The ensuing water then backs its way up the roof and under the shingles and into your attic.

Mark W. Fingar, Vice President
Certified Insurance Counselor
mark@fingarinsurance.com
518) 828-4500