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How to Handle Spring Wind Damage to Your Home

High spring winds cause damage to homes

Last week wind gusts in excess of 60 mph left many southern Wisconsin homeowners with fallen trees, damaged structures, and loss of doors or shingles.

What’s the best course of action if this happens to you?

  1. Call your agent. Report your damage and determine whether you have a claim to report to Forward Mutual.
  2. Ask for an Adjustor: If you and your agent are unsure of the amount of damage, Forward is happy to send our adjustor out to evaluate and guide your wind repairs.

Wind damage is frustrating. It’s one more thing already-busy homeowners sometimes must add to their list of things to do. That’s why Forward Mutual is here to help and make repairs as stress-free for you as possible. Contact us with any questions!

 

Keep Your Household Dry This Spring

Water leak detection devices can protect your home from damage

In 2015, 35% of homeowner damages filed with Forward Mutual occurred when plumbing failed or pipes froze. In 2016, this percentage decreased to only 4.4%. Besides weather, what might be responsible for such a decrease in water damage to our homeowners this past year?

CEO and President Lois Wiedenhoeft believes educating our insureds was an important factor.

“It’s our goal to assist homeowners in protecting themselves,” says Lois. “So many plumbing products have surfaced in the marketplace that help prevent water damage and this is information we want to share. Prevention eliminates frustration.”

Prevention also saves money. This spring, protect your home from expensive water damage. Here are helpful suggestions from Forward Mutual.

Sump Pump Monitoring

Most homeowners discover their sump pump has failed when the basement has already flooded. Monitoring systems alert homeowners before the damage occurs, either by sounding an alarm or by calling/texting your phone.

Water Leak Detection

Dishwashers and washing machines sometimes overflow. Refrigerator ice and water dispensers sometimes fail. These plumbing disasters wreak havoc on a homeowner’s floor unless they are detected and stopped immediately. Water leak detection systems can do just that—detect and stop leaks. Depending on the system, these devices will sense and alert you of water leaks and/or significant changes in humidity within your home. They can also stop the leak by cutting off the water supply.

If you have any questions about preventing water damage in your home, give Forward Mutual a call. We are here to offer personal attention and peace of mind.

Snow Removal Protects You and Your Guests

TIme to shovel snow!It’s a given: The holidays and snow go hand in hand. Similarly are safety and liability. As we plan our holiday get-togethers it’s important to remember a most important task: snow removal.

If you own property, it’s your responsibility to ensure its driveways and sidewalks are safe for people to walk on. Failing to do so enables risk of people falling and hurting themselves and you being held liable. This is true whether you’re city folk and the sidewalk in front of your home is considered public right of way, or you’re country dwellers and the only one coming to your door is a deliveryman.

The Scoop on Snow Removal

  • Communities commonly have specific policies for snow removal. Many require the occupants, whether owners or tenants, to remove all snow and ice within a given time frame, perhaps 24 hours after the snow has stopped. Check your municipal’s website for its requirements.
  • Keep your downspouts and roof free of ice. Icicles often melt, causing puddles to form near your door, which then refreezes into icy patches.
  • Keep salt or sand on hand for ice that’s difficult to remove.

If you have any questions on safe snow removal or your liability as a property owner, please give us a call.

Frozen Pipes Are No Fun

Frozen Water Pipes are easily preventable

“Frozen” is only charming as a movie. This winter, don’t “let it go” — don’t let cheerful movie tunes and apple-cheeked Nordic princesses distract you from winterizing your home properly. There are plenty of easy, inexpensive ways to prevent winter damage. For instance, a burst pipe can cost you upwards of $5,000 in repairs, but pipe insulation costs as little as 50 cents per linear foot.

Here are some tips for keeping your home dry and your checkbook in the black

  • Insulate your pipes. You can find inexpensive insulation at any hardware store. In a pinch newspapers or blankets can do the trick.
  • Use a space heater. If you have an area of your home that is prone to frozen pipes, run a space heater on the coldest days.
  • Let your faucets drip. It might seem wasteful, but pipes with moving water in them are less likely to freeze.
  • Disconnect outside water sources. You’re unlikely to need your hose during the winter, so empty it, store it, and turn off the valves that go to outside faucets.

If you’ll be away from home

  • Keep cupboard doors open. Open the doors of cupboards that contain pipes so the warm air of the house can reach them.
  • Know how to shut off your water. If you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time in the winter find out where the water shut-off to your home is. And use it.
  • Call on a friend. Ask someone you trust to check your home daily if you’ll be gone for more than a few days. If a pipe does burst, the sooner its discovered the better. Thousands of gallons of water could end up in your house if a break goes unnoticed.

For more information

Use this handy checklist or Grinnell Mutual’s Front Porch blog to see what else you should be doing to weatherproof your home for the winter. And for any questions you have, contact us at Forward Mutual. 

This article is reprinted with permission from Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. The information included was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, however Forward Mutual, Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company and its employees make no guarantee of results and assume no liability in connection with any training, materials, suggestions or information provided. It is the user’s responsibility to confirm compliance with any applicable local, state or federal regulations. Information obtained from or via Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company should not be used as the basis for legal advice or other advice, but should be confirmed with alternative sources.

5 Autumn To-Do’s to Secure Your Outbuildings for Winter

Autumn on the Farm

Last week we offered five easy chores for securing your home for winter. This week we’d like to extend that to-do list to your outbuildings.  These are quick and easy chores and taking care of them now will make your winter much easier and safer.

1. Winterize Watering

Does your livestock drink from heated  buckets, troughs or automatic watering systems when the temperatures turn cold? If so, you’ll want to check this equipment now to be sure everything’s in working order. Examine cords for cracks and heating elements for proper connections. Now is also a good time to drain lines that might freeze in winter and store any hoses you might have around the barnyard.

2. Trim Trees and Clear Dead Branches

Just as you want to protect your home from windblown and fallen branches, so you should do the same for your barns. Wisconsin’s snow, ice and wind can be hard on trees. When winter-laden branches fall on your buildings, they become damaging and expensive.

3. Tidy Your Yards

Clear your driveways, barnyards and yard of any items that could get buried under the snow or entangled in a snow blower.

4. Replace Broken Windows and Repair Doors

Livestock need ventilation even in winter, however they appreciate getting out of the cold, driving winds. Solid windows and well-fitting doors will protect not only your animals but also your barn structure. Oil the tracks on your doors so they slide easily, even in Wisconsin’s snowy drifts.

5. Inspect Building Roofs and Rafters

Winter snows are often heavy. Check for loose panels on metal sheds. Check barn rafters for cracks and brace any that may not hold up to the added weight of snow.

Any questions on how to prepare your outbuildings for winter? Call Forward Mutual at 920-161-6616 or contact us here.

5 Autumn To-Do’s for a Secure Home this Winter

Roof gutters filled with leaves

As of last week, autumn is officially upon us. This means it’s now time for a few maintenance rituals to secure our homes for the upcoming cold. When it comes to protecting your property, tackling these easy chores now will save you time and money later this winter

1. Unclutter Your Gutters

For Wisconsin homeowners, cleaning your gutters and downspouts is an important task you’ll want to finish before the weather turns cold. Leaves, twigs and residue easily clog gutters and if not removed can cause ice dams later in winter. For safety tips on cleaning your gutters, check here.

2. Trim Trees and Clear Dead Branches

Wisconsin’s snow, ice and wind can be hard on trees. When winter-laden branches fall on your house, they become damaging and expensive. Clear out any limbs that overhang your buildings and any dead branches that could be blown from the trees.

3. Check Your Furnace

Before firing up your furnace for that first chilly day, be sure to give it an overall clean. Clear the air vents and ducts of dust. Change the filter in both the furnace and the built-in humidifier, if it has one. Be sure to also clean the area surrounding your furnace; the floor of debris and cobwebs from the ceiling. This is especially important if your furnace is a wood-burning unit. And finally, to insure your furnace’s most efficient performance, have it tuned regularly by a professional technician.

4. Sweep that Chimney

A wood fireplace or wood-burning furnace are agreeably warm pleasures of winter. Unfortunately, they are also synonymous with chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Before you light that first fire, check that all chimneys and flues are free of debris and in good working order. Professionals advise that wood-burning chimneys be cleaned four times a year. They also suggest that gas, oil and coal burning chimneys be cleaned once a year.

5. Prepare Plumbing

One never knows when to expect that first frost here in Wisconsin so now is a good time to drain and put away garden hoses, and drain outdoor faucets and in-ground sprinklers. Check indoor plumbing for leaks. Identify indoor pipes that commonly freeze and be prepared to wrap those during the extreme cold.

Any questions on how to prepare your home for winter? Call Forward Mutual at 920-161-6616 or contact us here.