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Want to not use your home insurance this Winter, check out these fall maintenance tips.

By October 6, 2020Insurance

Winter can cause problems for your home insurance, can preventative maintenance help?  The winter is full of potential claim situations for your home insurance.  How can you avoid a home insurance claim in the winter?  Maintenance in the fall can help.  Freezing water can cause many problems, therefore it is important to address this in the fall.

Turn off outside water.

For instance, one thing you can do is turn off the water to outside water sources. In addition, remove hoses from outside faucets.  According to www.houselogic.com, doing will stop water in the hose from backing up into the pipes.   After, turn off the water then open the spigots to let any water in the lines drain out.  Similarly if you have a sprinkler system follow the same process.  Finally walk around the foundation of your house.  Look for any areas where water can pond and slope away from the home.

Check your gutters.

Another potential water area is gutters and downspouts.  Falling leaves can end up clogging gutters and downspouts therefore causing a clog.  After the leaves have stop falling is a good time to check your gutters.  Be careful if you are doing this yourself.  Use ladder safety.  Snow and rain storms mixed with clogged gutters can lead to damage to your roof and siding.  At this point it is time for an exterior inspection.  Check the outside of your foundation for cracks.  Caulking around pipes and sealing cracks can prevent water from entering your home.  If water enters the home it can freeze and cause bigger issues.

We will continue to post about fall and winter maintenance tips.  Regular maintenance can prevent a claim and possible increase in home insurance premiums.  Winters in Pittsburgh can be harsh so it is important to be prepared.  In conclusion a little money spent on fall maintenance can prevent winter claims and save you money in surcharges to your home insurance premiums.

Have a claim to file?:  https://icpitt.com/client-center/

More insurance info: https://www.erieinsurance.com/blog/