From Our Partners
Laurie Bauer | TW Insurance
Preventing Frozen Pipes
in Your Home
(in conversation with Jeff Cronk, Claims and Customer Experience Manager, CURO Claims)
When cold weather hits, is your home prepared? We sat down with our
experts at CURO Claims and discussed a popular insurance claim this time of
year — frozen pipes.
Q: What are the main problems caused by
frozen pipes?
A: Frozen pipes can burst causing extensive
home damage, such as ruined floors, drywall,
furnace, furniture, and more.
Q: What are the most common claims you
deal with due to frozen pipes?
A: Flooding and damage caused by the water.
Policyholders will leave for vacation and return
home to an unpleasant surprise.
Q: What is a key sign of frozen pipes?
A: You will notice that there is little or no water
coming out when you turn on your taps.
Q: What can homeowners do to ensure
that their pipes don’t freeze this winter?
A: The following are precautions you can take to
avoid frozen pipes:
• Insulate the pipes that run along the exterior
walls of your home or within unheated portions
of your home such as in your garage.
• Let water drip slowly from faucets during
extreme cold temperatures. Keep doors,
including cupboard doors, open inside the
house to allow warm air to flow.
• Don’t turn off the heat when you leave for
vacation! Take preventative measures such as
installing a home monitoring system, draining
the water to your home, or having someone
check on your home on a daily basis.
Q: What type of insurance coverage
is recommended to ensure that a
homeowner is covered if water
damage occurs?
A: Most homeowner policies contain exclusions
for water damage within an unheated portion
of your home caused by freezing during the
usual heating season. Within a heated portion of
your home, the exclusion may also apply if you
have been away for four or more consecutive
days, unless you can demonstrate you took
preventative measures such as the following:
• Have a competent person enter your house
daily while you are away.
• Shut off the water supply and drain the water.
• Install a monitored alarm to your plumbing and
heating system.
If you have any questions regarding your
existing home coverage, you should contact your
insurance broker. ●
news&views SPRING 2019 | 61