Avoiding a Laundry Room Disaster

There are a number of areas in your laundry room that, if not properly maintained, may be putting your home at risk of water damage. Here are some specific areas in your laundry room that are at risk and what you can do to prevent potential losses.

Washing Machine Connections

• Inspect for tiny leaks in the connections to both the hot and cold water lines. Repair even the most minor leak.
• Check both ends of the water lines for possible leaks. Replace the small hose washers in the line if they haven't been replaced recently.
• Check for discharge hose kinks and cracks. If the hose is brittle or old, replace it.
  

Money-saving Home tip: The most destructive water damage losses in homes come from broken or burst washing machine hoses. In fact, the output of water from a broken hose is approximately 650 gallons per hour! It is recommended that you replace your machine's rubber hot and cold hoses with woven steel hoses. For less than $15 you can get six feet of woven steel hose from your local home improvement store. This simple upgrade could save your home from serious water damage problems.

Hard Water Problems

• In areas with hard or mineral-laden water, if the washer is slow to fill, there's a good chance that the in-line filter is clogged. Turn off the water supply and remove the hoses. Remove t he small wire filters from the washer inlets, or, if not removable, use an old toothbrush, cotton swab or shop vacuum to clean out the clogged filters.
• Is there a steady drip into the washing machine? Grit has probably damaged the shut-off valve. Repair it yourself or call an appliance repair specialist.

Hoses & Filters

• Inspect and periodically replace all types of hoses.
• When replacing hoses, be sure to also install new hose washers.

Utility Sinks

• If the utility sink drains sluggishly, take steps to remove the blockage
• Watch for any sighs of dripping faucets, water damage to the flooring, or leaks in the drain pipe. Do not ignore even a small leak.

Dryer Connections

• If the dryer vent hose isn't tightly connected to the outside vent, repair the clamp or re-tape to seal.
• If dryer lint is accumulating behind and under the dryer, the vent pipe may be clogged. Check that it is free of debris, both from the inside and outside of the house.
• If there are too many twists and turns in the line for the dryer to vent efficiently, make the exhaust more short and straight.

Laundry Room Smart Tips

• Give the utility sink periodic drain treatments to prevent clogs and promote free drainage.
• If at all possible, connect the dryer hose in a straight line with the outdoor vent.
• Metal dryer vent pipes are preferable to the plastic accordion types.
• Hose clamps and good metal HVAC tape can help seal up a poorly connected dryer hose and eliminate excessive moisture and dust accumulation.
• Make it a habit to vacuum around and behind the washer and dryer routinely.
• Keep the laundry area clean, dust and dirt combined with moisture can promote unwanted growth.
• Remember to clean out the dryer lint trap after each load.

Thanks to the Institute for Business & Home Safety for providing this material along with the folks at Kemper Insurance, a Unitrin Company. Visit IBHS for more ways in which to protect your home at www.ibhs.org.

Remember, all of us at Mars Insurance are advocates for home safety.

Student Loans and Life Insurance

Do you have student loans or did you co-sign for any student loans?

Anyone that is involved with student loans should consider life insurance for the student, especially the co-signer. In the event of a serious accident involving death of the student, this is one of the most difficult loans to cancel leaving the remaining loan for the co-signer to pay off. Even filing bankruptcy will not forgive this debt.

On average, the cost of a life insurance policy is around $100.00 a year providing protection of $100,000 which can be used to pay-off student loans. In the event of an unforeseen tragedy, don't you want to have that protection?

Mars Insurance has many life insurance programs available from multiple companies. Contact us today and allow us to provide you with a program that is designed just for you.

Helpful Tips for Winterizing Your Home

Fall is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape throughout the winter months.

Here are some tips to help you prepare your home for winter:

· Make sure your furnace is in good working order. Check that the furnace filter is clean and replace it if it’s not. Make sure that the thermostat and pilot light are working properly and that the pipe brining fuel to your furnace isn’t leaking or lose.
· Have your heating ducts cleaned. The ducts should be vacuumed every five years.
· Trim trees and remove dead branches. Ice, snow and wind could cause weak tree trunks or branches to break, damaging your home or car, or injuring someone walking on your property.
· Remember all of the leaves falling off your trees this autumn? Well, a lot of them will remain in your gutters. Cleaning them out will help prevent water from building up and freezing in the gutters.
· As long as you’re cleaning out leaves, make sure none are clogging your chimney. Install a screen over the chimney top after cleaning.
· Check the caulking around doors and windows to make sure there’s no cracking or peeling. Re-caulking, if needed, prevents cold air from entering your home. Why pay a higher heating bill if you don’t have to?
· Keep snow and ice from building up around the bottom of the garage door so that it closes completely and doesn’t warp.
· Frozen water pipes can crack and spew gallons of water all over your home. You can prevent this by draining your outdoor hose bibs and by keeping your heat on even when you are away from home.
· Keep the house warm. The temperature in the home should be at least 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls, where the pipes are located, is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 will not keep the pipes from freezing.
· Make sure steps and handrails are in good shape. Broken stairs and banisters can become even more dangerous when covered with snow and ice. Make repairs now to prevent someone from falling and being seriously injured.
· Get to know your plumbing. Learn how to shut off the water, and know where your pipes are located. If your pipes do freeze, time is of the essence. The more quickly you can shut off the water, or direct your plumber to the problem, the better chance you have of preventing the pipes from bursting.
· Take special care if you plan to be away from home. If you are not going to be in your home this winter for an extended period of time, have the water system drained by a professional to keep pipes from freezing or bursting. Also, hire someone to check on your home on a regular basis. That way, a problem can be fixed quickly, lessening any damage. Activity at your home also reduces the likelihood that it will be burglarized.

Source: Insurance Information Institute

Look to Mars Insurance for more helpful tips on claim prevention. Ask Mars Insurance to review your policies to make sure you have the coverage you need in the event of a major loss.