Home Insurance

Let’s face it, swimming pools are fun.

The idea of kicking back and relaxing while you float around your pool is inviting, isn’t it? Some of our best memories of growing up revolve around being in our backyard pool with friends and family.

However, there is a dark side to pool ownership that few care to think about. Did you know that about 300 children under age 5 drown in their backyard swimming pools? The sad truth is that it only takes a second for a child to slip under the water to drown before anyone notices what has happened. This raises an important question: 

Are swimming pools covered under my home insurance policy?

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Having a washer and dryer in your home is definitely a modern convenience.

It’s certainly better than beating laundry on a rock down by the river, isn’t it? While doing laundry at home can be a blessing, did you know that it carries potential dangers too? Here is the thing: in the recent year, there were an estimated 16,800 reported U.S. home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines. Sadly, there were 51 civilian deaths and 380 civilian injuries. The insurance companies sent out claims checks for almost $236 million for repairing direct property damage as a result of clothes dryer fires.

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When you think about tornadoes, what visual image pops up in your mind?

Perhaps you think back to the Wizard of Oz where the tornado picks up Dorothy’s house and tosses it into the land of the munchkins? Tornadoes are one of the most powerful and destructive forces in nature. Here’s some advice on how to prepare for a tornado and what to do if you’re caught in a twister’s path.

That raises a few questions:

• What is a tornado?
• What are the signs of a tornado?
• What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?

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Did you know that a GFCI outlet can save your life?

Q: What happens when you mix electricity and water?
A: Nerve and tissue damage, burns, gangrene, and death.

Is it really that serious? Yes it is.

That is why the installation of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacles is mandatory in homes today. In fact, did you know that before the installation of GFCIs were mandatory, nearly 800 people died annually from household electrocutions? Today, less than 200 people die annually from household electrocutions.

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Imagine a lightning bolt strikes within a few hundred feet of your home and sends an electrical surge of up to 1 billion volts through your electrical system.

What do you think would happen?

FZZZZZZZT!

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Your water heater is one of those appliances that you don’t think about until you have no hot water or you have a 60-gallon flood in your basement!

Like all appliances, your hot water heater needs some TLC once in a while. In this article, we will look at some of the potential areas of concern for you to include in your annual water heater checkup. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself call a licensed plumber in your neighborhood. Ask yourself: What kind of hot water heater do you have? Is it electric or gas? Pay attention to the tips that are pertaining to your type of water heater.

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Do you make these common carbon monoxide poisoning mistakes? Who’s ready to take a quick carbon monoxide test?

Here’s your 2-question carbon monoxide test:

True or false?

1. You can SEE carbon monoxide. T/ F
2. You can SMELL carbon monoxide. T/F

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*Updated on July 18, 2017.

When it’s hot and muggy outside, we become truly thankful for air conditioner systems! It’s hard to imagine what life was like before they invented AC. When it’s 98 degrees in August and the humidity is 100%, you’d give anything to turn the air conditioner on. This can lead to a problem: air conditioner fires.

A 2016 report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) gives some somber statistics. In 2014, air conditioning, fans, or related equipment were involved in an estimated 7,800 reported U.S. home structure fires. Sadly 50 people died and 260 were sent to the hospital with injuries.

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