As an insurance agent and analyst, I’ve dedicated my career to educating the public on understanding their auto and home policies, saving money and taking steps to reduce the chances of filing a claim. So you would think I would take my own advice when it comes to safeguarding against extreme weather damage, right? Wrong.
“Hey babe, you have to wake up,” says my husband. “The hot water isn’t working. I think the pipes are frozen.”
It is about 2 a.m. on a Monday, and I would love to tell you that I immediately jumped out of bed clear-headed with solutions at the ready. But I am a notoriously deep sleeper, and it took a few minutes for my foggy brain to understand what was happening. And once I did, I was stumped.
How could we have frozen pipes? Can we thaw the pipes before they burst? We live in upstate New York. Pipes usually freeze in warmer climates and in homes not built for colder temperatures. This is when I realized I’d fallen into the same trap that many homeowners do — complacency.
Extreme weather doesn’t just bring unexpected conditions to different regions. It also cranks up the dial on whatever weather pattern is common in your region. This means homeowners need to go above and beyond what they normally do when preparing for the upcoming season, which I didn’t do.
The insurance industry is grappling with predicting and mitigating extreme weather loss. With carriers tightening their underwriting criteria and limiting coverage, homeowners in risky areas may struggle to find affordable insurance coverage. By understanding how the weather in your region is changing and proactively finding solutions, you can reduce potential loss. Homes that are well maintained and have fewer claims are viewed as more insurable and are less likely to be nonrenewed by their home insurance company.
Winter weather conditions that lead to frozen pipes
A sudden cold snap with temperatures around 20 degrees and a home with poor insulation creates the perfect recipe for frozen pipes. Depending on your region and the age and style of your home, your water pipes could run through the interior walls of your home or the attic, basement or crawl space. Homes built on a slab foundation are more likely to have pipes in spaces without insulation, which is why frozen pipes are more common in Southern states.
In our case, all the pipes are located in the interior walls, except for two. The hot and cold pipes for upstairs run along the exterior wall of our guest room, which also happens to not have a heat vent. To make matters even worse, we shut this room off in the winter to cut back on energy costs.
Buffalo is famous for its snow and cold weather. In January, we had seven straight days with average temperatures between 9 and 22 degrees, which is cold even for us. Cold weather plus poor insulation equals frozen pipes.
Thankfully, we came up with an action plan to avoid busted pipes and a water damage claim. First, we shut off the hot water pipe and turned the faucet on a little, so that when the pipes thawed the water would have a place to go. Then we moved a space heater into the guest room, allowing the room to warm slowly. A few hours later, the pipes thawed, and we learned a valuable lesson.
Ice dam and icicle prevention starts inside the home
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), warmer temperatures have caused an overall decrease in snowfall in some areas of the country. However, homeowners living near lakes may experience more snow than they have in the past. We happen to have a little body of water called Niagara Falls basically in our backyard.
More snow means more icicles. These magical and whimsical natural wonders can damage the integrity of your roof and have been known to injure and even kill people unlucky enough to be walking under them when they fall. Icicles are also a good indication of a possible ice dam, which is the accumulation of snow on the eves of the house. According to claims adjuster Chantal Roberts, CPCU, “Once the day gets a little warm, snow begins to melt around the eves but refreezes again at night. Eventually, the melting snow meets with ice which does not allow it to continue the path down to the gutter.” Once this happens water can back up and seep into the attic under the shingles and possibly run down the wall.
Naturally, all carriers cover loss differently and some may extend coverage for ice dams. But usually, there is no coverage for this peril.
— Chantal Roberts
CPCU
Most home insurance policies include language that excludes damage from freezing or thawing to any structure that supports all or part of a building. This leads us back to the importance of home maintenance.
While icicles and ice dams are to be expected to some extent, a home with good ventilation and insulation in the attic is less likely to experience damage. Keeping gutters and downspouts free of debris and removing heavy snow accumulation from your roof also decreases the risk of large icicles or ice dams forming.
Reduce your chance of winter weather liability claims
A surprising way extreme winter weather is impacting homeowners in New York and the northeast is through the current rock salt shortage. Between the Buy American Salt Act and 10 polar vortex events this winter, businesses and homeowners can not get enough rock salt or ice melt to clear sidewalks and parking lots. As a homeowner, allowing snow and ice to build up on sidewalks and driveways is dangerous and negligent, even when it’s difficult to clear.
Just like winter weather prep can reduce the chance of weather damage to your home, it can also reduce the risk of a liability claim. With winter weather becoming more unpredictable, buying standard winter supplies and alternatives early can create a buffer when shortages occur.
We had a full five-gallon bucket of rock salt on hand at the start of winter and used a propane ice torch when we couldn’t find more. I cannot in good conscience say that using an ice torch is the safest solution, but we are the only house on the block with a clear walkway. Sometimes, the best you can do is select the least risky option.
Don’t be a passive homeowner
This situation also forced me to face another problem. One that I am not proud of, but one that sneaks up on many couples who own a home together. When my husband was rambling on about pipes and vents, my first thought was, “Why are you bugging me about something that clearly falls under your column of things to deal with, like cutting the grass and taking out the trash.” Somewhere along the way, I became a passive homeowner.
Your home is probably your biggest financial investment, and the burden of keeping it safe should involve everyone with a vested interest. But I didn’t know where the pipes in our home were located or how to do things like change the filter on our furnace.
To rectify the situation, we are putting together a household management binder. This binder will contain everything, from important auto and home insurance information to the contact information for our pest control guy and the status of various household projects. By actively engaging in household maintenance and gaining knowledge of our home’s mechanical systems, we can both identify potential issues early on and make informed decisions to enhance our home’s safety and insurability.
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