Water, fire damage to home can be prevented

by John Dittrich

for the Business Journal

With cold weather, the likelihood of fire or water damage increases dramatically. Of course, many of these losses are insured, but making an insurance claim may lead to an increase in premiums, and who wants that? Here are some tips for preventing a major loss from occurring in your home.

Water damage losses. Many water damage losses occur because of broken pipes that have frozen and thawed repeatedly over a course of years. As the pipe freezes, it weakens, sometimes breaking. As the water in the pipe thaws, it begins to leak from the broken pipe into your home.

If you experience freezing pipes in your home, it is a good idea to leave your water dripping when temperatures drop below zero. This should keep your pipes from freezing up.

Often, your outside water spigot will freeze up, which goes unnoticed until you turn your outside water on in the spring. To prevent your outside water spigots from freezing, turn them off completely and disconnect your hoses in the winter.

A common cause of water damage year-round is broken washing machine hoses. Hard water will weaken the hoses and cause them to break (most disastrously while you are on vacation).

When the hose breaks, water will flow freely into your home until the water is turned off at the washing machine or at the main water cutoff.

To prevent this from occurring, you should change your washing machine hoses at least every five years. If you are going on vacation, turn off the water at your washing machine to prevent damage while you are gone.

Fire damage losses.

When the temperature drops, people seek a variety of ways to keep warm, some of which are not very safe. Here are some examples of unsafe ways to keep warm:

?Do not keep your pets warm using an electric blanket. Chewing, clawing or wetting the blanket can cause it to short and possibly ignite.

?Do not leave space heaters unattended. Children or pets may trip over a space heater, leaving it in a hazardous posi-

tion.

?Do not put space heaters anywhere near clothes or carpet, as the heaters get very hot and may cause such items to ignite.

?Do not operate a fireplace without a fireplace screen or doors in place to prevent sparks from leaping onto your carpet.

?Do not leave the house when you are cooking unless you first turn off the oven or stove. Sometimes a small delay in returning to the kitchen can prove disastrous.

Here are some things you should do to keep your family safe from fires in your home.

?Do keep fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in your home where they will be functional and useful in case of a fire.

?Do make escape plans with two escape routes from any room in your house.

(John Dittrich is president of AcquaMist Cleaning Systems, specializing in fire-, water- and smoke-damage restoration, odor removal and duct cleaning.)

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