You may use this link (online guide) to an online guide about freezing and bursting pipes published by The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. It answers questions such as “When is it cold enough to freeze?” and “What should I do if I suspect a frozen pipe?”

Taken from:  http://www.safecoagentnews.com/articles/winter-weather-tips/

Much of the country periodically experiences severe and sustained cold weather, with snowfalls interspersed with periods of melting and freezing. This can inflict considerable damage on homes.

Here are some tips and steps you can take to keep your home safe and make insurance losses less likely during extended severe weather.

• Keep sidewalks and entrances to your home free from snow and ice.
• Watch for ice dams near gutter downspouts. Keep gutters free of leaves and debris so melting snow and ice can flow freely. Ice dams can cause water to build up and seep into your house.
• Keep the house heated to a minimum of 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees will not keep the inside walls from freezing.
• Identify the location for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.
• Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent freezing.
• If you own a swimming pool and temperatures are expected to dip below freezing, run the pool pump at night to keep the water flowing through the pipes.
• If you haven’t already, make sure all hoses are disconnected from outside spigots.
• If your garage is attached to your house, keep the garage doors closed. The door leading to the house is probably not as well-insulated as an exterior door.
• If ice forms on tree limbs, watch for dead, damaged or dangerous branches that could break and fall because of ice, snow or wind and damage your house, a car, or injure someone walking near your property.
• If you use fireplaces, wood stoves and electric heaters, watch them closely and make sure they are working properly.
• Remember to close the flue in your fireplace when you’re not using it.
• If you have to leave your home on a trip, ask a neighbor to check the house regularly. If there is a problem with frozen pipes or water leakage, attending to it quickly could mean far less damage.
• If you plan to be away for an extended period of time (or if temperatures are expected to remain below freezing), have the water system, including pool plumbing, have the water system drained by a professional to keep pipes from freezing or bursting.

A Worst-Case Scenario

• If you discover that pipes are frozen, don’t wait for them to burst. Take measures to thaw them immediately, or call a plumber for assistance.
• If your pipes burst, first turn off the water and then mop up spills. You don’t want the water to do more damage than it already has.
• Call your agent or company as soon as you can. An insurance adjuster doesn’t need to see the spill before you take action. However, he or she will want to inspect any damaged items.
• Make temporary repairs and take other steps to protect your property from further damage. Remove any carpet or furniture that can be further damaged from seepage.
• Make a list of the damaged articles.
• Save the receipts for what you spend—including additional living expenses if you must leave your home until repairs are completed—and submit them to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Standard homeowners policies will cover most of the kinds of damage that result from a freeze. For example, if house pipes freeze and burst or if ice forms in gutters and causes water to back up under roof shingles and seep into the house. You would also be covered if the weight of snow or ice damages your house.

However, most policies do not cover backups in sewers and drains or flood damage, which can also happen in winter. To be covered for flooding, you need a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program, while coverage for sewers and drains is generally offered as an endorsement to a standard homeowners insurance policy.

If your home suffers water damage, it is important to make sure that it is properly dried and repaired to prevent any potential problem with mold. Remember, mold can not survive without moisture.

Check with your agent or company so you’ll be sure what your policy covers.

Taken from:  http://www.iii.org/article/tips-surviving-severe-cold-weather

With January below zero weather likely to happen, the insurance implications of giving your friend, co-worker or neighbor a jump to help get the car started is important to know.  We had a reader ask if we would discuss the insurance ramifications and exposure for jumping a vehicle improperly.  His example was putting the positive and negative clamps on jumper cables to the wrong terminals on a car with a dead battery, in his case, a client (let’s call the client Sally) caused damage to the electrical system of a car owned by a co-worker (let’s call him John) while trying to be helpful.  The damage caused by such a mistake is common.  In fact, it is not the uncommon for one of the vehicles to burst into flames.  Where is the coverage?

If John makes a claim on his personal auto policy, the insurer may be tempted to cite the exclusion for “mechanical or electrical breakdown or failure.”  This would be incorrect interpretation of that exclusion, however, since the lead-in wording says the exclusion applies to “damage due and confined to” the electrical breakdown.  In this case, the damage was not due to spontaneous electrical failure as contemplated by the exclusion; rather it was caused by human negligence and the resulting damage is covered.

If John makes a direct claim or John’s insurer subrogates against Sally, where is the coverage for Sally?   (Note: the non-subrogation provision in the physical damage section only applies to someone who is using the vehicle with permission; Sally wasn’t using John’s vehicle.)  Under either the ISO PAP, the liability coverage applies to damages for property damage for which Sally is legally responsible because of an auto accident arising out of the maintenance of any auto.  John’s vehicle is not being used by Sally or in her care, so the care-custody-control exclusion doesn’t apply.  The only provision that could cause a coverage issue is the limitation of coverage to an “auto accident.”  But court cases have ruled that an “auto accident” occurs when (1) one or more vehicles are involved with another vehicle, an object, or a person, (2) the vehicle is being used, including exit or entry, as a motor vehicle, and (3) a causal connection exists between the vehicle’s use and the injury-producing event.  In our opinion, this accident meets these three tests and the PAP liability coverage would apply.  The homeowners insurance policy wouldn’t typically apply because it has an exclusion which applies to the maintenance of any motor vehicle.

Chores like re-organizing closets and tackling a thorough house cleaning can put families at even greater risk for falls and poisoning – the two leading causes of home injury in America. The Home Safety Council urges families to keep safe practices top of mind while cleaning up and cleaning out your home, garage and yard.

When cleaning out closets or re-organizing always keep stairs, steps, landings and all floors clear.

Carry loads you can see over, and keep one hand free to hold banisters and railings.

Five gallon buckets are often used while cleaning and present a serious drowning danger to your children. Never leave a bucket or any standing water unattended and store buckets empty and upside down.

Follow safety recommendations when using cleaning chemicals, such as wearing gloves and masks. Do not mix products together because their contacts could react with dangerous results.

Never use gasoline as a cleaning solvent and never store gasoline in your home. Even in small quantities its vapor can readily ignite. It is too dangerous to use gasoline for any purpose other than motor fuel.

When cleaning out cabinets, separate dangerous products and medication and lock them up, out of reach of young children.

Remember to reduce clutter and safely tuck away telephone and electrical cords out of walkways.

If you need to climb, use a stepladder or extension ladder. When using a ladder, stand below the highest safe standing level. For a stepladder, the safe standing level is the second rung from the top and for an extension ladder; it’s the fourth rung from the top. Before using, make sure the ladder is in proper working order and the rungs are dry.