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As the arrival of warmer weather gets closer each day, you’re probably starting to think about yard work and outdoor projects you want to accomplish this year. An important machine that keeps your yard looking good is your lawn mower.

If you’re like me, you probably pushed your lawn mower into your garage or shed and left it to sit for the winter. If that’s the case, now’s the time to have some maintenance work done on it so you’re ready to start cutting when the spring grass starts growing.

To get the most out of your lawn mower this season, here are some maintenance tips:

1. Change the oil. Clean oil is critical to keeping your engine lubricated and running smoothly. If you didn’t change the oil at the end of the lawn-cutting season, make sure to do it now. Changing the oil in your lawn mower is very easy. If it doesn’t have a drain plug, simply remove the oil cap, and tip the lawn mower on its side to drain. Before refilling your mower with oil, refer to your owner’s manual to determine the correct oil type. Lastly, dispose of your oil based on municipality guidelines. It should never be thrown into your garbage.

2. Replace the air filter. The purpose of the air filter is to protect your engine from dirt and debris. An extremely dirty air filter can lead to engine problems and potentially costly repairs. While it can vary on your conditions, typically you should change your air filter on a yearly basis. If your lawn mower is dusty and dirty after each cut, inspect it regularly. Depending on the filter type, you may be able to use your air compressor or vacuum cleaner to remove the debris.

3. Sharpen the blade. Your lawn mower blade is critical to maintaining your lawn and keeping it healthy. Hitting debris such as rocks, stones, sticks, and mulch can quickly dull it. Unfortunately, dull blades tear the grass instead of cutting it which causes grass to turn brown. This can also lead to disease. If you prefer not to do this yourself, visit your local hardware store or small engine shop. To prevent downtime, consider buying extra blades to keep on hand.

4. Give it a good wash. Grass clippings and other debris can build up underneath the mowing deck. If moisture is present, it can lead to mold growth. Use a putty knife, garden hose, or pressure washer regularly to keep it clean. Don’t forget to dry it off with a rag or blower.

5. Change the spark plug. If you’re having a difficult time starting your lawn mower, it may be time to change the spark plug. Over time, deposit buildup can occur. In addition, normal wear and tear can lead to cracked porcelain or electrodes that have been burned away.

6. Look for rodents. During the winter months, mice need a nice warm place to stay. If they find their way into your garage or shed, it’s likely they’ll find a nice engine to snuggle up to. Check your lawn mower and the area around it for evidence of mice. Things to look for include nesting materials, droppings, or gnaw marks.

7. Check tire pressure. Cold weather can reduce tire pressure. Before cutting your lawn, don’t forget to check tire pressure. If a tire has more air than others, it could cause uneven mowing.

8. Inspect the battery. If you kept your battery indoors or on a trickle charger, it should be ready to go when the grass starts growing. If you kept it in your mower, check for cracks in the casing or corrosion buildup. Corrosion buildup can be removed simply with baking soda and a wire brush. Lastly, if you’re installing your battery for the first time, make sure the connections are snug.

Don’t forget about safety. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 80,000 people make unexpected trips to the emergency room each year because of lawn mower injuries.

Posted by Scott Stueber on Apr 7, 2020 10:29:21 AM

While spring showers bring May flowers, they can also bring unwanted water into your basement or cause water backups through your sewers or drains. These can be costly and messy to clean up.

The basic homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t include coverage for water back up and sump pump discharge or overflow coverage. Kim Bechler, senior personal lines underwriter will explain why water back up and sump pump discharge or overflow coverage is necessary. Without this coverage, you would have to pay for the damage to your home and/or personal property out of pocket.

Who should buy Water Back up and Sump Pump Discharge or Overflow coverage?

Homeowners, condo owners, and renters may want to purchase this endorsement to protect themselves from a loss that occurs to their home or to their personal property from either sump pump failure/overflow or water backing up through drains.

What type of losses would be covered under this coverage form?

Backup through sewers or drains and overflows or water discharged from a sump pump or related equipment would be covered.

If this type of loss occurs and you have the Water Backup and Sump Pump Discharge or Overflow endorsement on your policy, you would be protected against loss to your home and/or your personal property up to the coverage limit you purchased.

Why is it important to add this coverage to your policy and purchase an adequate limit?

Many homes have finished basements and are used for additional living space. The cost to clean and repair could be a financial strain. By adding this coverage to your policy, you can decrease or eliminate the financial strain you could face if a loss occurs. Most carriers offer different coverage limits and some even allow you to pick a deductible that will work for your needs and budget.

How can you prevent a water back up or sump discharge or overflow from occurring?

As a homeowner, there are simple things you can do to help prevent a loss from occurring. A few common tips include, but are not limited to:

• • • Installing a battery backup on your sump pump or installing a backup generator in your home in case your power goes out during a storm.
    • Installing a second sump pump if your home is in a wet area and your sump pump goes off regularly.
    • Making sure you install the correct pump size and that it’s installed properly.
    • Testing your sump pump if you haven’t heard it run recently. Maintenance is the key to preventing sump pump failure.

Even if you take actions to prevent a loss, it doesn’t mean you won’t have one. Protect your home and personal property by contacting your independent insurance agent to make sure you have adequate coverage.

 

 

Earth Day is on its way, and there are a lot of us who are looking to see what we can do in order to celebrate this special and important day. If you want to care for the Earth more, and you want to take the time to celebrate Earth Day, then this article will help you to figure out exactly what you want to do in the long run. Check it out, try some of them, and have a great time when it comes to helping the Earth to be what it deserves to be.

According to Wikipedia, ” Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.”

We required this planet more than this planet require us. Let’s plant as much trees as we can. Let’s divest from fossil fuels and make cities 100% renewable. Let’s be a part of global campaign aimed at educating people about environmental issues and factors responsible for environment degradation. Let’s start now. And let’s not stop.

Earth Day is more than just a single day — April 22. It’s bigger than attending a rally and taking a stand. Here are 25 different ways you can celebrate Earth day.

1. If you are in a situation where you can actually walk, ride your bike, or carpool in order to get from place to place, then it may be time for you to consider that. The fewer cars on the road, the better off that we will be when it comes to our atmosphere.

2. You can volunteer your time to organizations (local or national) that put effort into making the world a better place and helping the environment. There are a lot of great things that you can do, and on Earth Day, there are usually local activities as well.

3. Did you know that switching all of your bills to e-bills and online invoices can save millions of trees every single year? It’s true! If you are in a position where you can do that without making everything more confusing and stressful, then you definitely want to look at the different things that you can do in the long run.

4. Education is the key to everything that you do for the environment. If you know more about what you can do to protect the environment, then you will be able to use that knowledge and share it with others who may be interested in it as well. And that, in the long run, can make a big difference.

5. Do you want to encourage others to get in on the celebration? Then consider putting together what is known as a pledge board at work, school, or your place of worship. You can leave post it notes there so that people can write down the activities that they pledge to do for the environment throughout the next year or so.

6. Do you have a recycling plan in place? If you already do, start looking into what you have in order to expand what you’re recycling. If you do not, then you want to take a look and see what you can recycle in your local area and if you can work to make a difference in that way.

7. Do your faucets leak? If so, did you know that this wastes a lot of water on a yearly basis? If you haven’t done so yet, then you may want to look into how you can go ahead and get started with it during the next year.

8. Plant a tree. Trees are a big part of our earth, and planting one will just add to the health and wellness of the world that we live in.

9. Join a group that is focused on taking care of the environment and see how you can help. It can get your family involved and excited about everything that is available.

10. Go to a local event. A lot of communities will have an “Earth Day fair” or something similar that your family can enjoy together and learn from.

11. Stop drinking bottled water! There are plenty of alternatives out there and, if you stop drinking bottled water, you can save a lot of plastic that would, otherwise, be filling up landfills and dumps.

12. Consider making your yard an oasis for birds and other creatures. You can put in a bird feeder, install birdhouses, put in a bird bath, and more. By making it comfortable for them, they will be more likely to stick around.

13. Help kids learn about the environment by installing a play garden. These can help children to start to fall in love with nature while also being a lot of fun and helping them to get their hands a little bit dirty at the same time.

14. Consider putting together your own garden in your yard. This can save you money, help enrich the area, and it can make it so that you can get more out of what you’re doing on a regular basis.

15. Are you concerned about legislation at the state or national level when it comes to the environment? Then now may be the time for you to write an email or letter to your representative, senator, or whatever official that you may be looking to talk to about environment.

16. Have you updated your light bulbs yet? There are a lot of different options out there that you can choose from, and most of them are much more environmentally friendly than what we grew up with. Changing them can save you a lot of time, money, and energy.

17. Put together an activity for your community if there isn’t one going on. Organize an event, do a community clean up, or put together a fair if there isn’t one already there.

18. Consider adopting a highway. Our roads get a lot of litter and junk on them on a regular basis, and there are highways all over the country that do not have what they need when it comes to people that can clean them. Go with your work or group of friends to take care of things.

19. Take some time to work with your local school. Local schools need all of the help that they can get when it comes to figuring out the best way to get kids more interested in the environment and its care.

20. Take initiative to make sure that your workplace is more environmentally friendly. See what you can do in order to make it just a little bit easier on everyone when it comes to getting involved with caring for the environment. Do research on recycling and get everything in order so you can all do your part.

21. Go and enjoy nature in a special way. Go on a hike. Go to the park. Do something that gets you in touch with nature and that helps to remind you exactly why you’re going to want to go ahead and put so much time, effort, and energy into what you have to offer here.

22. Put together a list of goals for the following year. What do you want to do throughout the year? What steps are you going to take in order to make sure that you can get everything that you need without a lot of hassle? Focus on those things above everything else.

23. Consider finding a way to help an environmental organization financially. If you have additional finances, there are all sorts of organizations out there who will need a little bit of help with money. Most are nonprofit organizations, so look into the ones that work on the things that you are most concerned about or most interested in and consider donating to them.

24. “Adopt” a creature at a wildlife preserve. There are a lot of them out there that need sponsoring, so consider finding a rescue that takes care of your favorite animals, then see how you can adopt and help pay for the care and such that one of these beautiful animals needs.

25. Don’t just leave it to Earth day! If we can do a myriad of things when we are celebrating Earth Day, imagine just how much more that we could do if we took care of the environment every other day during the year. So, why not look into what can be done through the whole year and make taking care of the environment a regular part of how you live.

There could be number of other ways to celebrate Earth day. These are just 25 ways by which you can celebrate Earth day and make a small contribution to the global campaign.

Image credit: Camelia , Thomas

Posted by: Rinkesh with Auto-Owners Insurance

Spring is a wonderful time of year. Unfortunately, spring can also come with rain, hail, high winds, tornadoes and whatever else Mother Nature has in store. Preparing before a severe storm hits is essential to potentially reducing storm damage to your home.

Here’s 10 quick and easy home tips you can use to prepare for the upcoming storm season.

1. Designate a safe place in your home to take shelter during a storm. This is ideally in the lowest level of your home with few windows or large furniture. Make sure all your family members know this is where to go in the event of a big storm.

4. Check any wall air conditioners. Disastersafety.org recommends checking your wall air conditioners. Since these appliances essentially exist in a hole in your home, it’s important to make sure they’re sealed correctly. Specifically check:

• The caulking around the air conditioner’s sleeve. Fill any gaps or cracks you see in the caulking
• Weather stripping around the unit
• The internal drain to make sure water is flowing freely

5. Test your sump pump. Make sure the system is draining properly and mechanical components are operating well. Consider battery-powered backup options in case there is a power outage.

9. Secure your outdoor gear. This includes furniture, tools, mowers, etc. If they are not in use, put them away or tie them down. These can become either damaged or the cause of damage in a high wind situation.

Read: Storm Damage & Homeowners Insurance: 5 Things You Need to Know

10. Stay informed. Make sure you have a way of getting weather notifications. Several free weather apps will send you a push notification when severe weather is in your area. Keep in mind storms can come in the middle of the night. So, be sure to allow notifications and keep the sound on to hear the alerts. There are also weather radios you can use in your home that will alert you of severe storms any time of day.

Preparation before severe storms can make a huge difference in not only reducing storm damage but also the stress on you and your family. By implementing these simple home tips, you may be able to make this season’s severe storms feel a little less severe.

Posted by Auto-Owners Insurance.

If you own a home, you know that if something breaks or fails, it can  cause unexpected and devastating expenses. Underground lines that service a home for such things as water, sewer, gas, and internet can break, requiring costly repairs. While most of these lines aren’t covered by a base homeowner’s insurance policy, many insurance carriers offer optional limited coverage that can be added.

What types of underground lines would be covered? West Bend’s Underground Service Line Coverage Endorsement protects lines that provide water, sewer, natural gas, electrical power, internet access, telecommunications, data transmission, drainage, compressed air, heat, and steam. All these underground service lines provide great things to a home but can also present a great deal of risk!

So now that we know what kind of lines are covered, what kinds of “risks” to these lines are covered? Coverage is provided for an “underground service line failure.” Failure could include a leak, break, tear, rupture, collapse, or arcing of an underground service line connected to a home. It doesn’t include blockage or low pressure if the line hasn’t experienced any physical damage. The line must also run on the property owned by the insured. Check out the scenarios below to see how you could be impacted.

Scenario 1

Let’s say your home suddenly has no water or low water flow. You call a plumber who makes an emergency visit for an extra charge. The plumber tests the lines and determines the PVC piping from your home to the city’s lateral line is leaking. The repair requires removing a tree and other landscaping, then excavating down several feet into the ground. This requires additional materials and labor to replace the damaged lines. Repairs will cost thousands of dollars just to get running water back to the home. West Bend’s Underground Service Line Coverage Endorsement would provide up to $15,000 for repair expenses, as well as potential expedited fees, tree removal, landscaping repairs, excavation costs, line replacement, etc.

In today’s world of online connectivity, many people who work from home or go to school online could be devastated by internet failure. Here is another scenario.

Scenario 2

The internet service isn’t working so a technician spends several hours troubleshooting. He discovers the underground line that runs 500 feet from the road to the home must be replaced because the pipe that was installed 25 years ago to protect the line has deteriorated and collapsed, crushing the wires. The costs of trenching, excavation, material, labor, and possibly cutting through the driveway, sidewalk, or yard could all be covered by the Underground Service Line Coverage Endorsement up to the limit.

Underground Service Line Coverage is still somewhat new to the insurance industry so be sure to talk to your local agent about the exposures of underground service lines that provide many necessary services to your home. The minimal additional premium you’d pay would be well worth it if it saves you thousands of dollars in unexpected and devastating expenses!

Author Bio: Joyce Schuett is a senior Personal Lines underwriter and trainer who has been with West Bend for 15 years. She has her Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation and she instructs several insurance classes. She was also an agent for West Bend for 8 years. She enjoys time at their family cabin in northern Wisconsin, deer hunting, and any time spent with her husband, two adult children, and their dogs.

Life just isn’t possible without water. But for all its life-giving benefits, water can also be a very destructive force of nature. If you rank all the potential disasters that could hit your property, water damage will stand a very good chance of taking the top spot.

Water damage affects buildings on so many levels. When water creeps into areas of your property where it shouldn’t be, your floor could warp. Water damage also discolors beautifully painted walls. All that moisture can also lead not only to the formation of mold inside the building but also to a vermin infestation. Worst of all, water damage that isn’t immediately addressed through water damage restoration could eventually weaken the foundation of any building.

Water damage is also deceptively costly. You might think that an inch or two of water flooding your home or business wouldn’t burn a hole in your pocket, but there have been cases where that little amount of water has caused damage that cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair and restore.

The worst thing about water damage is that it can happen at any time. Let’s take a look at some of the common causes of water damage.

Severe weather

Thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other natural disasters don’t happen every day, but when they do, there’ll always be the risk of water damage striking your property.

The strong winds and heavy downpour could damage your roof, sending a certain amount of rainwater straight down into your house or business. Worse, severe weather can sometimes lead to flash flooding, especially when your property is in a flood-prone area.

Clogged gutters

Your home’s gutter system is supposed to draw rainwater away from your house. However, gutters often get blocked by leaves, branches, and other types of debris over time. When that happens, rainwater won’t be able to flow properly away from your property and will instead overflow the edges of your gutters, run down the side of the house, and cause water damage on the ceiling, walls, and floors.

Leaking pipes

A loose-fitting pipe in the kitchen sink could leak enough water to damage the cabinet underneath it. A broken pipe inside walls could make things even more complicated. The water damage such a leak can cause would be huge, as the entire wall would be water damaged, and it’ll foster the formation of an entire colony of mold.

Worse yet would be a leaking plumbing supply line or a drainage pipe in the soil underneath your concrete slab. When this happens, you’ll likely face costly repairs.

Washing machine water supply line leak

Your washing machine is fed by water supply lines that are under constant pressure. If your lines are made from braided stainless steel, then you have nothing to worry about. The problem will be if your washing machine has rubber or PVC supply lines. They can easily wear out and rupture, which means your entire laundry room will be flooded in minutes if you don’t shut off the water source in time.

Condensation from AC

Your air conditioning unit produces condensation, with the moisture dripping from the unit’s evaporator coil into a drain pan and out of your property through a condensate drain line. This drainage system works until the drain pan is damaged, or the condensate drain line is clogged with dust or dirt.

With the water unable to get out, it will leak from your AC straight into your home. All that water dripping from your AC unit can damage the floor and walls and can even make your insulation soggy.

Blocked drains

The drains in your kitchen sink, bathroom floor, and your bathtub clog up for any number of reasons. Hair, grease buildup, toiletries, dirt, or even toys and other foreign objects could obstruct the drainpipe and prevent normal drainage. When not dealt with immediately, clogged drains can easily back up and eventually cause flooding and water damage inside your property.

Malfunctioning sprinkler systems

Once activated during a fire, a sprinkler system will no doubt save your property and even your life. The problem is, there have been incidents where older sprinkler systems have turned themselves on even when there isn’t the slightest indication of a fire. As you can guess, the water damage that a malfunctioning or accidentally set off the sprinkler system causes can be considerable, especially when there are computers and other electronic appliances all over your property.

Leaking water heater

If you have an old water heater, then the likelihood that it’ll eventually spring a leak is high. The same goes for poorly maintained or badly installed water heaters. Sometimes, the leak is brought about by too much tank pressure. When a water heater leaks, you can expect your basement, where it’s presumably located, to be flooded quickly.

Preventing water damage may be hard, but it’s not impossible. Address the possible causes mentioned above, and you just might have a chance of at least minimizing water damage.

So many variables can come into play when determining insurance coverage. Review your policy with your agent; he or she will be able to answer any questions you have about your coverages, or they can check with the carrier on your behalf.

Author Bio: Rachel Anderson is the Content Marketing Strategist at Arizona Fire & Water Restoration, Inc., a Phoenix-based company that provides water, fire, and smoke damage restoration as well as mold remediation and removal services. When not writing, she bowls and goes on trail hikes with her friends.

Posted by Scott Stueber on Mar 17, 2020 10:03:23 AM