MA Homeowners Insurance Tips: Prevent Pipes from Freezing

If you are new to winters in New England, then you are in for a treat. Not only will it be freezing cold outside, but you need to be alert to the dangers that can occur when the temperature drops that could result in frozen pipes inside your home. Your local New Bedford home insurance company wants to help you find new ways to protect your investment and keep you and your family warm this winter season. If you have questions about your MA homeowners insurance or would like to know about even more tips for safeguarding your home, speak with your New Bedford insurance agent.

Insurance companies in New Bedford, MA and the surrounding South Coast area will tell you: the best solution is often prevention. If you can prepare ahead of time by winterizing your home or at least gaining an understanding of what causes frozen pipes in the first place, you might not ever have to deal with them yourself. The rest of this article will feature tips on things you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing in the winter months and tips on things that you can do to thaw frozen pipes if it happens to you.

Prevention: It’s Worth a Pound of Cure
It is always better to follow tips from your New Bedford insurance agent than to have to search online for tips on how to fix something once it’s gone wrong. Make sure to check your policy at least once a year and speak with local insurance companies in New Bedford, MA to make sure that your policy information is up to date and current. Your New Bedford insurance agent can help you make any changes that you might need and can help you ensure that your MA homeowners insurance will cover you in case of emergency.

Tips to prevent pipes from freezing include:

• Dripping Faucet – Many homeowners in the northeast swear by this little trick. When the temperature dips down below freezing, drip your faucets just a little to keep the water flowing to prevent the water inside the pipes from sitting still long enough to freeze.
• Insulate Pipes – Both the hot and cold water pipes that are underneath your home in the crawlspace, basement or that are located in any other uninsulated areas, should be insulated with something known as “snap on foam” insulation or spray foam insulation. Make sure the foam fits around the pipe without any gaps.
• Pipe Tape – There is a product that is UL approved that can be used to heat your pipes. It is a “heat tape” that has a built-in thermostat that will prevent it from overheating. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully and check with your New Bedford insurance agent to ensure that it won’t void your policy in some way.
• Irrigation – Before winter hits, you should winterize your outdoor sprinkler system to make sure that there isn’t any water inside the line. Use compressed air to clear the line before you button everything up for the winter.
• Cabinet Doors – Open up bathroom and kitchen cabinet doors underneath the sink to help warm up the area to help prevent pipes from freezing.

Thawing Pipes
Sometimes you think about dripping water or keeping pipes warm too late or sometimes a cold snap hits in the middle of the night while you are sleeping. In that case, your pipes are going to get frozen and you need to do something about it. Your local New Bedford home insurance company warns against doing anything extreme. While it will be frustrating, it is important to stay conservative in your approach to thawing out the pipes. Make sure that you don’t do anything that might void your MA homeowners insurance policy. If you aren’t sure, speak with your New Bedford insurance agent at Borden Insurance to find out details about your insurance policy.

Some of the tips for thawing pipes include:

• heat the frozen pipe using a heat lamp, portable space heater or hair dryer
• check for leaks once the pipes have thawed in case there was any damage or bursting
• shut the water off at the main valve before you attempt to thaw out the pipes
• make sure to open a faucet to release pressure within the pipe

Contact Borden Insurance in New Bedford
If you are in the market for MA homeowners insurance, take a look at Borden Insurance. As a local New Bedford insurance agent, Borden Insurance has been providing excellent services to local residents since 1909. Give us a call at 508-999-3636 to get a FREE quote on our home and auto insurance options.