Appliance Breakdown: Refrigerators

Refrigerators can break down due to overheating when components are not periodically cleaned.

What can you do?
It’s hard to believe that dust and dirt settling on the compressor, electronics and coils behind your refrigerator could result in a breakdown, but it’s possible. The components are critical to ensuring your refrigerator is properly cooled. When dust builds up on the components, it reduces proper air ventilation requiring the refrigerator to work harder and run hotter. Maintaining proper ventilation improves your refrigerators performance life and protects your unit from a breakdown.

What happens if your refrigerator has a breakdown? At MAX, homeowners and farmowners policies have Equipment Breakdown coverage available.  Talk to your MAX agent or contact us for more information to add this valuable coverage to your policy.

Source:  Mutual BoilerRe

Photo by Nicolas Barbier Garreau on Unsplash

Appliance Breakdown: Air Conditioning Units

Air conditioning units are complex systems that can break down for a variety of reasons ranging from corrosion on the interior unit to overheating the compressor in the outdoor unit. All of this can be prevented with simple, regular home maintenance.

How can you avoid a breakdown or corrosion?
Preventing corrosion on the interior air conditioning unit is as simple as storing paints and any other materials with acidic qualities in another location, away from the unit. The air conditioner relies on a clean air supply surrounding the unit. When acidic particles combine with moisture on the systems metal coils, they can cause the unit to corrode. In addition, regularly replacing the filters and vacuuming the wall registers improves the indoor air flow, especially in environments that are excessively dusty or have pet dander.

The most effective home maintenance tip for your outdoor unit is to ensure the surrounding area is clear of debris. This will allow proper ventilation to maximize efficiency.

What happens if your air conditioning unit has a breakdown? At MAX, homeowners and farmowners policies have Equipment Breakdown coverage available.  Talk to your MAX agent or contact us for more information to add this valuable coverage to your policy.

Source:  Mutual BoilerRe

Appliance Breakdown: Televisions and Other Household Electronics

Televisions and other household electronics often experience electrical issues that ultimately lead to breakdown.

How can you protect your equipment?
Installing a surge protection device (SPD) offers protection to all electronics plugged into the SPD. Electrical power surges occur daily. Unnoticeable surges that slowly damage your equipment over time can destroy electronics and appliances in your home. Plugging equipment into an SPD, such as a protective power strip, can help protect your electronics from both sudden and compounding power surge events.

What happens if your television or other electronic device has a breakdown? At MAX, homeowners and farmowners policies have Equipment Breakdown coverage available.  Talk to your MAX agent or contact us for more information to add this valuable coverage to your policy.

Source:  Mutual Boiler Re

Home Inventory: How to Prepare for a Total Loss of Your Home

By Sam Schoutko, Personal Lines Underwriter

What do you own? Let’s play a game:      

Take a second and think about all of your belongings in your house.  Can you list every single item of personal property?  Of course not.  How about just everything in your bedroom?  All the clothes, toiletries, random items…it would be pretty difficult, right?  What about just one drawer in your dresser?  Or just the clothes in your closet?  Don’t even try that junk drawer in the kitchen unless you have a penchant for headaches.  If push came to shove, most everyone probably couldn’t even do that either.  So what happens when your home burns down?  Or a tornado whisks it away to Oz?  Do you have a way to recollect everything you own?  Have you kept an inventory anywhere to help restock your belongings?  How will you know what to buy at the store and will my insurance pay for everything?

Most people are completely unprepared for instances like this and while they are extremely unlikely to happen to you, they do happen – and it makes a world of difference to be even a little prepared for them.  I hope that I can outline a couple quick and easy things you can do that will help you in the very unlikely instance of a total loss of your home.

Obviously, the most important piece of this is to make sure you have insurance on your home and belongings.  However, that by itself isn’t enough, it is important to make sure your personal property is covered at replacement cost and not actual cash value.  This is insurance lingo and I won’t explain all the differences but if there is any question of that you need to contact your insurance agent to find out what your policy has or members of our Sales and Service Center team (877-971-6300) are always available to talk through that with you.  You would be amazed at the out of pocket expenses you will incur if you don’t have replacement cost on your personal property.  Even if you have a renter’s policy this is extremely important, don’t assume it is there!

Once you are sure that is in place, what can you do keep track of the stuff you own?

One tip that I have always thought was a good idea and not difficult to do is to open all the drawers in your home and simply take a slow sweeping video of every room in your house with your camera phone.  Most camera phones nowadays have incredible resolution and will do a perfect job of recording what you need.  That way if anything were to happen you could pull up the video and simply pause it over each drawer as a freeze frame and an aid to remember what you have there.

Another easy thing to do is after you buy a major item simply take a picture of the receipt.  Most phones have a way to automatically backup photos to some cloud service and then they are always there and accessible to you.

One of the most important tips to this I just mentioned is online cloud storage.  There are tons of websites that offer free storage online (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Dropbox, etc.) and all you need to do is simply upload the sweeping video you took of your home and/or any photos you have taken of receipts or rooms in your house to that service.  You can certainly buy fireproof safes or store important items and documents offsite but cloud storage will give you the ability to have something available anywhere you go no matter the circumstances.

The fact is a total loss event like a fire or tornado will most likely never happen to you but I hope that this will help give you peace of mind and prepare you a little in case it does happen.  Obviously, nothing can prepare you for that devastation but the point of insurance is to help make you whole again after a loss.  You pay your insurance company for this service and MAX is so very happy to help you in this time of need – it is literally our pleasure and the reason we come to work every day!  The fact is it can be difficult (but not impossible) to make you are whole again if you aren’t adequately prepared and as I have outlined a tiny bit of preparation will go a long way.

SamAbout Sam

Sam enjoys spending time with his wife Krista and their Siberian Husky, Ecko, while not at work.  Krista is a wonderful cook and baker so their relationship works well as he is a wonderful eater of the food she cooks and bakes.  They enjoy keeping up to date on the latest movies and traveling to see family.  As new homeowners, there is always a project to tackle around the house as well.

MAX Featured Agent: Sharon Strader at FarmPLUS Insurance Agency in Blairs, Virginia

Sharon Strader at FarmPLUS Insurance Agency with Deana Richardson, Sales Manager at MAX, presenting a check to Laurel Grove Volunteer Fire & Rescue

We value our MAX Agency Partners and this month we would like to introduce you to one of them – Sharon Strader at FarmPLUS Insurance Agency in Blairs, Virginia.  Deana Richardson, our Regional Sales Manager, asked Sharon some questions about her agency and why they choose MAX for many of their clients.  Check it out:

Q: What do you like about MAX and what do you feel sets MAX apart from your other competitors?

A: I love that MAX gives back to the community through their Mutual Aid Ministries (“MAM”) program including volunteer organizations like fire departments, to churches and also individual families. MAX has good products and competitive rates, as well as, great customer service. Anytime I have a question I can always reach my sales representative or someone in customer service. Although I have never had to file a claim, I anticipate the experience will be as great as the service I have always received.

Q: Why would you choose MAX over your competitor?

A: It’s pretty simple: MAX is a company that truly stands behind their customers, strives to offer competitive products and I love what they stand for.

Q: In what ways does your agency support your community?

A: Several of our agents are volunteers in our community and they, as well as, the agency,  make contributions to community organization such as the cancer society, volunteer fire department and other organizations.

Q: What do you feel are the advantages of an Independent Agent vs. Exclusive Agent?

A: An independent agency has the ability to offer several options based on the needs of each customer. They also have the capability of quoting their policy with 10-12 different companies, so the customer is guaranteed to get the best rate. An independent agent vs. a direct marketing company has huge benefits as well. In addition to the options and best rates, you will always be able to speak face to face with an agent….an independent agent is like family, they are always there when you need them.