Appliance Breakdown: Clothing Dryer Units

Clothing dryer units frequently break down due to overheating. This is often caused by poor air supply and ventilation within the unit. As a result the motor needs to work harder to perform at an optimal level.

How can you prevent this from happening?
Cleaning your dryer vents to prevent clogging will not only improve the performance and life expectancy of your unit, but it can also help prevent a fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year with the leading cause of dryer fires is the failure to clean them.  You may view additional dryer safety tips on the USFA website.

What happens if your dryer 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 HomeSpot HQ

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

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.

Spring Storm Season

Spring is here and with it comes storm season.  What does that mean for MAX members?  Storms can bring large amounts of water near your home in short periods of time.  In addition, strong winds can cause damage to your property.  Here are some helpful tips on items to check around your house during storm season:

  • Ensure water drainage is moving away from your home. The ground should be sloping downward, away from your foundation and basement.
  • Check your gutters. Make sure they are not clogged with leaves.  In addition, ensure that water is directed away from your home when it comes out of the gutter.  Add an extension at the bottom of your gutter if need-be.
  • Have a battery back-up for your sump pump. Power outages can come with spring storms.  If your sump pump isn’t turned on due to a power outage and you do not have a battery back-up, water can collect in your basement.
  • Install surge protectors on your electronics. Lightning and power surges can also happen during storms.  Why not protect your expensive electronics with a surge protector?

Do you have questions about protecting your home during spring storm season?  Has it been a while (over a year) since you updated your home insurance policy? Contact your MAX Agent today and he/she would be happy to assist you with your policy.

Time to Clean those Gutters

by Terri Mooney-Hooker, Administrative Coordinator

Spring is here! It’s time to consider a little preventative home maintenance. One important item to not overlook is the gutters on your home. Why, you may ask? Because a debris-clogged gutter can cause all kinds of problems from a leaky roof or even water damage to the interior or the exterior of your home. Also, it could make a nice nesting place for pests, rodents, mold, and honeycombs from bee infestations.

So, you may wonder, “what is the best time of year to clean out the gutters,” and, “what can I do about it?” Before trying to accomplish this feat on your own, you may want to consider hiring an expert. The cost of a gutter cleaning may run anywhere from $75 to $225, depending on the home; length of the gutters; height of the home; and scope of the work.

Here are a few to-do lists you can keep handy:

  • Try to have the gutters cleaned at least twice a year.
  • Consider cover screens or gutter covers. These could run anywhere from $1500 to $2500, depending on the size of the home, as well as the length of the gutters.
  • Before hiring a professional, always check to make sure they carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance for any employees they may bring to the job with them.

And while you’re at it, you may want to consider a few other home-related tasks:

  • Swapping out the batteries in all smoke detectors in your home. (If you did not check the batteries during Daylight Saving Time weekend, why not check them now?)
  • Changing and/or replacing light bulbs on porches and patios.

Sources:  Angie’s List 2013 and HarryHelmet.com

HeadshotAbout Terri

Terri is the Administrative Coordinator at MAX. She performs all administrative duties, and helps out in other areas of the company when needed. Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her children, two cats, and her extended family and friends. She is huge movie goer and an avid animal lover.