DeKok Insurance Group, Inc.

507-226-8121 [email protected]

How to Help Identify & Remove Ice Dams

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https://youtu.be/D8riZxntSQY://

Joy and I recently had an ice dam on our home. This video and post from Travelers (one of the excellent companies I represent) helped me solve the problem before it became a much bigger problem.

Sometimes, even your best efforts to prevent an ice dam may not be enough. Knowing what an ice dam is, how to identify one and how to help remove it is important to protect your roof and home from potential damage during the snowy, winter months.

What Is an Ice Dam?

Ice dams may form when water from melting snow freezes into ice at the edge of your roofline. Without proper roof snow removal, the ice that develops may grow large enough to prevent water from melting snow from properly draining off the roof. When the water is unable to drain from the roof, it may then back up underneath roof shingles and make its way into your home.

Do You Have an Ice Dam?

Most ice dams develop on the edge of your roof, but they may also form in other locations, depending on the slope, orientation, and style of your roof. Be sure to monitor the weather and your roof for signs of ice dam formations.

  • Look closely at the icicles around the exterior of your house. If the icicles are confined to the gutters and there is no water trapped behind them, then an ice dam has likely not formed. Nonetheless, icicles can be a precursor to ice dams. Depending on their location and size, icicles may also pose a danger if they fall off. Whenever possible, and if safe to do so, remove icicles from the exterior of your home, making sure not to stand directly beneath them. If you cannot safely reach the icicles from the ground, consider hiring a contractor to assist in their removal.
  • Check for water stains or moisture in your attic or along the ceiling of exterior walls of your house. Water stains or moisture may be an indication that an ice dam has formed and water has penetrated the roof membrane.

How to Remove an Ice Dam

Removing an ice dam from your roof immediately after spotting the signs can be critical to help prevent damage to your home. One way to remove an ice dam is to melt it using calcium chloride ice melt.

Step 1. Using a roof rake, remove snow 3-4 feet from the edge of your roof, being careful not to damage the roof covering or to allow snow to build up around walking paths or to block emergency exits.

Step 2. Use a calcium chloride ice melt product, which you can generally purchase from your local hardware store. Be sure not to use rock salt or sodium chloride, which can damage your roof.

Step 3. Fill a nylon stocking with the calcium chloride ice melt.

Step 4. Safely place and position the calcium chloride-filled nylon stocking vertically across the ice dam so that it can melt a channel through the ice.

Step 5. Cover and protect any shrubbery and plants with lightweight tarps near the gutters or downspouts for the duration that the calcium chloride stockings remain in place. This is important because the calcium chloride-saturated water dripping from the roof may damage the shrubbery and plants.

REMEMBER: Using a ladder in snowy and icy conditions may be dangerous. If you cannot safely reach the roof, consider hiring a contractor.

Jon

DeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

Home Inventory

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Home Inventory, DeKok Insurance Group Inc, Home Insurance, MN Insurance

This buffet was my Mom’s and Joy’s dad gave her these typewriters – they are valuable to us. This photo would give us a place to start replacement if a catastrophic event happened at our home.  Insurance can’t replace the emotional attachment we have to them, but we agree, it would be nice to physically replace them should a loss occur.

Why a Home Inventory Is Important

Let’s try a little exercise: Can you list everything you own from memory? I can’t either.

The fact is most people own more things than they realize. It’s easy to remember the cars, the computer, the TV. But what about that holiday china in the garage?  Or every pair of shoes? Or at our house, Joy’s books. 

All of it is regarded as personal property for insurance purposes. And if your home is destroyed by fire or some other disaster, having a list of your possessions makes filing a claim easier — and helps you put your life back together – faster.

Why should I complete a home inventory? What’s the best way?

Comparing the value of your belongings to the “contents” limit listed in your policy helps you make sure you have enough insurance to replace them if they are lost, stolen or destroyed as a result of a covered loss. The easiest way to take an inventory is to use a video camera, recording and describing items as you walk through your house. Or, you can use a regular camera and create a home inventory checklist.

Here are a few tips for completing and storing your inventory:

  • Use video or photographs – if you use video, you can use your voice to describe the items as  you go.
  • Add brand names and descriptions where you can, especially on large-ticket items. Serial numbers are helpful to note.
  • Keep any receipts you have with the list to make the claims process easier.
  • Store your video or photo inventory offsite so you won’t lose it if your house is damaged.
  • Update your personal property records when you purchase new furnishings and valuables.

Though the task may seem daunting, it’s important to try. An incomplete inventory is better than nothing at all.

How much insurance do I need?

I can assist you in analyzing your insurance needs and help you decide how to most effectively protect your personal property. You may want to consider full-value coverage, which will pay for the replacement value of your personal belongings. A standard policy typically covers personal property only up to its actual cash value, determined by taking the replacement cost and deducting depreciation, which can be substantial. (For example, a 5-year-old TV is usually worth much less than what it would cost to purchase a new one.)

Finally, remember your homeowners policy covers valuable items such as jewelry, furs, art and antiques, only up to set dollar amounts. If the cost of replacing them exceeds these limits, you may want to purchase scheduled personal property coverage.

The Insurance Information Institute has a FREE online tool that can help you create your inventory. Just visit www.knowyourstuff.org for more details.

I hope you’ll never need the home inventory, but preparing for the worst can prevent a lot of hassle later!

By the way, I have a question for you: If I could save you a substantial amount of money on your home and auto insurance, would you be interested in a quote? If your answer is yes, call me at 507-226-8121 or email me at [email protected] and let me know.

Jon

 

Arrow SetDeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

 

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How Much Home Insurance is Enough

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Beige large luxury house with summer landscape.

I’ve been in the insurance business for over thirty years and understand the home insurance needs of my customers. I’ll work with you to estimate the replacement cost for your home and to adjust your policy limits from time to time as needed.

One of my biggest concerns is when a potential clients calls for a quote and we discover that their property is underinsured.

Here are some steps you can take to reduce the danger of being seriously underinsured:

  1. Call.  If you have questions or concerns about the limits in your policy, ask me to show you how those amounts were calculated. This will also give you an opportunity to make us aware of any overlooked information.
  2. Read your policy. Certain property, such as jewelry, and certain perils, such as earthquake or flood, is better insured separately. Knowing what is covered and for how much will help you insure properly. If there is anything in your policy you don’t understand, call me at 507-226-8121 and ask for an explanation.
  3. Review. At each annual renewal of your policy, you receive a new Policy Declarations page showing limits of coverage and optional coverages. Review this information. If you do any significant remodeling or add a family room, extra bedroom or bathroom, etc., call me and ask about these changes so your coverage limits can be adjusted to cover the improvement.
  4. Consider carefully whether your policy provides all the protection you need. Does it provide coverage for extra costs resulting from building code changes? Does it automatically increase coverage limits annually to keep pace with inflation? Does it provide additional funds if the cost of rebuilding your home exceeds the policy limits?

Make sure you know:

  • Will your insurance company stand behind agreed upon repairs after a claim? Some companies are willing to put this guarantee in writing.
  • Does your policy include replacement cost coverage for contents (clothing, furniture, appliances, and other personal property inside your home)? If not, you can add it by endorsement. The cost is small, the protection valuable. Replacement Cost Coverage pays for losses to your possessions at the cost of brand new items. Without this option, a covered loss to your personal possessions would be depreciated by their age and condition, reducing the size of your claim settlement.

If you have an art collection, antique furniture, jewelry, or other valuable possessions, call and ask me about supplemental coverages, such as fine arts or scheduled property endorsements, to adequately protect your investment in these items. The cost is modest for the extra protection, and sometimes the deductible is waived.

Consider whether you should have more coverage for personal property (contents) than your policy provides. Personal property coverage is usually 70% of the coverage limit for the structure. Your limit may be lower than 70%. Supplemental protection is available for a small additional premium.

Inventory your home. Prepare an inventory of personal property items, update it periodically, and keep it in a safe place outside your home, such as a safe deposit box at your bank. It will save you hours of time trying to list everything damaged or destroyed if you need to make a claim. It will also help ensure you don’t forget some items.

Personal Liability

Besides making sure you have enough protection to cover possible damage to your own home and contents, you should also evaluate your exposure to liability risks. These result from damage to the property of another, or injury to a person, not a member of your household, for which you can be responsible.

In recent years it’s become common for homeowners to be sued for injuries or damages to others, even when there is no evidence of negligence by the homeowner. The reality today is if you have any appreciable assets, you are exposed to the risk of being sued. Even if you ultimately prevail in court, your legal fees and the months or years of worry and uncertainty can be a terrible burden on you and your family.

The Personal Liability coverage provided by your Homeowners Policy usually provides a limit of $100,000 or $300,000. We recommend increasing this protection with a personal umbrella policy. Not only will it increase your personal liability, but also your auto liability. Limits are available from $1 million to $10 million and beyond. The cost of this coverage is usually very reasonable.

Keep in mind that Minnesota  can require certain minimum levels of coverage. After that, the right coverage for you is unique. I’d like to help you find out how to get the best price and value on insurance for your home, personal property, and liability.

It’s also an excellent idea to consider Umbrella Insurance. Click HERE to read more about this inexpensive protection.

Jon

Email: [email protected]

Phone  507-226-8121

Arrow SetDeKok Insurance Group, Inc. Referral Program: When you tell your family and friends about your positive experience with my agency, and they call for a quote, I’ll send YOU a $20 gift card.

[tweetthis]How much insurance do you need? #HomeownersInsurance #MNInsurance #RochesterMN[/tweetthis]

Better coverage. Better prices.

Jon DeKok has been serving insurance clients for over 30 years. He specializes in home, auto, umbrella, recreational vehicle, business, and life insurance. He is licensed in the state of Minnesota.

Graphic purchased from fotolia.com and used with permission © Iriana Shiyan – Fotolia.com

Is It Important to Have Better Coverage?

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Driveway of Traditional Craftsman House

First to answer this question we need to know, better coverage than what? What I mean is better coverage than you now have.

On auto insurance, it might be the right thing to look at what limits of coverage you have if you are at fault in an accident and someone sues you. This coverage is Bodily Injury and Property Damage liability. If you currently have a $100,000 limit and your total assets are worth more than that, better coverage (like higher limits), could save you a lot of heartaches later.

On your homeowners insurance, it may be making sure your dwelling limit is protected by having increased replacement cost coverage. It could also be having special form (all risk) coverage on your personal property as well as your dwelling. Do you have coverage if the sewer or drain backs up? If so, what limit have you chosen? Are your firearms covered at a high enough limit? Most companies limit coverage for firearms without an endorsement.  Safeco Insurance does not limit coverage for your firearms (other than the total personal property limit).

Please call, email me, or stop in. I will be happy to go over the coverage you now have and suggest area’s where it may be important to have better coverage.

Jon

Email: [email protected]

Phone  507-226-8121

Better coverage. Better prices.

Jon DeKok has been serving insurance clients for over 30 years. He specializes in home, auto, umbrella, recreational vehicle, business, and life insurance. He is licensed in the state of Minnesota.

Graphic used with permission from Microsoft Free Gallery