As everyone knows, Northeast winters, especially Pennsylvania, are no joke. You must take the proper precautions to ensure you and your family stay safe throughout the season. If you don’t, you might face some expensive consequences. The team of agents here at Ebensburg Insurance has some tips to help you get through this season of low temperatures successfully. They include preparing your home, vehicle, and business for the next few months. Let’s jump into it!
Preparing Your Home
Home preparation for the colder months of winter includes many things, but the majority of them fall either preventing damage from the elements or keeping yourself and your family warm when it is freezing outside. There are some things you should make sure you do while the weather is still fair enough for you to inspect them properly. These include:
Inspecting your roof: Make sure your roof is not leaking and can withstand strong winds and heavy snow.
Insulating your pipes: If any of your pipes are damaged, they are more likely to freeze when it gets cold and damage your water supply and other maintenance processes that require hot water to function properly.
Inspecting your furnace: If you wait until you need your furnace to inspect it, there is a good chance you could spend weeks very cold in your own home. The best time to check this out is when you don’t need it, so you have time to fix it.
Preparing Your Vehicle
In Pennsylvania, your car is one of the most important things to winterize before the seasons shift. It is so important for you and your family’s safety to make sure it is equipped to handle not only cold weather, but icy and snowy roads. Follow our guide below to properly prepare your vehicle for winter.
Check your fluid levels: This includes not only your engine’s oil, but also your coolant and antifreeze levels, along with your transmission and windshield wiper fluid.
Make sure your battery is working at top levels: It might be a good idea to get a mechanic to test your battery before winter, unless you know how to do it properly on your own. If it is not functioning how it should, it is time to replace it with a new one.
Switch your tires: Winter tires are made of different materials than summer tires that make them grip easier to slippery surfaces. If you haven’t invested in a set of winter tires before, now might be a good time.
Check your lights: You don’t want to be without lights at night during a snow storm. This could be a possibly fatal situation, so check all of your lights now and replace any that aren’t working or are dimmer than the rest. This is also a good time to wash off your lights so they are as bright as they can be in dark conditions.
Pack a winter kit: Make sure you keep important things in your vehicle that could help you in the event of an emergency. These things include jumper cables, a blanket, ice scraper, food, water, etc.
Preparing Your Business
If you own your own business location, prepping this property for winter is similar to prepping your home for winter. You should do all of the things listed above first, like inspecting your roof and checking out your heating system. However, businesses are a little different than homes and require some extra preparation before they are ready for cold and possibly dangerous weather events.
To protect your business adequately, there are some extra steps you should take that you normally wouldn’t with your home. This includes making sure all of the snow and ice is removed every time customers or employees are going to enter the premises. Winter weather poses a huge liability to you as a business owner, so taking care of these things is incredibly important. Prepare for a power outage and make sure any critical information that is stored on electronic devices is backed up and saved. This could also be a good reason to get a generator. IF you have winter vehicles, send them through the winterization process we outlined above.
Protect What Matters This Winter
By being prepared and making sure your insurance and home preparations are in order, you can make sure the winter season remains festive and cheerful. This time of year is a great opportunity to get in touch with your insurance agent and speak with them about your winter specific coverage. For example, is your home covered for a winter weather event? Is your vehicle covered for weather-specific damage? Is your business insurance up to par? Now is a great time to find out. Even your most prepared self can’t predict every possible outcome, and that is where insurance comes in. The team at Ebensburg Insurance is here to help you every step of the way, give us a call today at (814) 472-9557 to schedule your appointment!
