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Act Now to Prevent Frozen Water Pipes

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Freezing weather can bring the unexpected, from slippery sidewalks and ice dams to one of the most common problems—frozen water pipes. Knowing what conditions can cause pipes to freeze is the first step to prevention. If pipes do freeze, a quick response can keep them from bursting, avoiding the expense of replacement, possible water damage to walls, floors and electrical systems, or even a business shutdown.

According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), 37% of all frozen pipe failures occur in a structure’s basement. What’s more, pipe insulation to keep water pipes from freezing in the first place costs much less than the price of repairs.

IBHS recommends these prevention steps for businesses:
pipes-ibhs

Interstate notes that pipes are most likely to freeze in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania and that a 1/8 inch crack can cause the loss of 250 gallons of water per day and damages from $2,000 to $100,000.

According to Interstate:
frozen-pipes1

If pipes freeze, Interstate recommends:
Do:

  • Turn off the water flow using the main water valve
  • Inspect the pipe carefully for cracks or damage
  • Consult a plumber for advice, if you find cracks or signs of damage (also be sure to consult a professional if you aren’t sure which pipe is frozen and/or you are unable to inspect it)
  • Thaw the pipe gradually using a hair dryer or space heater
  • Confirm the pipe has thawed by turning the main water valve back on and making sure that water flows
  • Take steps to raise the temperature in the area where the pipe froze or insulate the pipe

Don’t:

  • Use a blow torch or open flame to thaw a frozen pipe – open heat sources can cause fires and other safety hazards
  • Stand in water while you are operating an electrical heater, dryer or any appliance—you could be electrocuted

National Pre-Disaster Standards Called For

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Establishing state and local building codes would insure resilient construction and stop the cycle of spending to rebuild after disasters such as hurricanes, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). The organization said it supports the Building codes4BuildStrong Coalition’s National Mitigation Investment Strategy, which calls for a comprehensive federal plan to improve disaster resilience across the U.S.

The plan focuses on investment in pre-disaster funding using unspent, non-FEMA grant program funds to reduce damage caused by natural disasters—funds that were established in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, IBHS said.

“We can’t keep doing things the same way, with lives and communities being destroyed over and over again by disasters, year after year,” said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO said in a statement. “The National Mitigation Investment Strategy will help break this cycle of destruction.”

Building codes3

The Strategy recommends:

  • establishing a new FEMA-administered resilient construction state and local building code grant program to help qualified states defray cost of enforcing building codes
  • increasing FEMA funding for pre-disaster mitigation activities by $100 million per year from fiscal years 2016 to 2020
  • passing new congressional initiatives to create resilient construction incentives for states, builders, and individual homeowners

Building codes2

According to the BuildStrong Coalition:

The reality of the nation’s current disaster policy is this: costs associated with natural disasters in the United States continue to rise, and the federal government is absorbing more and more of the costs as sympathy for victims often creates a political expediency for billions in off-budget, unaccountable federal spending that is allocated for cleanup and recovery. The result is an endless cycle of destruction where cities are rebuilt only to be devastated again by the next big storm. A new approach to federal disaster policy is needed.

The report looks into why more needs to be done before a disaster and describes ways to target more resources to building codes. Doing so through a new national disaster policy focused on pre-disaster mitigation will benefit homeowners and building owners that are of the most immediate concern post-storm.

 

Preparing for Hurricane Season

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With less than two weeks weeks until the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1, organizations and homeowners alike are hoping that this year’s season mirrors that of 2013, which was one of the quietest in 30 years. So far, most experts are predicting another relatively calm year.

Philip Klotzbach and William Gray from Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project predicted below-average hurricane activity, with nine named stroms, three of which would be hurricance and only 1 would be a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). According to their research, there is only a 35% chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the United States. the average for the last century has been 52%.

Accuweather.com predicted similar numbers with 10 named storms, 4 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. these number are all below normal levels as established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Of course, as Klotzbach and Gray point out, it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for coastal residents.That means preparedness it vitally important. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recommends that property owners in at-risk regions focus on five areas to protect their property:

  1. Prepare your surroundings to reduce damage from wind-borne debris.
  2. Protect building openings.
  3. Strengthen roofs.
  4. Ensure the building is tied together (meaning that the roof is secured to the walls and the walls to the foundation).
  5. Properly elevate the building.

Business owners should also remember that sometimes risks can come from some unexpected places. In an article by Caroline McDonald in Risk Management, she spoke to Ron Hayes, who now works as a public entity commercial producer at Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services. He was previously school board risk manager for the Calcasieu Parish, in Lake Charles, La., where he weathered Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and, a month later, Rita:

When law enforcement returned to police the community and prevent looting after Hurricane Rita, for example, they had 500 flat tires in the first week from running over nails and debris. “You don’t think about things like that until it happens,” he said. “Until you have the tire store up and running, what are you going to do?” The department has since made arrangements to access tires whenever needed. “Pre-storm planning is so important for post-storm recovery,” Hayes said.

The lesson, as always, is that being prepared is always a good thing. As the saying goes, it’s better to have and not need, than to need and not have.