Home Maintenance Tips

To prevent damage to your home and to save yourself money, time and frustration, follow these tips to protect vital systems.

HVAC Systems

Inspect, clean or replace your system’s filter each month.

Check heating and cooling registers to make sure they are not blocked.

Hire a professional to inspect your heating and cooling system at the beginning of each season.

Buy a maintenance contract to cover regular service of major heating and cooling systems.

Hire a professional to inspect and clean the chimney and flue.

Call a professional if you see rust, hear odd sounds or detect odd smells from the system.

Electrical Systems

Don’t overload outlets, circuits or extension cords. If in doubt, have a professional check the current consumption of your plugged-in items, the capacity of the circuit, and the capacity of the cords.

Hire a professional to install ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets wherever they are required by the electrical code and particularly near water and outdoor locations.

Check electrical cords for fraying and cracking, and replace them if necessary.

Never run cords under rugs or furniture.

Consider hiring a professional to upgrade your electrical service from a fuse system to a circuit-breaker system.

Install a surge protector in your electrical service entrance panel (usually your main circuit breaker panel, where the power enters the house) and install individual surge protectors at all major appliance connections.

Plumbing Systems

Drain pipes and washing machine hoses if you will be away from your property for an extended period.

Hire a professional to install shut-offs in convenient locations, particularly before bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

Inspect the hot water heater for rust stains or water on or around the base. This can indicate a leaking valve or cracked tank.

Inspect and repair caulk around tub and toilet fixtures.

Turn off faucets leading to washing machine hoses when not using the washer.

Used with permission from Penn National Insurance. Please visit their website for more helpful information:  Penn National Insurance

WHAT IS AN UMBRELLA POLICY?

Your home, auto, farm or business policies cover you for certain risks and specific limits. But sometimes you might need more coverage than these policies can provide. An Umbrella policy is designed to protect you against a catastrophic lawsuit or judgment. It provides an additional layer of coverage over and above the liability coverage found in your home, auto, farm, or business liability policies.

WHY DO I NEED AN UMBRELLA POLICY?

An Umbrella policy can help to protect you from a potential financial catastrophe. In today’s litigious society, it’s not uncommon to hear about very large jury awards. An Umbrella policy can help to protect the assets that you’ve worked hard for and accumulated over the years. Review the liability limits listed in your home, auto, farm, or business policies – if a large judgment was awarded against you, how would you pay it?

WHAT DOES AN UMBRELLA LIABILITY POLICY COVER?

An Umbrella liability policy covers you and your family or your business for most bodily injury, property damage and personal injury losses. Defense coverage is available for defending claims and suits if coverage applies. Defense costs are paid in addition to the policy limit. Limits of $1 million, or more, are available if you qualify. No matter where you travel, your Umbrella liability policy is with you. It covers you anywhere in the world. We offer Personal, Farm, and Commercial Umbrella Liability policies. Talk with your agent to learn more about Goodville Mutual’s Umbrella liability policy options. We developed these questions and answers to help you think about how an Umbrella policy might be valuable to you. We recommend that you seek professional advice from your attorney or accountant as it applies to your specific legal and financial needs.

What will cause my insurance premium to increase?

A number of factors and characteristics come into play when Penn National Insurance calculates your auto insurance premium. Many of the factors are changes you may make:

• Increasing coverages such as Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability, Medical Payment and Personal Injury Protection options
• Lowering your deductibles for Collision and Other-Than-Collision coverages
• Changing the use of your vehicle, including the number of miles driven annually or to work
• Adding a new driver, particularly one who is young or a driver with limited driving experience
• Moving to an area where insurance rates are higher
• Purchasing a new vehicle and adding it to the policy
• Accidents or moving violations

Additionally, insurance companies may increase rates due to the rising costs of claims (medical bills, vehicle repairs, lawsuits, etc.). A company’s rate change can only be applied at the policy’s next renewal date (not mid-term), and the rate change requires approval from the state insurance department.

Used with permission from Penn National Insurance

Each person has a unique reason for getting life insurance, but those reasons can be distilled into one: They love someone and want to make sure they are protected financially. Let us help you ensure that a promise made is a promise kept with life insurance. Click here to request a quote.

Here's to appreciating all the little things we do and those everyday moments that shape our lives and give it meaning. In fact, our days are often filled with simple acts of love, one followed by another, that over time create a better future.

Getting life insurance is like that too. It's a simple act you can take today to ensure your loved ones are protected financially tomorrow. 

It's time to protect those everyday moments with life insurance.

Take a few moments now to see how we can help you protect those you love.

Heat your home safely this winter with these tips:

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from any heat source, including fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters.
• Install and test carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month.
• Have a qualified professional clean and inspect your chimney and vents every year.
• Store cooled ashes in a tightly covered metal container and keep it outside at least 10 feet from your home and any nearby buildings.
• Plug only one heat-producing appliance such as a space heater into an electrical outlet at a time. 

Reduce Risk of Dying in Home Fires with Smoke Alarms

The risk of dying in a home fire is cut in half with working smoke alarms. Keep your family safe with these tips:

• Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area.
• Install alarms on every level of the home, including the basement.
• It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms so that when one smoke alarm sounds, they all sound.
• Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. 

Used with permission from Penn National Insurance