Winter Home Protection Tips

January 8, 2025

Winter-Proof Your Home: Essential Tips to Prevent Damage and Insurance Claims

Winter can be a beautiful season, but it also brings the risk of costly home damage from freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and ice. Taking proactive steps to protect your home can prevent headaches and insurance claims later.

Preventing Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes are one of the most common winter home insurance claims. When water freezes, it expands, putting immense pressure on your pipes. This can lead to bursts, causing significant water damage and costly repairs.

Here's how to prevent frozen pipes:

Insulate Pipes: Wrap exposed pipes in unheated areas, like your attic, basement, or crawl space, with pipe insulation sleeves.
Seal Cracks and Openings: Caulk or seal any cracks or openings that allow cold air to reach your pipes.
Let Faucets Drip: During extreme cold, let your faucets drip slightly to keep water flowing and prevent freezing.
Keep Garage Doors Closed: If you have water supply lines in your garage, keep the doors closed to maintain a warmer temperature.
Open Cabinet Doors: Allow warmer air to circulate around pipes under sinks by opening cabinet doors.

Preventing Ice Dam Damage

Ice dams form when snow melts on a warmer part of your roof and then refreezes near the colder eaves, creating a dam that traps water. This trapped water can seep under your shingles and into your home, causing damage to your ceilings, walls, and insulation.

Here's how to prevent ice dams:

Proper Attic Insulation and Ventilation: Ensure your attic is adequately insulated and ventilated to maintain a consistent temperature and prevent uneven melting.
Clear Gutters and Downspouts: Remove leaves, debris, and ice from your gutters and downspouts to ensure proper drainage.
Remove Snow from Roof: If safe to do so, use a roof rake to remove snow from the lower portion of your roof to prevent ice dam formation.

Other Important Winter Home Protection Tips:

Service Your Furnace: Have your furnace inspected and serviced by a professional before winter to ensure it's operating efficiently and safely.
Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ensure your detectors are working correctly and replace batteries as needed.
Trim Trees and Branches: Trim any tree branches that could fall on your home during a winter storm.
Stock Up on Emergency Supplies: Have a supply of flashlights, batteries, non-perishable food, and water in case of a power outage.

Understanding Your Insurance Coverage

While taking preventative measures is essential, it's also important to understand how your homeowners insurance protects you against winter-related damage. Most standard policies cover damage caused by frozen pipes, ice dams, and falling trees. However, it's crucial to review your specific policy details and deductibles.

San Marcos Insurance Agency is here to help you understand your coverage and navigate any winter-related claims. Contact us today to discuss your homeowners insurance and ensure you're adequately protected this winter.

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Beyond the Commute: Insuring Your Boat, RV, and Motorcycle in Central Texas

December 3, 2025

Living in Central Texas isn't just about the great communities and proximity to Austin and San Antonio. For many of us, it's about the weekends. It’s about getting out and enjoying the incredible landscape that surrounds us. It's about launching the boat at Canyon Lake, taking a scenic motorcycle ride through the twists and turns of the Hill Country, or parking the RV for a long weekend getaway. Your "toys" are your ticket to freedom, but they also represent a significant investment and a major liability. A common and costly mistake is assuming your auto or home insurance policy automatically covers them. It doesn't. At San Marcos Insurance Agency, we help our clients protect their fun. Here’s what you need to know about insuring your recreational vehicles. 1. Boats on Canyon Lake & The Guadalupe Here’s the hard truth: Your homeowners insurance provides little to no meaningful coverage for your boat. It might cover a small canoe or kayak for liability on your property, but the moment you put a motor on it or take it to a lake, you're exposed. A dedicated boat policy is essential and covers: • Physical Damage: Protects the boat, motor, and trailer from theft, fire, or damage, whether it's on the water or in your driveway. • Liability: This is critical. It covers you if you cause an accident that injures another boater or damages their property (docks, other boats). • On-Water Towing: If you're stranded in the middle of Canyon Lake with a dead engine, this coverage is a lifesaver, paying for the tow back to the marina. • Wreckage Removal: If your boat sinks, you are legally responsible for the cost of removing it. This coverage handles that expense. 2. Motorcycle Rides in the Hill Country A motorcycle isn't just a smaller car; it carries entirely different risks. The winding roads around Wimberley and Dripping Springs are beautiful but demand respect. Standard auto insurance isn't enough. A motorcycle policy needs to include: • Guest Passenger Liability: Does your policy cover a passenger riding with you? Many don't unless you specifically add it. • Custom Parts & Equipment (CPE): You've spent money on custom pipes, a new seat, and chrome. Your basic policy won't cover those upgrades unless you add CPE coverage. • Higher Medical Payments: With a higher risk of injury, increasing your own medical payments coverage is a smart move. 3. RVs & Travel Trailers: A Vehicle or a Home? The answer is: it's both. And it needs to be insured that way. Your auto policy only provides basic liability when the trailer is hitched to your truck, and your home policy doesn't cover it at all. You need a dedicated RV or travel trailer policy, which combines the best of auto and home insurance: • Total Loss Replacement: If your new RV is totaled, this can help you get a brand new, comparable model, not just the depreciated cash value. • Vacation Liability: Covers you for injuries or property damage that happen at your campsite—for instance, if a guest trips over your awning. • Personal Effects: Covers all the stuff you keep inside your camper (grills, TVs, clothes, camping gear) that aren't part of the vehicle itself. • Full-Timer's Liability: If you live in your RV for months at a time, this provides broader liability protection that acts more like a homeowners policy. 4. The Bundle is Your Best Friend Here's the good news. Insuring your "toys" doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Most carriers we work with offer significant discounts for "bundling." When you insure your boat, motorcycle, or RV with the same company that writes your home and auto policies, you not only simplify your life with one agent and one bill, but you can also unlock multi-policy discounts that save you serious money. Get Your Fun Covered Before you hook up the trailer or roll out the bike for your next adventure, let's talk. A quick 15-minute call with us can ensure your weekend fun is properly protected. Contact San Marcos Insurance Agency today for a free, no-obligation quote on your recreational vehicles.