by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
The plumbing in your home could be in danger when temperatures dip below zero, and the last thing you want to deal with when it thaws is a burst pipe, which can lead to substantial damage in your home.
All that water can eat through drywall, destroy carpets and fry electronics. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that just two inches of water can cause more than $10,000 in repairs and replacement of flooded items. Six inches of water can add up to more than $30,000!
Before the thermometer plunges, here are things you can do to prevent pipes from freezing:
- Disconnect outside hoses from faucets
- Insulate water pipes, especially along exterior walls and unheated areas
- Add insulation to walls and attics where pipes may run
- Know where the shutoff valve is to your home
Once the sub-zero weather hits you should:
- Let faucets drip to prevent freezing
- Keep the thermostat above 55 degrees
- Make sure garage doors are closed
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets to allow warm air to circulate around the plumbing
So you’ve prepared and kept as much heat as possible going to cold areas, but the cold air still froze a pipe; what now? Stay calm but act as quickly as possible to:
- Locate where the pipe is frozen
- Open the nearest faucet to relieve pressure when the ice thaws
- Slowly warm the pipe with a heating pad, hairdryer, space heater or wrapping it with hot towels – never use a blow torch or open flame
If the pipe has cracked or broken, immediately turn off water at the main water valve and call a plumber. Shutting off the water will prevent further damage.
And if you have damage from a broken water pipe:
- Try to prevent further damage
- Contact your insurance company as soon as possible
- Take photos or video of the damage
- Don’t make permanent repairs until the insurance company adjuster inspects the damage
- Keep all of your receipts for emergency repair work or temporary housing if you are forced out of your home or apartment
Once a pipe freezes, odds are it will happen again. Here are some tips to prevent it in the future:
- Hire a plumber to relocate to a warmer area
- Add more insulation in walls, attics and crawl spaces
- Wrap the pipe with electric heat tape, when temperatures drop, plug it in
Remember, if a burst pipe sends water into your home, contact a California Casualty Claims advisor as soon as possible; we can help get you started on the clean-up.
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This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Health |
New Year, new you. Right? That’s what everyone says. Statistics say that 80% of resolutions fail by February. Remember, you can achieve what you put your mind to, you just have to stick to your goals!
Here are some simple steps to keep from feeling overwhelmed and help you keep your new year resolutions.
- Keep it simple. If your plan is to lose weight, figure out how much you want to shred and then divide that into 11 months. This helps break down a long term goal to small accomplishable goals.
- Accountability. You are more likely to keep at your resolution if your goal is reinforced and encouraged by others. Rely on your support system for the hard days when you’re tempted to give up.
- Track Progress. Include an easy way to track your success to match your goal. A vision board or a journal are some great examples to use.
- Celebrate the wins. Make sure positive recognition is a part of the process. Praise can go a long way.
- Small stumbles will happen. It’s important to remember that bumps will come along the way. That doesn’t mean that you have failed. Write it down on your progress tracker and understand it as a learning lesson.
Change takes time and patience. Don’t give up!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info, Safety |
Winter is officially in full swing, and that means many of us will start to get out the portable heaters to combat those brisk nights and chilly mornings- that is, of course if you haven’t done that already. space heater
Used properly, portable heaters are a godsend, but it’s extremely important to pay attention to the possible dangers associated with that trusty little plug-in heater.
Portable heaters are responsible for an estimated 25,000+ home fires each year, causing terrible burns to thousands of people. Imagine how you’d feel if not paying attention to a simple appliance caused the destruction of your home or hurt your family.
That’s why you should follow these Space Heater Safety Tips
- Never use an unvented combustion heater indoors (safety experts recommend electric heaters instead)
- Only purchase or use newer models that have current safety features and the Underwriter Laboratory (UL) label
- Keep the heater on a hard, level, non-flammable surface such as ceramic tile
- Make sure the heater is at least three feet away from flammables like bedding, drapes, furniture, and papers
- Keep pets and children away from space heaters
- Always turn the heater off when you leave the area
- Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep
- Check to see if it has a tip-over safety switch that will automatically turn it off if it falls over
- Avoid using extension cords and never run the cord under carpeting or mats
Pro Tip: these safety tips also apply when turning on the heat for the entire house. If you haven’t already, the National Fire Protection Association recommends us to have our heating system, or chimney, checked and serviced each year by a qualified heating and cooling professional to make sure it’s fire safe and there are no carbon monoxide leaks. It is also recommended to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors during this time.
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Related Articles:
Fire Prevention Tips for the Holidays
Holiday Light Safety
The 6 Most At-Risk Fire Areas of Your Home
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or visit www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Are you curious about team teaching? We have answers to some of your questions!
What is Team Teaching?
- Usually occurs in inclusion classrooms
- Two or more teachers working together to teach a group of students
- Together, teachers plan, organize, teach, and evaluate
- Teams may be single-discipline, interdisciplinary, or school-within-a-school
- Co-teaching = general education teacher + special education teacher
- Team teaching = both teachers plan and teach lessons
- Parallel teaching = each teacher instructs half of the class, the same lesson
- Alternative teaching = one teacher instructs a small group of struggling students while the other teachers the larger group, might be the same lesson or struggling group may receive extra support on previous lessons
- Teacher and assistant = one teacher instructs while other teacher monitors and assists students as necessary, this can also be used in a teacher/observer manner to gather data regarding student progress
How Does it Benefit Students?
- Students receive more individual attention
- Students learn from teachers with different teaching styles, experience, perspectives, and ideas
- Improved student-teacher relationships
- Students achieve at higher levels
- Daily consistency: the likelihood of both partners being absent is slim
How Does it Benefit Teachers?
- Easier to differentiate instruction
- Allows teachers to reflect on personal teaching strategies, style, ideas, perspectives, etc.
- Improves teaching skills
- Cultivates professional peer relationships
- Improves parent-teacher communication
With Your Teaching Partner(s), Be Prepared To:
- Plan everything together
- Create common grading standards
- Be honest, yet tactful
- Play to one another’s strengths
- Disagree politely
- Communicate openly and often
- Have humor
- Trust your teaching partner
- Be organized
- Be flexible
Team teaching can be rewarding for students and teachers. If this sounds like an adventure upon which you’d like to embark, begin by talking with your administrator and potential teaching partner(s). In some cases, it may take up to a year to prepare for a team-taught classroom, so begin your team teaching dialogue sooner rather than later.
Have you team-taught or co-taught before? In the comments below, please share your team teaching advice!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Safety |
Undoubtedly, when the roads are covered in snow and/or ice the best option is to just stay hunkered down at home. However, for the majority of us, that’s not an option. In fact, 70 percent of US roads are located in snowy regions. and each year over 116,000 people are injured driving in the snow and ice.
Accumulation on roadways reduces tire friction and vehicle maneuverability and greatly increases the risk of accidents. So, as winter approaches and you make the necessary preparations to your vehicle, make sure you remember these winter driving safety tips to ensure you arrive at your destination safely.
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop.
- Allow at least 3 times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding.
- If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brakes.
- Turn on your lights.
- This will make you more visible to other motorists.
- Keep your windshield clean.
- Once it has defrosted, keep the windshield wipers on to wipe away all falling snow and avoid it freezing over again.
- Use low gears to keep traction.
- Drive especially slow on hills to avoid rolling backward.
- Steer into a skid to avoid a crash.
- This means if your rear wheels are going right, gently steer in that direction.
- Keep an emergency kit in your car.
- This should include a first aid kit, flashlight, water, blankets, and snowmelt or sand/kitty litter.
- Be on the lookout for black ice.
- Black ice is barely visible and makes roadways, bridges, and overpasses extremely slick
- Don’t pass snow plows.
- The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
- Don’t assume your vehicle won’t have problems.
- Even 4-wheel drive automobiles can have issues on ice and snow!
If your rear wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go.
- If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle under control.
- If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
- If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.
If your front wheels skid…
- Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
- As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.
Stay warm & be careful out there!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
