Common household damages can be a lot less traumatic – both emotionally and financially – when you stick to some basic rules of everyday home maintenance.

Avoid frozen pipes when the weather gets cold.
Frozen or broken water pipes cause major damage to homes every winter. Much of the damage is caused when pipes freeze and then rupture due to prolonged heat loss (for example, when pipes aren't properly insulated or a furnace stops working). Even if you have heat, pipes can freeze if they aren't kept at 65 degrees or higher. Water within a pipe can freeze, causing the pipe to expand and crack. As soon as the pipe heats up again, the pipes are likely to burst.

If the water flow to your faucets is blocked, it probably means that your pipes are frozen. Act quickly to prevent any unwanted mess and aggravation, not to mention expense.

• Find the pipes that are most likely to freeze – usually those near outer walls, in crawl spaces, or in the attic.
  
  
• Insulate at-risk pipes with foam jacketing or wrap pipes with approved heat tape. Insulation on outside pipes should extend 12 inches below the frost line, which represents the average depth at which soil is likely to freeze each year.
  
  
• Seal all cracks that could allow cold air to reach pipes.
  
  
• Let hot and cold water trickle at night from an outside faucet.
  
  
• Keep cabinet doors open to allow heat to reach insulated pipes under a sink.
  
  
• Have a neighbor check your house daily if you plan to be away for a long period of time.
  

If your pipes do freeze...

• Shut off the water. Make sure that everyone in the family knows how to do this in case the pipes are about to burst.
  
  
• Never try to thaw a pipe with an open flame, torch, or heat gun.
  
  
• Call a plumber and your Homesite Insurance Specialist if you need claims assistance.