Got Gutters?

Time to clean them!

The leaves have fallen and we are gearing up for cold weather, and dare we say it… snow! Cleaning your gutters is crucial to keeping your home ‘healthy’. 

Gutters and downspouts get clogged with debris throughout the year. This could be from leaves, twigs, or build up and it happens to everyone. When this happens, gutters essentially become useless and don’t do their job. The weight of the debris can cause them to sag against the fascia and often this is where we see water penetration into the structure. Our team has even seen cases where basements are wet simply due to the gutters being clogged.

It is also recommended to check for leaks and holes. These can be sealed up by caulking the inside of the gutter. Small holes can be filled by gutter sealant and larger holes will probably require a patch. 

Also, check your downspouts. Are they draining too close to your foundation? Downspouts need to extend several feet away from the house. If not, they’ll dump the water right into the basement.

We recommend cleaning your gutters and downspouts at least once a year after the leaves have fallen, or twice if you have a lot of trees surrounding your home. You can do it yourself or you can hire a local contractor. 

Different ways to clean your gutters include using a leaf blower, a pressure washer or by hand. This all depends on how often you’ve cleaned your gutters or the amount of debris. There could be dirt and grime or just leaves and twigs. 

You’re not alone – cleaning out your gutters every year can seem tedious or insignificant. But that being said, it could prevent costly damage in the future. If you are sick of cleaning them, look into getting screens attached or leaf guards! There are plenty of options out there.

How it Started

In 2020 we traveled to Louisiana to do our first disaster relief job. We responded to Hurricane Laura (Category 4), which damaged the state with an 18 foot storm surge. As it was our first experience with disaster relief, we partnered with several restoration and mitigation companies to complete the work. Shortly after, in early 2021, Texas had a historical winter event where the whole state experienced freezing cold temperatures for a record breaking nine day stretch. Texas is where we realized national large loss disaster relief is something we want to move forward with and pursue as we saw the need for help in our travels.

CORE

A few short months later, we became connected with CORE, by becoming a CORE Elite Member. Joining CORE gave us access to a whole new level of capabilities. We now are able to partner with like minded companies nationally to complete the jobs at hand. This relationship allowed us to perform disaster relief more efficiently, as there are 44 Elite members nationwide. This gives us, and them, access to more manpower, equipment, and knowledge. 

Since becoming members, we have done disaster relief work in Florida from Hurricane Ian, Louisiana, New York, Missouri, Ohio, Texas and most recently the flash flooding in Vermont.

Today

We are so grateful to not only be serving Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, but now the entire country. That being said, we have a wonderful new Large Loss Team that works with us to build relationships, attend events around the country and work together to get the jobs done more efficiently. Currently, our team consists of Corey and Lindsey Brandon (Kentucky), Will Matthews (South Carolina), Tony Rillieux (Mississippi), Mike Walker (Mississippi) and a large loss team of project managers and mitigation technicians based in Portsmouth, NH that travel to help facilitate and run the jobs. 

To learn more about CORE, visit their website https://gowithcore.com/core-values/. To report a disaster relief claim, visit Insurcomm’s Major Disasters page.

If you’ve been following along, it’s clear we’ve been expanding. Why? you might be wondering. This is due to many factors: a new large loss division, new service offerings and higher efficiency office administrative work. We now have employees in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Everyone we hire to join a team or to start a new position serves an important role in our process.

Our large loss team is new and growing, our environmental team is expanding, as well as our business development team, administrative staff, new project managers as well as new team coordinators who help facilitate schedules, billing, and more.

Because of this exciting growth, we have expanded into the downstairs offices in our building which was previously occupied by tenants. This expansion allows us to continue to serve our customers with the highest level of service in the industry.

If you want to schedule a tour of our building and warehouse, to see who we are and the level of service we provide – please contact [email protected]. 

Winter weather is usually rough in New England. It has never been more important to prepare your residential or commercial property to prevent problems. It is better to begin your property chores in the fall before the temperature gets too cold. Here is a list of property maintenance tasks to plan to do before winter arrives.

Clean Rain Gutters and Downspouts

After the leaves have fallen from the trees on or near your property, you should clean the rain gutters and the downspouts. You can use an extension ladder or a bucket truck to reach these items. For a smaller building, using a gardening shovel is an easy way to remove the debris from the rain gutters, but many property owners prefer using a power washer device to blast away the leaves, trash, and dirt with strong streams of pressurized water.

Add Caulking around Your Home’s Windows and Doors

To keep a building warmer, you should add liquid or adhesive roll caulking around the windows and doors. Begin by doing this outside a building, but you should also determine if you need to add these materials to the inside of a building to prevent cold drafts.

Care for Trees on Your Property

Check the trees on your property to make sure that the trunks and branches are in good condition. You can often remove dangling or dead branches on your own, but if a tree is dead or dying, then you should consider calling a professional to have it removed. A decaying tree is a risk on your property because it can fall during a blizzard, leading to damage to a building or injuries to the building’s occupants.

Prepare Plumbing Devices

You must prepare a building’s plumbing devices for winter to prevent frozen pipes and faucets. Drain a building’s exterior faucets and pipes first before protecting the items with adhesive insulation tape and covers. If you have an irrigation system for the lawns or gardens on your property, then check the equipment’s manual to understand how to prepare it for winter. In addition, check the plumbing fixtures inside a building to make sure that the devices are in the best condition for the cold temperatures that occur during the winter.

Inspect Rooftop for Storm Damage

It is possible for a building’s rooftop to have storm damage that will get worse during the winter. You can inspect a roof for problems by using a bucket truck or extension ladder, but it is often better to call a professional roofer to check for storm damage that he can fix right away before it begins to snow.

Add Insulation to the Attic & Garage

If you have had expensive heating bills in the past, then you can add insulation to your garage or attic during the fall. Roll insulation is easy to install on the floor of an attic, and you can also use this material on the walls of a garage. If your home or business is poorly insulated, then you can call an expert to inject blown-in type insulation into the walls of the building.

Clean Fireplaces and Chimneys

When a building has fireplaces and chimneys, you must clean these devices once a year to remove a buildup of creosote and wood particles. These substances can prevent the proper flow of smoke along with causing an internal fire. Experts recommend hiring a professional chimney sweep for the highest quality repairs to fireplaces and chimneys.

Check Exterior Lighting Fixtures

It is important to have exterior lighting fixtures on your property because it is darker in the winter. You won’t want to replace a light bulb in a porch or driveway lighting fixture when it is snowing. Fall is also a great time to install additional lighting fixtures that are either electric or solar-powered.

Check Foundation

Walk around a building to check its foundation for problems such as cracks where moisture or pests can enter. If a building’s foundation is crumbling, then the floors in a business or home will be colder in the winter. You can repair foundation problems with cement or other substances that are available at local hardware stores.

Make a list of the required autumn maintenance chores so that you can prepare a shopping list for the required supplies for each task. When the weather is warm and dry, you can work outside, but when it is cool or rainy, you can work inside your commercial or residential property.

Insurcomm: The Restoration Leader

Insurcomm is an Insurance Restoration contractor based in New England. Insurcomm is a leading company focusing on getting families back on track should they experience the unexpected. Whether it is water damage, fire damage, environmental mishaps, mold issues, or smoke damage, Insurcomm can make sure your family and life get back to normal after an unexpected event.

The more you prepare, the better you will do. Storm damage is the most common inconvenience out there, so if possible, begin your research there. We hope you enjoy your fall. Should you need any kind of restoration service Insurcomm is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week at 844-424-9283 or online at insurcomm.com.

September is National Preparedness Month. The following article will provide you with the steps to take to make sure your home or business possessions are safe and secure from the possibilities of fire damage, water damage, theft or natural disaster. Insurcomm has created a major disasters page which can be found here.

Major disasters occur frequently. This is especially true in New England where the fall, winter and even spring months can pose the threat of serious storms. When a disaster strikes, your loved ones may not all be together, and you will want to have a plan that everyone can follow from wherever they might be. It is important to be informed about what can be done should any mishap occur in our lives. There are times when events we don’t expect happen and turn our worlds upside down, including flooding or fire. Sometimes these events can be tragic, which is why National Preparedness Month is so important. Tragic things shouldn’t occur if you are fully prepared should the unexpected happen in life. Here are some tips from Insurcomm that can help you make the best of a bad situation.

What is National Preparedness Month?

National Preparedness Month is in September every year. It is a month-long event in the United States that seeks to educate the public on what they can do during potentially dangerous events that could negatively impact the lives of millions. The better prepared you are, the less likely there will be the loss of life or an escalation of issues.

Tips on Being Prepared: Expect the Unexpected

The Red Cross has many good tips to get better prepared for emergencies, plus kits families can buy should national disasters occur. On the Red Cross website, they offer a survival kit for families, which isn’t a bad thing to get in case of an emergency. They recommend family plans for every event you could think of, including fire events and flooding events. Has your family talked about the strategies you would employ should there be a fire? Have you decided where you will meet, how you will escape the fire, and know what steps to take regarding the fire department? All of these topics should be discussed with family members so that there can be a plan in place that saves lives.

Storm damage is a much more common event. In case of a severe storm in your area, make sure you have extra food and supplies to last several days. Do you know who to call following a severe storm that takes out power and leaves you stranded? If you have cell service, be sure to call the local power company to inquire about the severity of the storm and when you should expect things to get back to normal. If there is damage to your house, the next step after that would be to call a restoration specialist to assess damage and give you an estimate. A key way to prepare for emergencies is to have specified insurance for your property, so we recommend you look into this in case damage occurs due to expense.

A great site to visit to get more ideas on how to prepare for disasters is ready.gov/september. Signing up for alerts and warnings in your area is also a great idea to keep you better informed. Reading up on past disasters and learning about what people did and did not do in response is a great idea as well. Study up on psychology to understand how people respond to stress and national events so that you can know what to expect from neighbors and the like. It may surprise you.

Insurcomm: The Restoration Leader

Insurcomm is an Insurance Restoration contractor based in New England. Insurcomm is a leading company focusing on getting families back on track should they experience the unexpected. Whether it is water damage, fire damage, environmental mishaps, mold issues, or smoke damage, Insurcomm can make sure your family and life get back to normal after an unexpected event.

Take national disasters seriously and do your research on what to do should a tragedy occur. There have been many events in recent years, including hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, that have made national news. It could happen in your area for all you know, so it’s best to take care of the details that matter so that nothing bad will happen to your loved ones in case of emergency.

One last tip is to relax. Don’t worry too much about what could happen, just make sure that if something does actually happen you will know how to respond. We know that life can be stressful and there is enough to worry about. Even so, emergencies that can cause house and property damage can be especially heinous because the event could include loss of life. The more you research, the better you will do. Storm damage is the most common inconvenience out there, so if possible, begin your research there.

We hope you enjoy your September and the beginnings of fall. Should you need any kind of restoration service Insurcomm is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week at 844-424-9283 or online at insurcomm.com.