Keep your Home in Honolulu, HI Safe this Winter by Following Proper Fireplace Safety

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Protecting your Home and Guests from Fireplace Dangers in Honolulu, HIFireplace Safety Hawaii

A fireplace is one of a home’s greatest features and can bring an ambiance and warmth to a space to create that perfect night in on a cold evening. As important as they are for creating the perfect mood, it is equally important to ensure that you properly maintain your fireplace.

Fireplace Safety and Maintenance

Wood Burning Fireplaces

  • Ensure your flue is open and clear from obstructions. It is important to take a peek up your chimney (before lighting your fire of course) to be certain the chimney is not blocked. Often time birds or other animals will make shelter in your chimney in the off-season, so be sure to check if you haven’t used your fireplace in some time.
  • Keep glass doors open. If you have a normal, wood burning fireplace, keep the screens closed, but the glass doors open. The doors are usually designed to keep a room insulated when not in use, not to keep the fire in. A chimney requires air to be pulled through and up the chimney, so keeping the doors open allows this air to flow properly while your screen keeps debris and sparks from flying out onto your carpet or other flooring.
  • Install a chimney cap. Chimney caps keep rain from damaging your chimney and keeps birds and other critters out. You should also put a screen across the chimney to prevent sparks from flying out and onto roofs or lawns potentially causing a fire.
  • If you have burned 70-100 fires call a chimney sweep to come and inspect your chimney. They’ll clean out any build-up and do a visual inspection to ensure your chimney is healthy and structurally sound.

Gas Burning Fireplaces         

  • Install an oxygen-depletion sensor, commonly known as a “safety pilot.” These safety pilots will turn off the gas if they detect the fireplace isn’t functioning properly or if too much carbon monoxide builds up.
  • Install carbon monoxide detectors near the fireplace and every floor of your home. A couple per floor would be ideal.
  • Maintain proper distance from the fireplace. Keeping objects away from the fireplace is the best way to avoid a fire or smoke damage. Keep curtains and other fabrics at least 3 feet away from the outside edge of the fireplace.
  • Contact your gas company or call 911 immediately if you smell gas in your home.
  • Clamp your fireplace damper open to prevent carbon monoxide from entering your home.

With all fireplaces it is important to keep your children and pets away. Burning fireplaces in a home can deplete the home of oxygen and replace it with carbon monoxide. Keep your carbon monoxide alarms in working order to ensure your family stays safe.

Keeping your fireplaces in your home in good working order is just one of the important steps to keeping your home and house guests safe. It is also a great way to avoid a costly and emotional homeowner’s insurance claim.

If you have questions about your home, auto or renters insurance, call the insurance agents at Carr’s Insurance Agency in Waipahu. They have years of insurance experience and can help you insure everything from your home to your auto or motorcycle. They live where you do and are an independent insurance agent, so they can help you find the right company to fit your needs. You can also check out their website, 24/7.

“What does my condo insurance policy cover?”

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Congratulations, you’ve purchased a condo!! Home ownership with little or no yard work. You can remodel your kitchen, paint the walls and enjoy your new space. During the purchasing process your agent probably told you that the homeowner’s association insures the building, the walls and the physical structure of your unit. What that insurance does not cover is the personal contents of your unit or any remodeled or upgraded areas within the unit.

Condo Insurance 101 in Hawaii:

  • Why do you need it: While your walls and building are covered in the event of destruction, your belongings and any upgrades are not. You are responsible for the physical contents, additions and upgrades in your unit. Condo insurance also provides liability coverage should a negligent act by you (fire, water damage, glass breakage, etc.) affect units other than your own. Say you left the bathtub running and it overflowed causing damage to the unit below. Your condo insurance would cover the damage to the unit below you as well as repair the damage to your unit, after a deductible. Pro tip: never leave your bathtub running unattended.
  • What may be covered: Like a renter’s insurance policy, your belongings are covered up to a certain dollar amount. Like a homeowner’s insurance policy you can add scheduled property like art, jewelry and other collectibles. A condo insurance policy also includes a negligence and liability portion in the event that you damage a unit other than your own, the common areas or if someone is injured in your unit. A condo insurance policy may also include reimbursements for living expenses if your condo is unlivable and needs to be repaired.

Having the proper amount of condo insurance coverage may help protect you from having to pay out of pocket for liability claims or damage to your unit. There are several options when it comes to the condo insurance you feel is appropriate for your needs and budget. Have questions? Talk to your local, independent insurance agents at Carr’s Insurance Agency. Carr’s Insurance Agency in Hawaii can guide you through a condo insurance policy and add additional coverages like flood insurance or earthquake insurance. Their years of insurance experience can save you a bundle, and they live right in your area, so know first-hand what your insurance needs might be.  You can also visit their insurance website 24/7 to learn more about the insurance products they offer.

Use Caution and Common Sense When Hiring off of Craigslist or other Free Classified Ads in Honolulu, HI

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It is so tempting… a contractor who will perform a landscaping job for ½ of what other quotes were and to think… you found him on Craigslist! Certainly Craigslist and other free classified websites have become a terrific resource for used goods as well as handyman services. However, there are stories of liability claim scams across the country that have homeowner’s getting burned. To put it simply, you’re taking a chance when you hire a non-reputable contractor to do work on your home, regardless of where you found him. So, we’ve put together a few items to help you avoid the headache of an “injured” contractor on your property which results in a liability claim against your homeowner’s policy.

  1. Research and ask question. If you find a contractor or other service related worker on Craigslist or other sites, ask them if they have a website or if there is someone who wouldn’t mind talking to them about their skill. It’s okay to ask for references. Most small businesses survive off of word-of-mouth advertising, so don’t be afraid to ask for a couple.
  2. Utilize the internet further. Go to Google and type in: “Contractor License Lookup.” This should produce your states .gov resource and you can see if the contract you’re hiring is licensed or not. It will also show if their license is expired and when it expired.
  3. Documentation: Ask the contractor for a copy of their license as well as documentation of their insurance and bond. Note: Check the dates on the license as well as the insurance to ensure they’re currently in force or active.
  4. Ask more questions: Not only is it important to protect your insurance from a scam, but ensure your pocketbook doesn’t get taken for a ride too. Ask questions like, “Is this an estimate or a final bid?” “Does this estimate include parts and labor?” The more questions you ask, the better you will feel and the more the contractor will understand that you’re educated on this process.

It isn’t just the answers to the questions above that will help you decide on a potential contractor, but how they answer them. If they aren’t forthcoming about certain items or aren’t willing to give you references, it is likely not a good idea to hire them. If they can’t communicate with you now about things, how difficult would it be if you have issues with them after the work has started? Be clear from the beginning on your expectations and always remember to talk to us, your local Honolulu, Hawaii Insurance Agent about anything you’re doing on your home to ensure you’re covered properly before making remodels. Call Carr’s Insurance Agency at (808) 836-CARR (2277) to talk to a licensed agent.