By:  James Lunders,  Insurance Agent
Chances are, either your home or the home of someone you know, has a fuse box.  Fuses function the same way breakers do—to cut off power if an electrical circuit is overloaded.  Both fuses and breakers can be very effective in protecting your home against an electrical fire.

However, one problem that can arise with fuses occurs when someone inserts a fuse of higher amperage than the circuit is designed for.  For example, a homeowner tires of replacing blown fuses and inserts a 30-amp fuse where a 20-amp fuse should go, the 30-amp fuse allows more current into the circuit than the circuit was designed to accommodate.  The fuse “blows” indicating that the circuits are overloaded. These must be replaced as the fuse element burns up.  A fire can result.

If you have a fuse box, it’s a great idea to have an electrician inspect it and check the wire size to install the proper fuse bases. Type S fuses should be used in aging fuse panels to prevent over fusing. Type S fuses are the only type allowed by the National Electrical Code in new fuse box installations.

Whether you have a fuse box or a breaker box, have your electrician tell you the size of your electrical service to make sure it is sufficient. Years ago, 60-amp or 100-amp service wasn’t uncommon; but most families today have electrical appliances that demand more service.  It’s smart to get an electrician’s opinion on whether an update is needed since modern homes are typically wired for minimum 200-amp service.

Electrical fires are all too common, and many homes in the U.S. need electrical updates.  Please take whatever action necessary to update the electrical service in your home.

By James Lunders, Insurance Agent 

Whether you’re a first time buyer of auto insurance or already have it but are looking for a better deal, you should be asking several questions. 

First, is the person from whom you’re buying (your agent) a visible, established member of your community—someone you know and trust? 

Second, is the company from whom you’re buying well known? What is its reputation? What about price? Because there are hundreds of companies competing for your business, prices vary—sometimes a lot. It may pay you to shop. Be sure the premiums you’re quoted are for equal amounts of coverage. 

How about service? Price is important but saving money won’t mean much unless you get the service you need— when you need it. If possible, ask other clients of your prospective agent how they’ve been treated, especially when they’ve had a claim. Find out how the company handles claims. Is the method convenient for you, no matter where you have an accident? How about solvency? Is the company you’re considering still going to be in business when you file your claim? Your state department of insurance has financial rating information on all of the companies that do business in its state. 

Once you’ve decided on a company and an agent, there are more questions to ask. How much coverage do you need? The required minimum amounts of liability coverage may not be enough for you.  Consider your needs in light of your assets and income. How much can you afford to pay if there’s a big judgement against you because of an accident?

What about deductibles? Deductibles lower your premiums—most commonly for collision and comprehensive coverages —but increase the amount of loss that comes out of your pocket.  How much additional risk are you willing to take in order to save? Should you carry collision and comprehensive coverage? As your car’s value decreases, you might consider dropping these coverages and pocketing the savings on premiums. But consider if the savings are enough to offset the risk of footing the entire cost of repairing or replacing your car.  

Auto insurance is not a generic commodity. It is a product that should be tailored to each individual. James Lunders can help you answer these questions and thereby help you tailor your auto insurance to your specific and unique needs.

By James Lunders, Insurance Agent

Life is….spending time with family and friends. Watching a ball game. Lying in a hammock on a Saturday afternoon.

Life can be all of these things and more. Life is happy and sad and all things in between. It’s about living.

But life is also about protecting your family from the unexpected.  Life is making sure your family can continue without financial hardship if you are no longer around to help them. One way to do that is to have adequate life insurance coverage on you and your spouse.  Life is….being protected with life insurance.

Whether you are the main breadwinner or not, the American Life Insurance Council states you should have five to seven years worth of your salary in coverage. Others increase it to 10 years.

According to LIMRA, 68 million adult Americans have no life insurance. With so many Americans leaving their loved ones financially vulnerable, the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) designated September as Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM), a time for the public to take stock of their life insurance needs.

The best way to determine your needs is to begin with calculating what long-term expenses you have that your loved ones would be responsible for if you were not around. Those expenses could include a mortgage, college tuition and everyday items such as food and clothing.

The type of policy you choose is an important decision. Term coverage can be very affordable initially, but premiums may increase over the life of the policy. Permanent policies usually have higher premiums but tend to stay level. How long you need the policy is also important to consider.

A qualified life insurance professional can assist you in your calculations and show you policies that may fit your needs.

Life is ever changing. Protecting your family from financial struggles after you are gone is what life insurance is all about.

By James Lunders, Insurance Agent

Water damage can occur almost anywhere in your house. Water-using appliances and fixtures, such as refrigerators with icemakers, dishwashers, washing machines, toilets and water heaters are common locations of leaks.

Unfortunately, slow leaks at these appliances and fixtures are often times impossible to see until it is too late. If it goes undetected, a slow leak can lead to rotting house framing and subfloors, and can be a precursor to a catastrophic leak that can release several gallons of water per minute, causing extensive water damage. A water leak detection system may help prevent these problems.

There are two types of water leak detection systems: passive and active.

Passive leak detection systems are intended to alert you of a leak. They generally sound an audible alarm tone and some may also feature a flashing light. Passive systems are frequently battery-operated, stand-alone units. They are inexpensive and easy to install. Some simply sit on the floor while others may be wall mounted. A moisture sensor is located on the floor and activates the alarm when it becomes wet. Passive leak detection systems are especially useful in locations where it is easy for someone to hear the alarm such as near refrigerators, dishwashers, or toilets.

Active leak detection systems usually generate some type of alarm, but also perform a function that will stop the water flow. They feature a shut-off valve and some means to determine that a leak is occurring. Most devices use moisture sensors to detect a leak. Other systems use a flow sensor and a timer to determine that something is leaking and the water needs to be turned off.

An individual appliance system, which costs $50 to $150, detects a leak from a specific appliance, such as a washing machine or water heater and shuts off the water supply to that appliance only. You can often install these systems without the use of special tools.

A whole house system, which costs $500 to $1,500, sends an alarm when a leak is detected and automatically shuts off the main water service. Some models can also be integrated with a local or central station security system.

Contact a local contractor, building official or hardware store for more information about water leak detection systems. If you’d like more information about how you can prevent water losses in your home, please call or stop by my office.

By James Lunders, West Des Moines Insurance Agent

Although the number of crash-related fatalities for children has steadily decreased since 1975, motor vehicle crashes remains one of the leading causes of death for children¹.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that, on average, 6 children under the age of 15 years were killed and 721 were injured in crashes everyday in 2002².  Sadly, most of these deaths could have been prevented.  Half of all children under age 15 killed in crashes were completely unrestrained².  Although all 50 states currently have some form of child restraint laws, parents and drivers need to make sure children are appropriately restrained every car ride.  Here are some tips to help keep kids safe in vehicles:            

• All children 12 and under should ride in the back seat of the vehicle appropriately restrained³            
• Make sure children are appropriately restrained according to current best practices.  NHTSA recommends the following guidelines⁴:
  • Infants: Birth until at least 20 pounds AND at least 1 year old should ride rear-facing in an infant or convertible seat
  • Toddlers: Over at least 20 pounds AND over at least 1 year old; up to 40 pounds should ride forward-facing in a convertible or combination seat
  • Young children: Over 40 pounds; Up to at least age 8, unless 4’9” should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat with a lap and should seat belt
  • Older children: Over 8 years old or 4’9” should use a lap and shoulder seat belt

• All child safety seats should be used and installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, as well as the vehicle owner’s manual instructions
• Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an airbagBe a good role model…always wear your seat belt.  For adults, seat belts in combination with air bags provide the best protection against injury and death in crashes.  

¹Insurance Institute For Highway Safety

²National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

³AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics

4Current as of May 2003