Comment
Rate
Share
Dock owners get icy reminder
 |
| SNOW STORM 2006: Winter weather at Lake of the Ozarks can bring the unexpected. Dock owners should check homeowner's insurance policies to assure they are covered. |
By J.B. Simpson/LakeExpo.com
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. -- Dock owners awoke Friday to a hard winter reminder -- ice. It's innocent enough when 40-degree temperatures are on the way, but can be disastrous under other conditions.
Sustained frigid temperatures will freeze surface water around docks, lifts and boats, prompting all kinds of expensive repairs. A deep freeze followed by a reduction in the lake level can be more destructive. When docks freeze, they become less flexible and do not move evenly as the water level reduces. This causes major structural stress, can break joints and twist boatlifts.
AmerenUE is cognizant of freezing conditions and operates water flow through Bagnell Dam in an attempt to minimize damage to docks. However, sometimes conditions are outside Ameren's control.
In the winter of 2000 temperatures got so low and sustained that the main channel froze over. The ice propelled by wind drifted down the channel pushing, detaching, twisting and crushing docks.
The millennium winter was unusual, but lesser freezes and ice formations around docks have been known to make a mark. As ice freezes and thaws, it can shift breaking the ends off of boatlifts with fiberglass tanks, according to Danyelle Rowley, service and installation supervisor for Hydro Systems Inc. This is one of the reasons the company uses polyethylene pipe material on the PolyLift, instead of fiberglass. "Fiberglass just gets punctured a lot easier," Rowley said.
In a quick freeze like the one experienced Friday, boatlift remote owners should also understand the impact. The plastic sensor hung from the lift can freeze making the computer at the module box temporarily unaware of the lift's position, according to John Figura of Aqualogic Marine, makers of the FirstMate remote boatlift control system. In the vast majority of cases the ice thaws with no harm done. However, if for some reason the boatlift submerges, a frozen sensor might not immediately send the message to the computer to fill the tanks with air to bring it back up, Figura said.
When it comes to ice, there is really only one preventative. Agitators, also known as bubblers or de-icers, will create enough water movement to protect docks and lifts. Typically, more horsepower means a higher probability of keeping prolonged freezes at bay.
However, in cases like 2000, Old Man Winter simply takes over.
Whether your dock is damaged, lift tank punchered, or a foot of snow collapses your dock, homeowner’s insurance should cover it, right?
"Probably not," says Derek Thomason of Shelter Insurance. "In almost all cases you need an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy to include piers, bulkheads, wharves and docks."
Some dock endorsements will cover boatlifts as a permanently attached structure. Other companies will require separate endorsements for boatlifts.
After the ice and snow of January 2006, dock owners got a crash course in insurance as hundreds of millions of dollars in docks and boats collapsed and sunk all over the lake.
"A lot of times customers, and sometimes agents not familiar with the lake, will assume docks are covered in a homeowner’s policy as 'other structure'.... They are not," Thomason said. Without the endorsement, it is also unlikely liability coverage extends to the dock.
Even if you have a dock endorsement, it is important to read it and question an agent. In 2000, some insurance companies denied the claims of dock owners who sustained damage in the main channel from ice propelled by wind.
The cost of a dock endorsement is usually between $4-7 per one thousand dollars of value, Thomason said.
Friday’s quick icing and Saturday’s thaw has sent new dock owners an important message: It’s time to reread homeowner’s policies and consider buying water agitators.
When it comes to cold winters and ice, it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Find out about our RSS feeds.
Join Lake Alert Newsletter
Place Free Classifieds
Speak Your Mind
News Tips
Subscribe To Lake AlertsSustained frigid temperatures will freeze surface water around docks, lifts and boats, prompting all kinds of expensive repairs. A deep freeze followed by a reduction in the lake level can be more destructive. When docks freeze, they become less flexible and do not move evenly as the water level reduces. This causes major structural stress, can break joints and twist boatlifts.
AmerenUE is cognizant of freezing conditions and operates water flow through Bagnell Dam in an attempt to minimize damage to docks. However, sometimes conditions are outside Ameren's control.
In the winter of 2000 temperatures got so low and sustained that the main channel froze over. The ice propelled by wind drifted down the channel pushing, detaching, twisting and crushing docks.
The millennium winter was unusual, but lesser freezes and ice formations around docks have been known to make a mark. As ice freezes and thaws, it can shift breaking the ends off of boatlifts with fiberglass tanks, according to Danyelle Rowley, service and installation supervisor for Hydro Systems Inc. This is one of the reasons the company uses polyethylene pipe material on the PolyLift, instead of fiberglass. "Fiberglass just gets punctured a lot easier," Rowley said.
In a quick freeze like the one experienced Friday, boatlift remote owners should also understand the impact. The plastic sensor hung from the lift can freeze making the computer at the module box temporarily unaware of the lift's position, according to John Figura of Aqualogic Marine, makers of the FirstMate remote boatlift control system. In the vast majority of cases the ice thaws with no harm done. However, if for some reason the boatlift submerges, a frozen sensor might not immediately send the message to the computer to fill the tanks with air to bring it back up, Figura said.
When it comes to ice, there is really only one preventative. Agitators, also known as bubblers or de-icers, will create enough water movement to protect docks and lifts. Typically, more horsepower means a higher probability of keeping prolonged freezes at bay.
However, in cases like 2000, Old Man Winter simply takes over.
Whether your dock is damaged, lift tank punchered, or a foot of snow collapses your dock, homeowner’s insurance should cover it, right?
"Probably not," says Derek Thomason of Shelter Insurance. "In almost all cases you need an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy to include piers, bulkheads, wharves and docks."
Some dock endorsements will cover boatlifts as a permanently attached structure. Other companies will require separate endorsements for boatlifts.
After the ice and snow of January 2006, dock owners got a crash course in insurance as hundreds of millions of dollars in docks and boats collapsed and sunk all over the lake.
"A lot of times customers, and sometimes agents not familiar with the lake, will assume docks are covered in a homeowner’s policy as 'other structure'.... They are not," Thomason said. Without the endorsement, it is also unlikely liability coverage extends to the dock.
Even if you have a dock endorsement, it is important to read it and question an agent. In 2000, some insurance companies denied the claims of dock owners who sustained damage in the main channel from ice propelled by wind.
The cost of a dock endorsement is usually between $4-7 per one thousand dollars of value, Thomason said.
Friday’s quick icing and Saturday’s thaw has sent new dock owners an important message: It’s time to reread homeowner’s policies and consider buying water agitators.
When it comes to cold winters and ice, it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Find out about our RSS feeds.Join Lake Alert Newsletter
Place Free Classifieds
Speak Your Mind
News Tips
Share this Article
 |
||
| Israeli government prepares to OK unilateral truce in Gaza |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.