Wind and Water damage claims are the two most common types of claims filed by homeowners. This blog will discuss how to reduce the probability that you will have a water damage problem. Preventing a water loss is better than dealing with a claim and all of it’s inconveniences.
Sump pumps don’t run forever. They will eventually fail. You don’t want to find out that it failed by stepping into several inches or feet of water when you go down the stairs into your basement. Some preventative maintenance might help. First inspect and exercise the sump pump periodically. Make sure the float is not stuck and that it starts the pump by pouring water into the sump crock until the pump starts. Or you could just lift the float switch until it turns on. It might be a good idea to have an extra sump pump sitting in your storage space to install when the pump fails at 10 pm on a Sunday evening and no stores are open.
Another problem that sometimes occurs with a sump pump is that you may lose power in the middle of a massive rainstorm. Of course, this is when you need power the most. A backup generator comes in very handy at this point. There are whole house generators which automatically turn on when you lose power. You can also get small portable generators which could supply power to your sump pump and some other vital pieces of equipment.
If you have a sump pump, consider installing a backup pump system. This could be a battery or venturi style pump. Battery backups include a battery, small pump and electronics. You need to periodically check the water levels in the battery. Put this on your calendar. Follow the battery manufacturers recommendations for how to top off the battery fluids.
Venturi or water powered sump pumps use the city’s water to remove water from the sump crock. Their advantage is that they work as long as you have city water and you don’t have to worry about a dead back up battery. The downside is that you may not know that your main sump pump has failed until you get a very high water bill. That is why a high water alarm is recommended to alert you to the fact that the main sump pump has failed. You should be able to hear that alarm anywhere in the house. (Note: Some of the battery powered backup sump pumps have this alarm system. )
Drains in the basement floor – put in a backflow preventer valve. Water can back up from the city sewer system into your home. A backflow preventer valve can be installed in your basement floor drains to prevent this. You may be able to install it in your existing drain(s) without tearing up the concrete floor. All of the floor drains will need a valve.
Note: Coverage for damage caused by water coming up through a drain or overflowing out of a sump pump crock usually requires extra coverage or an endorsement to be considered a covered loss. Call us about this issue.
Hoses for clothes washers. Use high quality hoses, not cheap hoses. The high quality hoses often have a steel braided outer covering. Replace them when they get soft, possibly ever 3-5 years. Many newer homes have the laundry area on the first or second floor for convenience. Make sure those clothes washers sit in a pan with a drain. The pan catches most of the water if a hose or the washer breaks.
Hoses on the dishwasher. Watch for water on the floor in front of dishwasher or under the kitchen sink. You can pull out the dishwasher to replace plumbing on the dishwasher. Inspect the under-sink connections at least yearly.
Hoses for icemakers. Again, look for water on the floor around the refrigerator. You may have to pull out the refrigerator to find the source of the problem.
Keep your home from freezing. If you are out of your home for an extended period of time during cold weather, have a friend check on the exterior and interior of the house. You can turn the heat down in the house but make sure it does not cause your pipes to freeze.
If you lose power for an extended period of time during the winter and you can’t keep the house from freezing, don’t just walk out of the house. Turn off the water valve at the meter or where the water comes in the house. That is usually in the basement if you have one. Find the lowest faucet in the house and open that faucet. If you have a hot water heater in the basement there is usually a drain near the bottom of the tank. Open up all of the faucets in the house and leave them open. Then drain the water from the hot water tank into a drain. You can use a garden hose to drain the hot water tank.
If you don’t get the water out of the pipes and the pipes freeze, you may have leaks all over the house when you get back and the house starts to thaw out. The damage could be extensive.
Outside water faucets: Most homes have valves on the water lines that feed the outside water faucets. Close those inside valves in the fall before it freezes. Then open the outside faucet to drain any water out of that valve. This will help prevent most outside faucet related freeze issues.
Know where the water shut off valve for the house is in case you have to stop water flowing from a leaking pipe.
Mold. There is another water related problem which sometimes occurs in homes and which often goes undetected for long periods of time. It is mold. Mold needs time and a moist environment to grow. Low air flow also helps it flourish. The moisture can be introduced in a number of ways. It could be a small leak in the roof which allows water / moisture to accumulate in a wall. Or the moisture could come from a slow leak in a pipe. Any source of moisture can start the process.
Mold has been a problem for insurance for a long time since insurance is designed to pay for claims which result from a Sudden and Accidental event. The formation of the mold is definitely accidental since no one wants it in their home. But mold forms over a long period of time, not suddenly. There have been numerous lawsuits about coverage for mold damage. Eventually limited protection for mold damage has been added to many homeowners policies. The best defense is to make sure you maintain a good roof and be aware of dampness in walls and floors in your home. You can have experts check the home with meters which will detect moisture.
Water damage from a flood which covers the land will be discussed in a later blog titled Flood Insurance.
Contact Us today to get a Quote or to Start a Discussion
Call us at 419-874-8055 or
Email us at rhamilton@fireflyagency.com or
Contact us by filling out the Contact Form below.
Comments are closed