What kind of Insurance coverage do I have for Water Damage?

Water damage is one of the most common reasons people make claims on their home insurance. Did you know that 22 out of 1000 homes suffer a water damage related loss each year? Water heaters malfunction, pipes rupture, drains back-up, various appliances leak and both crawlspaces and basements flood regularly. All of these water damage events and more drive people to discover the facts of their home insurance policies in detail.

“Water damage and homeowners policies can be a volatile issue in many ways,” says Don Griffin of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, a trade group. “Generally, the damage caused by water will be covered, but whatever causes the damage — say, a leaking dishwasher hose — may not be.”

Although your insurer might pay to replace a carpet damaged by your refrigerator leak, you probably have to replace or repair the ice maker supply line at your own cost. If an unexpected sudden problem such as a frozen pipe leads to water damage, your home insurance covers repairs to both the broken pipe and your home and furnishings.

The following is the first of several articles related common water-damage scenarios and their insurance consequences.

Updated Washing Machine Hoses… Really Cheap Insurance…

Your washing machine overflows, flooding everything on that level of your home (and all lower levels as well).

Are you covered? Yes…Depending on your home insurer’s view of the problem: Did you fail to maintain the washer properly or did sudden, accidental damage cause the flood?

“Most of the time, if an appliance breaks and water goes all over, insurance covers it. In the case of a washing machine (which is the #1 water damage claim source) you might need to purchase replacement parts out of your own pocket because they were not maintained correctly, but the damage to your home, which could be significant, is covered,” says Griffin.

Consider replacing hoses to major appliances such as your washer and dishwasher every two to five years. Updating to stainless steel, so-called “burst-free” hoses (for ONLY$ 10-$ 20, BTW) has been proven to have a proving a much longer lifespan than other hose types. When you go on vacation or even a short business trip, turn off the water to your washer while you’re out of town. Many homeowners have returned from even a short trip to find their washer hoses have burst, flooding their homes. A pressurized hose that has burst spurting water at a typical rate of 5-7 gallons per minute = approximately 10,000 gallons of water in 24 hours. If you are away for few days, expect to find your second floor laundry room now inconveniently relocated to your first floor…

An excellent DIY video on how to avoid this #1 water damage peril can be viewed below: