Plumbing Leak Claim

Many of these claims are very obvious. There is clearly damage to the roof, and water has leaked through the damaged areas. There will be other claims where there is no evidence of damage to the roof. In this case, the source of the leak could be at exposed nails, flashing, or valleys.

If no covered peril caused the opening that allowed the water to enter, there may or may not be coverage for the interior damages.

Water damage restoration is one of the most common homeowner’s claims.

Another common water damage restoration claim is water from a plumbing, heating, air-conditioning system, or household appliance.

These include burst or leaking water heaters, burst or leak

ing pipes, and leaking or broken ice maker lines. This can also include backup or overflow of tubs, toilets, or sinks, clogged air-conditioning condensation lines, and broken lines to a washing machine.

Leaking drains and shower pans are also common sources of water damage. If there is policy coverage, it usually covers the damages caused by the water but does not pay to repair the damaged or broken water line or appliance.

If a broken or leaking water line is inside a wall or ceiling or under a slab foundation, there may be coverage to access the water line but again no coverage to repair the water line itself. The same is true for a leaking shower pan.

Tyipical Types of Plumbing Leaks

LEAKING PIPE, FROZEN PIPE OR PIPE BURST

Often referred to a plumbing system or supply line leaks, these types of leaks can cause massive property damage is left unchecked.  They sometimes originate from just a small damp spot in a floor or baseboard, a slightly higher water bill than normal to a flooded property from a broken supply line gushing for hours or days while you are away.  Most likely the damaged pipe is not covered itself, but the access to the affected area and the ensuing water damage will be covered unless your policy specifically excludes it.  The most important thing in these losses to stop the source as quickly as possible, extract the water as quickly as possible to limit the potential for other damages and mold growth, and quickly report the claim to the insurance company.

BROKEN DRAIN LINE OR SEWER LINE

Drain lines, or sanitary plumbing pipes, carry waste from your drains and away from your home.  In recent years, more and more policies are excluding sewer drain line issues from coverage without adding specific endorsements for additional coverage.  If the damages are covered, usually the repair to the pipes are not which can lead to thousands of dollars in costs.  These types of issues come with their own special set of remediation needs as a special category or “dirty” water will damage and contaminate your property and require specific steps to properly resolve the issues. 

FOUNDATION  LEAKS

Often referred to as “slab leaks”, some home or commercial buildings are built on a slab. Tthese leaks occur when a pipe break or bursts inside or under the foundation of the property.  Slab Leaks are typically found in copper pipes and many times they are very small holes, however these are pressurized lines which means even a small hole can release a lot of water.  These slab leaks can and usually are difficult to locate as you will only see the water coming up in certain areas which are sometimes not even close to where the actual plumbing leak is located.  These types of leaks often times require the use of a Leak Detection Company to pinpoint the exact location of the leak as it is hard work to break through a slab and you don’t want to do it more times than needed.

Because accessing the damaged areas can be costly and often times insurance companies push for cheaper or alternative subpar repairs to avoid paying for tearing out and replacing of concrete slabs and floors to repair the issue.  Foundation leaks can compromise the structure of your home or building and lead to structural as well as cosmetic repairs.

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Does home insurance cover plumbing leaks?

Any insurance company should cover any accidental water damage that may be from your plumbing system. Your policy should cover:

• Resident coverage: this should cover any damage that were made to the foundation of your home or any pipes that were build in it, this is called dwelling coverage. The dwelling coverage may cover appliances that were built in to your home such as a water heater or the like, if they have been damaged
• Property coverage: personal items that have been destroyed because of plumbing leaks or malfunctions, your insurance company should be able to reimburse you for the things you have loss for up to $2,000. You may have to add other things to your policy if you want to be reimbursed for more than $2,000.
• Added living expenses coverage: insurance companies will most likely reimburse you if you have stayed in a hotel, traveled out and if you bought food within the time you were trying to get your home fixed from the damages.

When Are Plumbing Leaks Not Covered?

Plumbing leaks or any damage that you filed a claim for, through your insurance company, will be inspected by their own claims adjuster. These adjusters will look:

• At where the damages on the pipes are
• They will determine if it’s from a new or an old pipe
• They will also determine if there were any signs of wear and tear or rust that may have caused the malfunction
• If its because the damage was due to old age deterioration

Not Properly Maintaining

Water damage that caused wear and tear will not be covered on your insurance policy. It is the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain and fix any broken appliance in and around the property of the home. Thus, if you file a claim and the insurance adjuster inspects the plumbing leak due to lack of maintenance then you will most likely be denied and not get coverage for it.

What Will You Get Out of It?

Having a public adjuster help you through this current hassle in your life will be well worth it in the end. With us, it wouldn’t be a “hassle”. We deal with the problem, not you. Did you know that you will get more compensation with a public adjuster mediating between you and the insurance companies, then you would get just by simply speak with the insurance company yourself? Why? Because we know how to maneuver insurance companies and we know what they will say next. They know most policy holders do not know anything about their claim and policy, so they can say whatever and you will most likely believe it. Do not fall for this. We have a combined experience of many years and have successfully recovered claims of plumbing leaks that have led to property damage. Get in touch with us now.

What Can Cause a Plumbing Leak?

Sustaining a leak of any kind can leave you baffled. You may wonder to yourself, how did it happen? There are many factors when trying to figure out why a leak may have happened. Factors that may include are:

• Pipes that are rusty.
• Water pressure that is uneven.
• Changes in temperature can cause cracks on your pipes.
• Roots of trees can break the pipes.
• Movement over time: The natural movement over a time frame of the property, which makes pipes move too.

Signs To Know If You Have Plumbing Leaks?

1. Water bill is unusually high
2. The pinwheel water meter spins continuously even though all the water in your house is turned off
3. Certain areas in your house are wet.

What Are Different Types Of Plumbing Leaks?

• Plumbing leaks in your tub and shower can cause splash leaks, drain leaks, and tile leaks.
• In sinks, there are sink rim leaks, supply leaks and drain leaks.
• There are also toilet flange leaks

How Can Plumbing Leaks Affect Your Home?

• When there’s a history of water damage, the value of your home goes down because even though you fixed the issue, there could still be lingering problems that may still be there. This can affect your bargaining position and may lower your selling price, if you decide to sell your home in the future.
• Your health is one of the more serious consequences for plumbing leaks or water damage. It can cause molds and fungi in your home. These organisms thrive off of water and they produce spores that can linger in the air and become extremely dangerous to your health.
• One of the most expensive damage to plumbing leaks are structural damage. As mold spores thrive in the drywalls of homes, it can cause staining, discoloration, and streaks along the walls.

References

• Bankrate
• Safe Plumbing
• The Plum Bingo
• The family handyman
• Slab foundation repair
• Value Penguin
• Water leak case studies