I awoke by the phone ringing in the early morning hours and soon learned a valuable lesson as to why you might want “Water Back Up of Sewers or Drains” coverage on your home. The call was from my aunt who lives on the other side of town. She had just discovered that her finished basement had several inches of water in it.
I told her I’d be over asap and arrived shortly after to find the sea of destruction. Her entire 1100 square foot finished basement was several inches deep in water. The sump pump had failed causing the drain water from who knows how many loads of laundry, dish water and bath water to pool over every inch of the basement.
Over the next few hours we used the shop vacuum to remove water until the plumber arrived. He quickly diagnosed the faulty sump pump and had it replaced within the hour. What came next was a horrible mildew smell that took over the entire home.
Adding “Water Back Up of Sewers or Drains” for less than $10 per month would have saved $1,000’s in repairs.
A professional water restoration company was called and they quoted nearly $6,000 to try get the smell out of the house. It was recommended to replace all the carpet and pad as well as drywall and wood paneling that had been affected.
The next call was to my aunt’s insurance carrier. She explained what had happened and asked what she was to do next. She was informed that she didn’t have the “Water Back Up of Sewers or Drains” coverage on her homeowner’s policy.
Since my career in insurance started back in 2013 I’ve encouraged my friends and family to let me take a look at their insurance policies. Unfortunately, my aunt hadn’t taken me up on the offer to double check her policy and coverages. If so I would have been able to recommend that she add the “Water Back Up of Sewers or Drains” coverage to her policy.
I invite you to take the time to have me check your policy for “Water Back Up of Sewers or Drains” as well as other inexpensive coverages that might make the world of difference to your out of pocket expense if you too were to have a similar situation.