What’s A Sump Pump And Why You Need Insurance With It

Other than water from a true flood, water can be an unwelcomed guest in your home in many other ways. And the scary part is that they can do so even below ground level.

This means that closing your doors are often not enough to keep them out.

The most problematic issue is when there is seepage in the foundation. Because the structure is underground, it can be very difficult to pinpoint where exactly a leak is, let alone fix it.

You can easily avoid flooding with a high degree of confidence by living away from the river or lake.

Living on higher ground is usually sufficient to avoid all these problems that you are powerless to stop. But when water enters your basement when there is hardly any rain or reports of nearby water ponding, it can really be puzzling where the water actually came from.

A sump pump system installs a one-way valve that lets sewage flow out without an inlet for re-entry. This is usually enough to keep your premises dry barring extreme events.

But as with any system, there is always the possibility of failure.

Can you imagine the type of damage water can do to a house?

If you think that a hail storm is bad enough, you have seen nothing yet. With a water attack, you are facing the prospect of furniture destruction, electrical failure, and even safety hazards to your family. Then there are everything else that is vulnerable to water.

Even though the potential of being a victim can be slim, the amount of destruction it can cause means that it should be taken seriously by any household.

Your first line of defense is to get a certified contractor to install your sump pump properly. They are likely to have more experience than the average freelancer. They will also have gone through proper training on understanding underground water and how to make your system work the way it should be.

Prevention is better than cure.

Getting a professional to do the installation, and even for maintenance, is worth the peace of mind. It will also cost way less than your clean up job after water comes in unchallenged.

For added measure, get a water backup system installed.

You never know when technical failures can occur. And letting it happen right when you need it most can be a miserable irony. This is why hospitals have backup systems as well even though they are already operating with the best technology and system.

The event of system failures at the time of need can be catastrophic. The same can be said of your home.

Again, when you consider the mess water can do to your house, the costs of backups are justified and sometimes negligible.

Sump pump failure insurance

If for some reason you refuse to get a sump pump, get some sewer backup coverage.

You can actually get a sump pump failure option, or a sewer backup endorsement that insures against damage and cleanup, together with your homeowner’s policy.

But terms can vary from insurer to insurer. These types of endorsements generally cover water damage including the cost for clean-ups.

And needless to say, you need to have it installed in order to qualify for sump pump failure coverage. You won’t even get a whiff of it if you have not installed one.

In order to make a legitimate claim, the reason for damage must be due to the failure of the system to stop the hostile water. Even failure of the pump due to power outrages is included.

The failure and backup options are usually packaged together for a home owner. Limits will vary depending on insurance company and your premium.

Decide an amount of coverage that makes sense to you.

Take into consideration that if only your basement has the potential to be trashed, the limit you want should at least be, or be equal to, the value of your stuff and personal property in the basement. This is also a good reason to keep your expensive collectibles and antiques away from the basement.

Avoid the attic as that can be another hazardous place for other obvious reasons.

Remember that these endorsements are meant for water damage, but not for the event of a true flood. They are for surface runoffs and seepage.

When signing up for these add-ons, take a close look at the exclusions.

As you would already expect, insurers are shrewd when it comes to exclusions. Sometimes we can make the mistake of assuming policies cover everything as they all have the same name. Don’t make that amateurish mistake.

You May Also Like...

Latest Singapore home loan rates	Hidden items that bring up mortgage costs	Hiring a competent agent	How to burn more calories in the office