Anyone that’s watched any of my previous videos knows that I’m a big fan of an ounce of prevention. Insurance is great to cover you from the unexpected, but I prefer to try my best to prevent or minimize any damage from happening. No matter how easy an Insurance Company can make your claim, it’s never easier than preventing the claim in the first place.
I had a client this week whose sump-pump failed, and they have a partially finished basement. Disaster, right?! Well, not really, because they had taken measures in advance to minimize any damage. When they finished their basement, they used waterproof flooring materials and finished the basement in a way that would allow for up to 2” of water without causing substantial damage. They also stored their belongings on shelves, so their storage was elevated at least 12” off the floor. This is all great and most people don’t take these steps, but they even went a step further and had a water sensor next to their sump-pump to alert them if their basement started to flood.
1:30am Saturday morning, their alarm went off indicating that there was water in the basement. The homeowner was able to act quickly and see that his sump-pump wasn’t working because the breaker tripped. He was able to turn the breaker back on and get the sump-pump working, but it was still not enough to keep up with the water. He ended up calling a water restoration company to help pump out his basement and dry it out. If I could write a playbook for an insured, this would be it!
Even with no property damage, the claim was over $7k for the water restoration company to get the water out and dry out his basement. This is one of the reasons we recommend at least $25k of sewer and drain backup coverage.
They had their water sensor as an add on to their home security system, but you can buy stand-alone sensors online or at your local hardware store. You can buy 1 sensor or get them in packs of 3-5. I would recommend placing sensors by your sump-pump, hot water tank, washing machine, and dishwasher.
I hope you found this tip helpful. If you’d like us to quote your Homeowner’s Insurance, give us call 585-663-2004.
