water main insurance

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SpideyIndexer
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water main insurance

Post by SpideyIndexer »

Does it make sense to insurance my water main? It is PVC, 50 years old, about 2 feet under grade level. If it breaks the provider (HomeServe) claims it would cost $2661 to repair plus $490 to locate and repair the leak. Actually I don't know why I would replace the entire line rather than just repair the leak, if there were a crack. PVC shouldn't get brittle if not in the sun. $2.62/mo or $31.44/yr premium.
fabdog
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Location: Williamsburg VA

Re: water main insurance

Post by fabdog »

Many threads on this in the past. Here's an example

viewtopic.php?t=317305

Mike
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Abe
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Re: water main insurance

Post by Abe »

I wouldn't do it. Where I live it doesn't cost that much to repair a water leak.
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exodusNH
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Re: water main insurance

Post by exodusNH »

SpideyIndexer wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:04 pm Does it make sense to insurance my water main? It is PVC, 50 years old, about 2 feet under grade level. If it breaks the provider (HomeServe) claims it would cost $2661 to repair plus $490 to locate and repair the leak. Actually I don't know why I would replace the entire line rather than just repair the leak, if there were a crack. PVC shouldn't get brittle if not in the sun. $2.62/mo or $31.44/yr premium.
I find it interesting that they never offer the insurance on the sewer line.
Gryphon
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Re: water main insurance

Post by Gryphon »

exodusNH wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:26 pm I find it interesting that they never offer the insurance on the sewer line.
Sewer lines aren't under pressure the way the water line is, so a sewer leak is less urgent. And if it does develop a leak the main problem is roots which can be dealt with without digging up the line. I *might* consider purchasing water main insurance (though I haven't so far) but I wouldn't even consider it for the sewer.
exodusNH
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Re: water main insurance

Post by exodusNH »

Gryphon wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:21 pm
exodusNH wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:26 pm I find it interesting that they never offer the insurance on the sewer line.
Sewer lines aren't under pressure the way the water line is, so a sewer leak is less urgent. And if it does develop a leak the main problem is roots which can be dealt with without digging up the line. I *might* consider purchasing water main insurance (though I haven't so far) but I wouldn't even consider it for the sewer.
Aha! Thanks for the info. I assumed it was because sewer leaks were more common and expensive and thus not profitable to insure.
Trapper
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Re: water main insurance

Post by Trapper »

I actually had a leak in my water supply between the meter and my house. Original galvanized supply was about 40 years old.
Cost $850 to repair in low cost of living area.
Plumber just dug a trench and ran new flex pipe between meter and house. I thought that was great.
About a sixty foot run.
Gryphon
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Re: water main insurance

Post by Gryphon »

exodusNH wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:24 pm I assumed it was because sewer leaks were more common and expensive and thus not profitable to insure.
I think in older construction sewer leaks are more common since they were using either clay or iron pipe laid in sections that were not as well sealed as glued PVC pipe connections. And I wouldn't be surprised if digging up a sewer line was more expensive than a water line - my sewer is probably 3-4 feet deeper than the water main & it's a larger pipe. I just don't think replacing leaky sewer lines is all that common. When I was a kid I lived in a neighborhood built in the 40's; my parents had the sewer line cleaned out every few years and I think other folks in the area did too but I can't remember anyone having their sewer dug up & replaced.
PugetSoundguy
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Re: water main insurance

Post by PugetSoundguy »

Sewer line replacements are a huge issue in our neighborhood in Seattle. Most houses on our long block were built in the early 1950s. I would say out of 20 or so houses, about seven have had the sewer lines replaced in the last six years or so. This is for the line (called side sewer around here) that runs from the house to the city pipe deep under the street. And it's expensive -- seems to be $10-15,000 or even more. I avert my eyes when I see the backhoe digging up the latest driveway. Our next door neighbor also just had to have the water main replaced, but that seems to be much less common around here. I'm sure it depends on totally local factors such as age of the housing stock and the material used for the old sewer pipe as well as the relative difficulty in repairing/replacing lines depending on how they are laid out and how deep they are. I'm sure it can't help that the ground around here shakes a bit from time to time. (Of course a really big shake is coming; we just don't know when.)

I know our day is coming. We have sewer (and water line) insurance from a Washington company. It's not as expensive as I thought it would be.
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Svensk Anga
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Re: water main insurance

Post by Svensk Anga »

I just had my water supply pipe break. It was no trouble to find it as the lawn was very soggy near the leak. I fixed the PVC line myself after a $20 run to Home Depot.

If you are at all handy, this is no big deal and not worth insuring.

ETA, This was my first such leak in 39 years of home ownership. My guess is that the probability of a leak is not very high. (Copper plumbing is another matter altogether though. :annoyed )
Last edited by Svensk Anga on Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
livesoft
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Re: water main insurance

Post by livesoft »

fabdog wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:10 pm Many threads on this in the past. Here's an example

viewtopic.php?t=317305

Mike
And from that thread:
livesoft wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:44 pm I repaired my water line from the main line to my house last year myself. It cost me $3.50 in parts and my own labor. A tree had grown and shifted the line a little bit. If you have no trees and no earthquakes and are handy, then I suggest you don't pay for this insurance.
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kfindley79
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Re: water main insurance

Post by kfindley79 »

I work with pvc pipe on a daily basis (employee of a water utility). PVC does break down over time and can become brittle even when buried. Your main problem will be when it breaks, pvc tends to break in long runs and can split the entire section of pipe. PVC typically comes in 20’ sticks so you might want to figure on replacing more than just a small section. BTW, don’t buy the insurance.
moneyflowin
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Re: water main insurance

Post by moneyflowin »

PVC tends to break at the connectors not the pipes themselves. The most vulnerable joints are thread-to-slip connections (because the threaded wall is thin), and T connections, because the folds at the T are thin. If you replace them, use the thicker Sch-80 grey connectors

My water main pressure is very high which I think is the reason my PVC joints have cracked twice in 20 years. I've since reduced the pressure to hopefully prevent it from happening again. If you have automatic sprinklers, the water hammer shock can weaken the PVC joints as well. I installed a water hammer arrestor

Each time the PVC broke, I got an estimate ($400+) but did it myself for $10 and a lot of digging
exodusNH
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Re: water main insurance

Post by exodusNH »

Gryphon wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:55 pm
exodusNH wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:24 pm I assumed it was because sewer leaks were more common and expensive and thus not profitable to insure.
I think in older construction sewer leaks are more common since they were using either clay or iron pipe laid in sections that were not as well sealed as glued PVC pipe connections. And I wouldn't be surprised if digging up a sewer line was more expensive than a water line - my sewer is probably 3-4 feet deeper than the water main & it's a larger pipe. I just don't think replacing leaky sewer lines is all that common. When I was a kid I lived in a neighborhood built in the 40's; my parents had the sewer line cleaned out every few years and I think other folks in the area did too but I can't remember anyone having their sewer dug up & replaced.
Hrm, yeah, I guess I'm biased because I am pretty sure my line is nearly 100 years old. (The interior plumbing is PVC and copper.) I'm hoping the standards of the 1920s with cast iron are superior to the booming post-war times. My boiler also dates from the late 20s. (The manufacturer declared bankruptcy in 1927 or so.)
eddot98
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Re: water main insurance

Post by eddot98 »

Water mains in the street and water service lines to a home or a business are buried at least 5 feet below the surface of the street or ground in areas where frost routinely reaches 3 to 4 feet below the surface. That usually happens here in New England and in a lot of areas in the northern US. Excavating a trench to reach a leaking 5 foot deep water line and getting a plumber to repair or replace a section of water supply line will not be inexpensive. That’s one reason why we have water service line insurance. The other is because we have an old galvanized pipe as our water service line. Several homes on our street have had their galvanized pipe water service lines break in the past 10 years, especially since the water company increased the pressure in the water mains in the center of town to supply new building on the outskirts of town rather than building new pump stations. (This also required all affected property owners to install pressure reducing valves at their own expense.). Additionally, the rules in our town, contrary to most other cities or towns that I am aware of, put the responsibility of the water service line on the homeowner or business owner from the water main in the street to the inside of the home or business, even though the street is owned by the town. This means that a break in the service line in the street is the responsibility of the home or business owner. This could dramatically increase the cost of fixing a leaking pipe when excavating and replacing pavement and sub base is involved.
59Gibson
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Re: water main insurance

Post by 59Gibson »

Nearly all sewer line damage and replacement I've heard of have to do with tree roots. Ex.House is built 1998 a nice little harmless tree planted in front that becomes a monster with tentacles in a decade or 2.
kfindley79
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Re: water main insurance

Post by kfindley79 »

moneyflowin wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:28 pm PVC tends to break at the connectors not the pipes themselves. The most vulnerable joints are thread-to-slip connections (because the threaded wall is thin), and T connections, because the folds at the T are thin.
If you replace them, use the thicker Sch-80 grey connectors


My water main pressure is very high which I think is the reason my PVC joints have cracked twice in 20 years. I've since reduced the pressure to hopefully prevent it from happening again. If you have automatic sprinklers, the water hammer shock can weaken the PVC joints as well. I installed a water hammer arrestor

Each time the PVC broke, I got an estimate ($400+) but did it myself for $10 and a lot of digging
Do not use Schedule 80 fittings on Schedule 40 pipe. They do “fit” but it’s recommended that you don’t mix the two. Also, the glue is different with Schedule 80. Of course, this is really only an issue on higher pressure applications.
andypanda
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Re: water main insurance

Post by andypanda »

My wife received a mailer today with her name on it offering insurance on the water service line from the meter at the street to the house. She asked me if we should get it on her way to the trashcan.

Uh, no. She wasn't thinking, she knows we have a well.
BernardShakey
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Re: water main insurance

Post by BernardShakey »

PugetSoundguy wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:13 pm Sewer line replacements are a huge issue in our neighborhood in Seattle. Most houses on our long block were built in the early 1950s. I would say out of 20 or so houses, about seven have had the sewer lines replaced in the last six years or so. This is for the line (called side sewer around here) that runs from the house to the city pipe deep under the street. And it's expensive -- seems to be $10-15,000 or even more. I avert my eyes when I see the backhoe digging up the latest driveway. Our next door neighbor also just had to have the water main replaced, but that seems to be much less common around here. I'm sure it depends on totally local factors such as age of the housing stock and the material used for the old sewer pipe as well as the relative difficulty in repairing/replacing lines depending on how they are laid out and how deep they are. I'm sure it can't help that the ground around here shakes a bit from time to time. (Of course a really big shake is coming; we just don't know when.)

I know our day is coming. We have sewer (and water line) insurance from a Washington company. It's not as expensive as I thought it would be.
I had a sewer line break in October, due to tree roots. 70-year old clay pipe. About 3-4 years ago I started purchasing some additional coverages beyond my homeowners. Maybe $140-150 a year. I usually don't buy such insurance "extras" but with the age of the house it seemed reasonable. Sewer line fix was $11,000. Got the check from the insurance company today for $10k (policy limit). I don't know if I'll keep that "extra" insurance forever but the renewal came this week and I paid it. :D
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unclescrooge
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Re: water main insurance

Post by unclescrooge »

Gryphon wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:55 pm
exodusNH wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:24 pm I assumed it was because sewer leaks were more common and expensive and thus not profitable to insure.
I think in older construction sewer leaks are more common since they were using either clay or iron pipe laid in sections that were not as well sealed as glued PVC pipe connections. And I wouldn't be surprised if digging up a sewer line was more expensive than a water line - my sewer is probably 3-4 feet deeper than the water main & it's a larger pipe. I just don't think replacing leaky sewer lines is all that common. When I was a kid I lived in a neighborhood built in the 40's; my parents had the sewer line cleaned out every few years and I think other folks in the area did too but I can't remember anyone having their sewer dug up & replaced.
I got a $27k quote to replace a sewer line. I ended up spending $4350 to reline it instead.
Topic Author
SpideyIndexer
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Re: water main insurance

Post by SpideyIndexer »

SpideyIndexer wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 3:04 pm Does it make sense to insurance my water main? It is PVC, 50 years old, about 2 feet under grade level. If it breaks the provider (HomeServe) claims it would cost $2661 to repair plus $490 to locate and repair the leak. Actually I don't know why I would replace the entire line rather than just repair the leak, if there were a crack. PVC shouldn't get brittle if not in the sun. $2.62/mo or $31.44/yr premium.
Actually after reading the fine print on the card I sign and return with the payment, I see the quoted premiums were for the first year only. It gets worse: the current renewal rate is double AND subject to change annually.

No thank you.
drzzzzz
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Re: water main insurance

Post by drzzzzz »

We have water and sewer coverage since the lines run under the street (which has a lot of traffic) and sidewalk in a downtown area with a large tree near the line whose roots have grown into the sewer line in the past causing a blockage. I have had neighbors who have had to replace their sewer line and the cost has been between 8 and 20 thousand dollars.
HoneyBee
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Re: water main insurance

Post by HoneyBee »

I get these mailings about once a year. I did some research on the company and looked them up on the Better Business Bureau. Seems that they are very efficient at billing and collecting premiums and not very good at paying claims. Lots of complaints about delay and denying claims.

So I always throw the mailings away.
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