Homeowners Policy Re Coverage From Leaky Water Pipe ?

 Hello,

Would be most grateful for any opinions on this.

Read my Homeowners policy, but truly hard to understand.

I had a household water pipe apparently "eaten" away by whatever
is in the water over the last 30 years or so.  Tempted to call it
corrosion, but this might not be the right word.

A little disconcerting about what the water was/is eating away in me,
but that's another matter I guess.

Anyway, a leak developed.
House was apparently plumbed with the thinner wall Copper water pipe.

Had to have a Plumber, and also a Plasterer, and a new paint job for the
damaged ceiling.

Would like to know a bit more re if this kind of damage is covered by
the typical Homeowners Policy (Mass.) before contacting the insurance agent.

Or, is coverage (usually) only for a sudden, catastrophic happening, and
this "over-time" damage would likely be excluded ?

Any caveats to your opinion ?

Much thanks,
Bob

 

My S-I-L had her ice maker fail on her refrigerator, and insurance
covered it.


I had a casement window fall when I opened it and the insurance
wouldn't cover. If it had been due to wind damage, insurance would
have covered.

--
   Ron

 

My suggestion is that you drink filtered water and call an independent
insurance claims adjuster.

  

Most homeowners' policies have some coverage for water damage.  There
is also a common, inexpensive rider for seepage and backup from the
sewer system.  Read those parts.

In general, water damage from a burst pipe like yours is covered.  I
had a valve under a bathroom sink break due to corrosion several years
ago.  We were away for the weekend, and by the time we returned most of
the finished basement was flooded.  The insurance covered the
dewatering, drying out, new plumbing, electrical work, wallboard, wall
coverings, cabinets, etc.

HOWEVER, if you didn't call the insurance company BEFORE you had the
damage repaired, they may not pay for the repairs, because their
appraiser cannot assess the damage.

 On Wed, 2 Feb 2011 16:21:59 +0000 (UTC), "John Weiss"


John, I'm surprised they covered the cost of the new plumbing.  I
suspect insurance policies differ among the various states.  My
experience in California is that resultant damage is covered, but
insurance will not pay to fix the cause of the problem.  If they
were to do so, the would actually be writing a mechanical systems
insurance policy.  It is possible to get a contract to cover such
items but it is generally a maintenance contract and not insurance.

I see you used the word burst to describe the leak.  It is my
understanding this is the type of leak covered by insurance, but it
wasn't clear to me that OP's problem was a burst pipe.  A corrosive
leak sounds like it might be a small leak that got bigger over time.
Such a leak may or may not be covered under a standard homeowners
policy.

In any case, OP cannot get an authoritative answer from Usenet.  We
haven't seen his policy nor damages.