Water damages can be a pain no matter the type. From heavy flooding to an overflowing sink, the cleanup alone is enough to drive anybody up the wall.
But when it comes to determining the difference between water overflow and water backup, it’s important to know what you are and are not covered for by your homeowners insurance.
Whether it’s an overflowing bathtub or a tree root causing blockage in a sewer line, we here at Berry Insurance have seen (and personally experienced) it all when it comes to water damages. The differences between both water overflow and water backup is an important distinction to know regarding your coverages and when making a claim.
Let's quickly go over these two types of coverages and the best way to recognize any future water damages that could be down the pipeline for your home.
Overflow or backup?
While they may appear similar at first glance, these two types of water damages have separate coverages on your home insurance that are important to keep in mind when filing a claim or looking to protect your home for future damages.
Water overflow: encompasses any damages sustained from overflowing of sinks, toilets, or baths. This type of water damage is automatically covered by most standard homeowners insurance policies, subject to your deductible and coverage limits.
Water backup: is instead an optional coverage, held at an additional cost, covering you if any pipe, drain, sewer line or sump pump backs up and causes overflow or damage to your home. This differs from standard water overflow mentioned above, as it occurs deeper within the pipes and plumbing system rather than just the drain.
Claims made for damages from backup are more common, and generally yield more damage than overflow.
We here at Berry Insurance like to include water backup coverage as a standard when we present quotes, as it is an important protection we often see claims for.
Amount of coverage
When protecting against water backup, most insurance carriers offer coverage limits ranging from $5,000 - $10,000 to reimburse you for any costs resulting from backup damages.
Because overflow coverage is automatically included in your homeowner’s insurance property, it is subject to your policy’s normal limits.
Ways to protect your home against backup
While we can’t always predict when backups will affect our homes, there are early warning signs or common causes that you can look out for to hopefully prevent any future backup.
Clogs:
Clogged drains are common due to everything from improper grease disposal, clumps of hair, to the inevitable time your kids managed to get a toy stuck down the drain during playtime. However, noticing several clogged drains in your home at once can be a likely sign of some sewer backup in your system.
Bubbling Drains:
While the persistent sounds of a gurgling drain could be the perfect white noise to lull you to sleep, it is actually a strong possibility of an issue within the sewer line. With a blocked sewer line, air gets trapped within the pipe and will eventually rise back up through the pipe to exit in an open drain.
Slow to flush:
If your toilet begins to struggle flushing in a timely manner, there is a good chance that you have water or sewer backup that needs to be addressed.
Yard flooding:
Water pooling in your yard could be a sign that your main sewer line may be clogged. These problems may not be noticeable at first, as the lines are buried several feet underground, but can be identified by any standing water in your yard or any strange smells in the area.
Tree Roots:
Even the smallest of cracks in your underground pipe can attract tree roots to worm their way in and expand inside. This will quickly obstruct water flow and lead to further clogs and pipe damage. Because of their invasive nature, it’s important to review the root structure of any trees or plants in your yard in relation to your main sewer line, especially if you begin noticing signs of backup. But don’t go digging up the yard just yet! Working with an experienced plumber is the best way to help identify the root of the problem and fix any blockage.
If you recognize any of these warning signs in your own home, it is imperative to have a professional plumber inspect your sewer line and make any necessary repairs before it leads to any severe backup into your home.
How do I file a claim for water damage?
If the backup or overflow has already found its way into your home, there’s no need to panic! The first major step is to get a plumber involved and fix any damages to your pipes or drains that they may have sustained.
After working with a plumber, you should call your insurance agent and begin the process of filing a claim. Then they can run you through the next steps.
- After reporting your claim, the insurance company will provide an adjuster, who will contact you for information about the damages
- The adjuster will investigate your claim and collect facts as well as estimating the cost of any damage made
- The insurance company will determine what to pay and issue the payment
- After the initial payment is made, there may be additional funds paid if the initial appraisal does not uncover all the damage
- The insurance company closes the claim
To learn more about filing a home insurance claim, check out this article: Everything You Need to Know About Filing a Home Insurance Claim.
Keeping your insurance watertight
Berry Insurance agents have dealt with the woes of overflow and backup damage hundreds of times before. It is our goal to assure you have the proper care and coverage when it comes to your home insurance, to ensure everything will be flowing smoothly in the case of any damages.
Reach out to an insurance agent today if you need help reviewing your current policies and coverages to guarantee you’re prepared for whichever type of water damage your home may experience.
To learn even more about all the different types of water damage that are covered under your insurance policy, check out this article: What Kinds of Water Damage are Covered in Homeowners Insurance?
