Water in your Basement? Not this Year!
By James Lunders, Agent
Do you have a finished basement? Do you store valuable things in your basement? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you owe it to yourself to do two things this year as spring approaches. First, schedule some time to meet with your insurance agent for a review of your homeowners policy. In addition to making sure you have enough coverage to replace your home and personal property, make sure you are covered for the right things. In this case, the peril of “Backup of Sewer and Drain.” The basic homeowners policy in the state of Iowa does not normally cover this peril. It can be covered with a relatively inexpensive endorsement. Should your basement become filled with water due to the backup of your sewer line or the failure of your sump pump, you can get valuable coverage with this endorsement to help you recover. That brings us to the second thing you need to do as spring nears. Check your sump pump to make sure it is in working order. Due to freezing temperatures your sump pump does not often need to run all winter long. As things begin to warm and thaw in the spring, sometimes the sump pump is needed to do double duty. In addition to making sure your sump pump works, you want to make sure it is serviced on a regular basis and cleaned properly so it can do its job when needed.
Here is a helpful link to learn more about maintaining your sump pump.
You can also get a water alarm to alert your household of a water intrusion from the drain or sump pump. This is another inexpensive step you can take to avoid the inconvenience that comes with a water loss. Water Alarms are available at most Home Improvement Centers:
Click Here for an Example of a Water Alarm
No one likes to have water in their basement. Make sure you have done all you can to prevent it from happening and make sure your insurance agent has you covered in the event it happens anyway.