Water damage is one of the most common problems that people experience in their homes. Water may enter through a leak in your roof, from appliance failures such as washing machines, dishwashers, or icemakers, through broken sewer lines, or from major fire extinguishing efforts.  The longer the water sits, the more extensive the damage becomes. Immediately addressing water problems can often save thousands of dollars in damage repair costs.

To create a common language and to help allow for standardization between disaster restoration companies and insurance adjusters, water damages are broken down into categories with guidelines for dealing with each.  According to the IICRC Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration (IICRC S500), there are three categories of water that cause damage in buildings.  They are summarized as follows:

Category 1—CLEAN WATER originates from a source that does not pose substantial harm to humans.  Examples: burst water pipes, failed supply lines on appliances and vertically falling rainwater

Category 2—GRAY WATER (unsanitary) contains a significant degree of contamination, physical, biological or chemical, and has potential to cause discomfort or sickness if consumed by humans.  Examples: small overflow of toilet bowls with no waste, broken aquariums, dishwasher and washing machine overflows

Category 3—BLACK WATER (grossly unsanitary) contains pathogenic agents.  Examples:  sewage back-ups, floodwater, water that contains chemical or other wastes

Different removal methods and measures are used depending upon the category of water.  Water may lurk behind baseboards, sheetrock, and studs and is often missed by homeowners, resulting in bacteria and mold issues.  Cleaners will use specialized moisture detection tools to assess the affected areas, determine the extent of the damage, and establish a plan for returning the area to a pre-loss condition.  Services will be provided safely, quickly, and with as little inconvenience to the homeowner as possible.

By James Lunders, Insurance Agent

When was the last time you thought about your water heater?  Most people don’t unless it stops working during a power outage.  It’s wonderful that something works so dependably for years and years, but that wonderful service can lull you into complacency and have drastic consequences.
Did you know…

• 29.7 % of all water heaters in the United States will rupture before they’re 9 years old.
• Over 69% of water heaters will rupture by age 14.
• Each year an estimated 5,000,000 water heaters will be replaced due to ruptures.  A hot water heater will fail regardless of whether or not the water is flowing or the resident is home.
• The repair costs from water heater ruptures can be among the most expensive because the water heater is inside the home, holds large quantities of mold inducing hot water, and can go unnoticed for long periods of time.
• Decreasing the amount of water heater failures by half could potentially save the insurance industry an estimated 5-10 billion dollars a year.

To protect your home from the devastating effects of a hot water heater failure, be sure to visually inspect the heater monthly, check the age and replace hot water heaters after 10 years, and talk to your plumber about placing the heater in an area that won’t be greatly affected by water like your garage, basement or crawlspace.  Never put a hot water heater in your attic.  If it fails, the water will affect every part of the home under the unit causing tremendous amounts of aggravation to the homeowner and a major expense to the insurance company.

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.

There are so many “rainy days” that people can experience — a sick child, a broken-down car, a late mortgage payment.
But what about a lawsuit?
These days more and more lawsuits are being filed — not just against big corporations, but also against people like you and me. Litigation can be expensive when you add up lawyer’s fees and settlements or jury awards. If you have assets, such as cars or a home, you should consider a personal liability umbrella policy.
What is an umbrella?
A personal liability umbrella policy is designed to give you extra liability protection. It can include coverage for various situations such as false arrest, false imprisonment, wrongful detention, libel, slander, defamation of character or invasion of privacy.
This policy can be beneficial, especially if you are ever sued because of an accidental injury to someone else or damage to their property.
For example, if a visitor tripped and fell down your stairs, your homeowners insurance would cover his or her doctor bills.
But if the person went a step further and decided to sue you; would your homeowners policy provide enough coverage? If a jury awarded damages that exceeded your coverage limits, you could be in jeopardy of losing your home or other assets. This is where the umbrella could help you out by giving you extra protection. A personal liability umbrella can also be applied to your auto coverage.
Why an umbrella?
A personal liability umbrella policy can give you a lot of coverage — about $1 million worth — for a small premium.
It can protect your assets when you need it the most and can bring you piece of mind knowing that you have it around.
To see if this is a policy that can be beneficial to you, talk to your insurance agent.

Thank you for visiting.

James