When Your Sewer Backs Up

By Edward Kenwinder


When a sewer backup occurs inside a home, it creates a very filthy and disgusting situation. Sewer backups can occur when a drainage system simply can't handle unexpected volumes of water from a major rainstorm or a sudden snow melt. The extra water in the pipes starts to back up, and it flows the opposite direction into your home and onto your floor. When sewage flows into your home, the damages can be very expensive and messy to clean up, and also there are health implications. The costs of the cleanup are quite high, and it has to be done immediately. While there are some steps you can take to prevent sewer backup damage, the only way to financially protect your family and home against sewer backup damage is to buy insurance.

The tub or sink can just fill with the excess water sometimes, but if it goes through the toilet pipe, it will flow over the edge more quickly since it is full of water, and this situation can happen with no warning. Backup results in water damage and exposes you to bacteria from the filthy water.

Sewer backup is usually excluded from the list of insurable damages in traditional insurance company policies. Often it's available as a rider at an additional cost. There are those who live in areas that have so many incidents of sewer backup due to flooding that insurance will only cover a very limited amount of damages. The cost of repairing damages or the replacement of possessions will not always be completely covered by the policy's limit. Carpeting needs to be replaced after, and many times, new drywall will also need to be put in. If the basement is significantly affected, the potentially valuable property down there could be expensive to replace.

When sewer waste water enters a home and causes damages, the homeowner benefits greatly from having a sewer backup rider on their home insurance policy. If your home insurance policy settles losses on a replacement cost basis, your policy will also pay to replace your damaged property. There are some insurance policies that use a coverage system based on cash values. If that's the case, your policy will pay only the depreciated value of any damaged items.

Cities will very rarely claim responsibility for sewer backups, it's up to the homeowner. Unless sewer backup is mentioned specifically in your home insurance policy, a rider must be purchased to be covered in case of damages from this cause. The chance of a sewer backup in your area will be calculated, and after this, the price will be determined accordingly. Damages that will be covered have their limits, and they will have their own deductibles, with these riders. Depending on the coverage and the insurance company, limits will vary.

Repair and maintenance of the sewer line that runs out of your home and connects to the city's main line in the street is not the city's responsibility, it is the homeowner's, and many do not know this. The homeowner actually owns the sewer line underneath their home that connects to the street, so repairs and maintenance on it is their responsibility.

As the years pass, cracks can form on the lines, they can have obstructions, or they can simply deteriorate and collapse. You may not have a clue that this kind of damage is occurring. But one severe rainstorm may be all it takes to bring the problem to a head.

Typically, sewer backup is not covered by a home or business insurance policy, so to be safeguarded against these unfortunate circumstances, the purchase of a rider is necessary. Make sure that you take the steps needed to have adequate protection.




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