Perhaps the most essential part of your homeowner, renter, or condo policy coverage is to protect your sewer system. But most people don’t even know what it is.
Continue reading to learn more about sewer backup coverage in Canada — but, before getting started, homeowners that are looking for quality home insurance quotes can find more information by contacting a Surex insurance advisor.
What Is Sewer Backup Coverage and Why is it Important?
Sewer backup insurance coverage is an add-on to your standard homeowner, renter, or condo insurance that covers the damage to your home caused by the sewer system. During heavy rains, the city’s sewers can’t handle excess water, causing the sewers to regurgitate and flood your property. This water can seep through the plumbing and cause great damage to the house, especially the lower floors and basements. It also often has a foul odor.
Insurance does little to protect you from odors, but it does its best to protect you from the water. The reason for flood problems and the need for sewer backup is that almost all types of floods are excluded from standard home insurance coverage. With a few exceptions to this rule, it is very difficult to claim payment if the damage is caused by water.
Additional sewer backup coverage fixes this, and sewer flooding is no longer an option, so you can claim if the basement is destroyed by a backup. These incidents are very common, especially in areas with low groundwater levels and frequent heavy rainfall. It’s enough to convince you to get this compensation, but like many other essential but minor aspects of insurance, it’s also just a small part of the cost of your major home insurance policy.
It’s not saying that a sewer backup policy is the perfect product for everyone. There are some drawbacks to consider. The first problem is that insurance companies spend a significant amount of money processing sewer backlog claims each year, so they are very concerned about the coverage of the sewer backlog. Many companies pay so much money that they set additional restrictions or conditions in their policies to reduce the amount they have to pay. The right strategy is to find out what your insurance policy terms are by asking a broker who is familiar with the details of your insurance company.
Another drawback is that sewer backups are not available in certain areas where floods are a major problem, and sewer backups cannot cope with other types of damage caused by water such as flooding. Flood insurance often referred to as overland water insurance is another insurance you have to buy. Talk to your broker for more information on water coverage and possible policy updates. Need channel backup protection? You certainly do.
What Are The Causes Of Sewage Backup
There are two main reasons for this.
- Clogged sewer pipe in your home
- Clogged sewer pipe in the urban system
Tree roots are also known to break pipes and cause clogging. Heavy rains can overload the city’s sewer pipes. When sewers cannot handle the extra demand and endanger assets, water enters the service line.
How To Identify The Source Of Backup
It can be a hard diagnosis. However, if the toilet or washbasin is not drained properly, the most likely cause is a clogged property drain. On the other hand, if the toilet, washbasin, and tub are all not drained properly or at all, the problem can be in the urban sewer that connects all the drains. When working with an insurance company, a professional evaluation is required.
The Warning Signs Of A Sewage Backup
1. Sewage Pipes Have A Sewer Odor
If you notice a sewage-like odor from a sewage pipe, or if your house smells like sewage from an unknown source, there is a possibility there is a sewer backup.
2. Bubbling Toilets And Drains
Bubbles may come out when using the toilet or drain. This may be due to a lack of proper sewage flow through the plumbing system.
3. Slow Draining Of Water
If drainage cannot flow freely through the pipes, water from the kitchen sink, sink, or other plumbing systems can drain more slowly than usual. This issue usually first appears on the bottom floor of your home. The backup will crawl up the sewer if left unresolved.
Preventing Sewage Backup
While you are away, you have no control over what happens to the pipes in your city. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the possibility of sewage flowing back from your home plumbing.
1. Keep The Sewer Lateral Maintained
Sewer connectors are pipes that connect your home or company to the city’s sewers. Many homeowners are unaware that you have to keep this line in good condition. If the groundwater breaks or is fractured, it can seep into the sides and generate backwater. Tree roots can cause havoc on lines of old clay and other materials.
Today’s pipes are made of impermeable plastic to the roots of trees. Consider replacing the old lantern with a new model. Do not flush cooking oil, fat, or other substances into the drain. Cooking oil, fat and fat are not broken down, they can solidify in your pipe and clog them.
2. Insert a drain filter
Drain filters are an inexpensive but effective preventive strategy. They go over the drains of your sink, tub, and shower drain to keep solids out of your pipes. It is also ideal for blocking wet threads and other deposits from the washing machine drain of the washing tub.
3. Paper products need to be recycled or disposed of
Never wash off diapers, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, washable wipes (most of them should not be washed away), and other non-biodegradable materials. These items can clog your pipes and cause a backlog of sewage.
4. After each use, you need to remove the hair from the washbasin, tub, and shower
Catch the lost hair before they fall into the sink. Many hairs clogging prevention devices are available on the market to facilitate this task.
5. Enzyme-based wastewater cleaners are preferred over chemical-based wastewater cleaners
Chemical drain cleaners are used even by the most hard-working homeowners when drains are clogged. You may not be aware that these substances can damage your plumbing system. Always use a drain cleaner that contains enzymes. They function like chemicals and are less harmful to the environment.
