Insurance or not on the supply water line....

[recycled sixtie]

between the back lane and the house? Apparently it is our responsibility the homeowner to pay for the maintenance of the supply water line that comes onto our property and goes into the back of the house. If it breaks we have to pay for it unless you have insurance.

There is an organization that insures this line for $10 a month premium with an annual $10000 benefit annually.

In the last three weeks we have had 2 water main breaks in the back lane so likely these mains will have to be replaced . The attaching lines to the houses could be similarly ancient.

What do you say? Should we get insurance for the attaching line to the house?
G.

[70SATMan]

At least for me in CA, the water line from the meter at the edge of the street (utility source) to my house is considered part of my property/my responsibility. As such it is covered by my homeowners insurance policy like any other aspect of my property. Anything upstream of the meter including the meter is owned by the utility and is not my responsibility regardless of the fact that it technically travels/resides on my property (easement)

My natural gas main is slightly different as the line (travelling underground through my property) to the meter and the meter (mounted along side my foundation) are considered the utility source (easement). The Meter outgoing line into my house is then a part of my property.

[ossiblue]

We got a similar solicitation as well and living in Ca., the situation is as Michael describes, which sounds much like yours. I'm not sure if homeowners insurance covers a break, but it may. Even so, the likelihood of a break depends on a lot of factors including when the line was laid, not necessarily when the mains were put in. I chalk it up to a possible expense of being a homeowner and I'm too cheap to pay out $120/yr. for the unlikely possibility of a break. Your situation may be different, but I haven't even heard of one of my neighbors having a break in their supply line, outside of the area near the meter or their house--two areas that are easily accessible.

It's your call, of course, but I see it as a cash cow for the service provider as the odds of them covering a break is small. Since you live in a very cold climate, your risk may be significantly higher and the depth of the line may warrant such a policy. I can only comment for the circumstances in which I am familiar.

BTW, I've also gotten similar solicitations from companies for inside electrical and telephone and telephone wiring and gas lines from the meter to the house. I ignore them all.

[id10t]

Check with your insurance agent to see if you are already covered. If not, see how much it would cost to add coverage to your regular insurance policy. If he/she can't do it, then do more research on the company making the offer to you, make sure you will really be covered, etc.

What would it cost to repair such a break? $120/yr isn't much, and if a break is "only" $1200 to fix that is 10 years worth of payment on the policy. Whats the likelyhood of damage in the next 10 years?

I say insure it, but make sure you are really getting the right coverage to actually fix it ....