Are drain repairs covered by insurance?

As experts in drain unblocking in Warrington, this is a question that we get asked time and time again. Normally this is when the problem has escalated to such a serious and costly degree – such as a sewer pipe collapsing causing considerable damage to a property. At Mersey Rod, we have put together some handy tips and ideas to make sure that it doesn’t come to this stage and cause undue stress and worry.

Drains and Home Insurance

If you are a homeowner, the chances are you having pretty comprehensive building and contents insurance. However, it is definitely worth double checking as sometimes insurance policies can be a bit vague.  Typically, most building insurance policies will cover and protect drain repairs in Warrington, but you need to be careful of the wording of your policy. Most insurance only covers ‘accidental damage’ – but what would constitute accidental damage? Technically, corrosion of pipes or old age isn’t accidental, so insurance companies’ wording can stop them from paying out on a technicality. However, most insurers do cover outside influences, like tree roots causing cracked pipes or accidental digging into a pipe. If you were to pay for this on your own it would likely be very costly. All insurance policies do have exclusions, so it is good to check and make sure you know what is covered. In some instances, it might even be worth taking out extra drain insurance to make sure that you are fully covered for any accidents that might happen.

Do I really need insurance?

Any drain issues or blockage can disrupt your daily life, and at some point in your property’s life it is likely that an accident will cause a big problem. If you encounter regular blocked drains in Warrington, then this could indicate a more serious issue, and it is important that if something major happens that you have the correct cover in place to protect your savings and your house.

Keeping your drains maintained

If any drain fails within your property boundaries, you are solely responsible for its upkeep – and its repairs. Even if it is connected underground to someone else’s property, it is your job to make sure that you keep your drains well maintained. The best way to make sure that you don’t end up having a big bill to worry about is to make sure that you are avoiding unnecessary wear and tear on your pipes. You don’t want an insurance company to turn around and refuse your claim just because you didn’t keep your pipes maintained, do you?

• Regular cleaning and inspection is the best way to keep on top of things – making sure you are not pouring the wrong things down your pipes for instance! Fat and grease can easily block up kitchen pipes, and baby wipes and sanitary products are notorious for clogging up your bathroom drains. These can all lead to more serious problems which could end up being costly when you have to ring for professional help with your drain repairs in Warrington – but you don’t want your insurance company to not cover it because you flushed the wrong things down the toilet!
• Soften your water – if you live in a hard water area, as we all know with our drainage in Warrington, then we know that hard water can cause problems with plumbing and sewer pipes by leaving a mineral build up in places that we cannot see. You can invest in a water softener to help counteract this by using sodium, and can really help to prolong your pipes life and prevent needing us to help with your drain unblocking in Warrington.
• Tree roots are another hidden issue that you will have to keep an eye out for. These can grow through gaps if the drains have cracks or have not been put together properly and can cause a whole host of problems. They normally grow towards moisture so if there is a tiny leak then that is where the roots will head. This means that they will grow and spread inside the pipes, and if the pipes have been badly damaged by tree roots, then it is likely that your drains will need to be replaced. Luckily, it is quick and easy to call us to inspect your blocked drains in Warrington, but just make sure that your insurance would cover this when you take it out!
• Preparing for colder weather – as we all know, when the temperature drops below 0, the cold weather can cause your water pipes to freeze and burst if you are not careful – and you don’t want to be without heating or water when it gets that cold! If you are away on holiday or leaving the house empty for a length of time, then you do not want to return home and have to call us for drain repairs in Warrington. To try and prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting, it is best to turn off your water supply or set your heating to not fall below a 14 degrees.

However, even if you follow all the precautions, nobody can predict when an accident is going to happen. If something does happen, like a major blockage or collapsed drain, then make sure you contact us at Mersey Rod for your.

Landlords

We just put this in to make sure that landlords also take out sufficient cover for their properties. Whilst tenants have to insure their contents, landlords need to make sure they have comprehensive and sufficient insurance to cover a whole host of potential problems. If a tenant has an issue with the drains, then it will be your responsibility to fix any problems that arise – and it can be very difficult to pinpoint whose baby wipes have caused the issue if you have had a few short term tenancies!  Whatever the problem might be, you can be sure that here at Mersey Rod you will receive a speedy and efficient response as experts in drain unblocking in Warrington.

Is a blocked drain covered by insurance?

This is one of those grey areas that we talked about earlier in our blog – and it truly all depends on what kind of cover you have taken out. In many cases, the cost of unblocking or replacing a domestic drain will not be covered by your building or home insurance. Instead, your insurance may cover any damage that has occurred to your home by the drain – for example if it has caused a flood and damaged the contents of your home. This means that you may still be liable to pay for the drain to be fixed or replaced if that is the case. Double check what your policy says – although we are cost efficient when sorting out your blocked drains in Warrington, some things are out of our control if it is a larger job.

The best thing to do is to check your insurance policy to see what is actually covered, and what the hidden exclusions are. It also may mean that you have to take out extra insurance – but that is better than being faced with a large bill if something goes seriously wrong. If anything does happen, you know that Mersey Rod are here for all your drain repairs in Warrington.