[N/A] Utility Service Line Insurance

[Kenny Phillips]

Should I buy it? No, the real question is why didn't I buy it! I was gonna buy this as a rider to my homeowner's insurance, but a few years ago the local energy company gave everyone a few months for free to entice them to buy it from them. Nobody bought, so they dropped the product. And I forgot about it.
Fast forward to my spinning water meter, a grossly inflated bill, and a 480' foot service line that has had (according to the neighbors) six repairs, one by me, and even though it's been dry, I couldn't find the leak this time (I own a backhoe). Now it's rained for two days, so no finding it now. It's about $500 to have a professional find the leak, with no 100% guarantee.
So ... the cheapest estimate for total water line replacement, cash payment, is $10,800.00. Not a good time for this (never is!)
If I had paid the three bucks a month (or whatever it is), I'd have a $500 deductible, $10K limit. I didn't see a 'betterment clause', but I'm guessing that most lines aren't as long as mine. My local insurance agent believes that they may have merely patched this leak, who knows. But at least I wouldn't have to pay to find the leak and spend eight hours fixing it.
Moral: buy the insurance (after making sure you will come out ahead in a ten-year span.)
Just venting, because I can.

 

[luvflyin]

Should I buy it? No, the real question is why didn't I buy it! I was gonna buy this as a rider to my homeowner's insurance, but a few years ago the local energy company gave everyone a few months for free to entice them to buy it from them. Nobody bought, so they dropped the product. And I forgot about it.
Fast forward to my spinning water meter, a grossly inflated bill, and a 480' foot service line that has had (according to the neighbors) six repairs, one by me, and even though it's been dry, I couldn't find the leak this time (I own a backhoe). Now it's rained for two days, so no finding it now. It's about $500 to have a professional find the leak, with no 100% guarantee.
So ... the cheapest estimate for total water line replacement, cash payment, is $10,800.00. Not a good time for this (never is!)
If I had paid the three bucks a month (or whatever it is), I'd have a $500 deductible, $10K limit. I didn't see a 'betterment clause', but I'm guessing that most lines aren't as long as mine. My local insurance agent believes that they may have merely patched this leak, who knows. But at least I wouldn't have to pay to find the leak and spend eight hours fixing it.
Moral: buy the insurance (after making sure you will come out ahead in a ten-year span.)
Just venting, because I can.

Local energy company was selling the Insurance?? What exactly were they selling. What’s before your meter is their responsibility. What’s after the meter is your responsibility. In the case of your water leak it is after the meter. What’s with six repairs, one by you? Are you in a homeowners association where more than one house shares the meter?

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I thought I had a leak or bad meter once. It was the water softener that had a sluggish/sticky valve and during cycling would waste a tremendous amount of water month after month. I didn’t catch it until I was up late one night thrashing on a car to get it ready for a race that I noticed the softener running excessively long (it was in the garage). I think it was the initial cycle where the resin is backwashed to break it up and flush solids and other contaminants...been 20 years.

 

[Matthew]

My water company usually sends us info on that insurance. I guess I should start looking into a homeowners rider. We recently did a lot of landscaping, including a retaining wall. All that would get torn up if we had to repair anything.

On an unrelated note: even as I am typing this we have an excavator digging a hole in my front yard. A few minutes ago a contractor working across the street hit a gas line. The main runs on my side and tees off under the street to the neighbor’s house.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Local energy company was selling the Insurance?? What exactly were they selling. What’s before your meter is their responsibility. What’s after the meter is your responsibility. In the case of your water leak it is after the meter. What’s with six repairs, one by you? Are you in a homeowners association where more than one house shares the meter?

No. The insurance once offered was for my line (and other lines that are the homeowner's responsibility.) But they didn't get enough takers. Otherwise, you can get it added to the homeowner's policy. It's nearly 500 feet from the meter at the street to my house, and I own that, I know. The other repairs were done before we moved in; the pipe is now 35 years old.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

I thought I had a leak or bad meter once. It was the water softener that had a sluggish/sticky valve and during cycling would waste a tremendous amount of water month after month. I didn’t catch it until I was up late one night thrashing on a car to get it ready for a race that I noticed the softener running excessively long (it was in the garage). I think it was the initial cycle where the resin is backwashed to break it up and flush solids and other contaminants...been 20 years.

Yeah, that's why you turn off the water at your house and look for the flow tickler on the meter. And mine is happily spinning, even with the house water off.

 

[luvflyin]

No. The insurance once offered was for my line (and other lines that are the homeowner's responsibility.) But they didn't get enough takers. Otherwise, you can get it added to the homeowner's policy. It's nearly 500 feet from the meter at the street to my house, and I own that, I know. The other repairs were done before we moved in; the pipe is now 35 years old.

Ah. Seemed odd the Utility would be the ones selling it.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Ah. Seemed odd the Utility would be the ones selling it.

Anything to make money, and they already own all of the equipment needed for gas & electric lines, which will also work for water and sewer (earth drills, backhoes). But they needed a critical mass of sign-ups, which they did not get.

 

[wsuffa]

I looked at the ones offered here pretty hard. They have many more exclusions than a home warranty, and based on the experience of a couple of neighbors , it wasn't worth it. One neighbor got no help when their sewer line collapsed "because the pipe was Orangeburg pipe".

The insurance here is sold by the utility, but they are just acting as an agent for an outside company. There is no involvement by the utility in any work needed, just like AOPA and their plane insurance. Different utilities may do things differently.

 

[denverpilot]

Always ask local contractors if they’ll even take it.

Dad had some insurance on a well that he thought would handle any problems. Until he talked to locals who said they stopped accepting it as payment because they never got paid.

You could pay them cash and go fight forever for your insurance check from the janky company but they wouldn’t do anything but hand you a receipt after you paid to send to them to start your forever claim.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Well, the first and highest bidder is the one doing the job. The lower bidder [with a good reputation] was slow to communicate, gave me a number only by text, and ended up raising his bid by $900 three days later after I gave the OK. He also offered me a deal if I paid in cash, to save on sales tax. Huh. In Ohio plumbing services are exempt; he'd be saving his income tax. I told him "no thanks" and he immediately dropped it back to what it was. I told him "no thanks" and blocked him on my phone. I'm going to pay someone else more money because I hate being messed with, whether by malice or incompetence. The first bidder was responsive and his quote was spelled out in detail I've not seen from a contractor. And I got it two hours after he left here.

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Finally, they are drilling. The plan was to put in the 480' new line, then turn off the water and hook up both ends of the new line. But, of course, they drilled into the existing line, and had to back out the drill, 'cuz the machine was parked over the water shutoff. So no water until they are done. I hope I don't get billed for that.
The machine has an electronically steerable bit, which is pretty cool, and auto-loads pipe sections are it goes.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Finally, they are drilling. The plan was to put in the 480' new line, then turn off the water and hook up both ends of the new line. But, of course, they drilled into the existing line, and had to back out the drill, 'cuz the machine was parked over the water shutoff. So no water until they are done. I hope I don't get billed for that.
The machine has an electronically steerable bit, which is pretty cool, and auto-loads pipe sections are it goes.
View attachment 88577

Yup, those rigs are pretty neat. There's an company called Ditch Witch that started up out of Oklahoma which is one of the market leaders in that type of equipment. Sort of a simplified/compact version of horizontal drilling rigs used in oil and gas. Vermeer is another big player in that market.

 

[Zeldman]

my spinning water meter, a grossly inflated bill,

This is why I prefer wells. One $10,000 dollar bill and I have clean, fresh water with no water bills.

Only draw back is when the power goes out, no water. Which can be a bad thing in winter. So then a portable generator is needed to to run the heater to keep the well house from freezing, and water running. Then added maintenance to keep critters out of the well house, remote temp sensor to monitor the heat in the well house during winter and the extra electricity to run the pump and heater.

What were we talking about again.??

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Yup, those rigs are pretty neat. There's an company called Ditch Witch that started up out of Oklahoma which is one of the market leaders in that type of equipment. Sort of a simplified/compact version of horizontal drilling rigs used in oil and gas. Vermeer is another big player in that market.

They are using a DW drill, and a Vermeer water feed on this job! Just popped through the wall, 4" bit for 1.5" waterline pull, 480 feet (machine capacity 500 feet!)

 

[Kenny Phillips]

This is why I prefer wells. One $10,000 dollar bill and I have clean, fresh water with no water bills.

Only draw back is when the power goes out, no water. Which can be a bad thing in winter. So then a portable generator is needed to to run the heater to keep the well house from freezing, and water running. Then added maintenance to keep critters out of the well house, remote temp sensor to monitor the heat in the well house during winter and the extra electricity to run the pump and heater.

What were we talking about again.??

My closest neighbors have wells, I used to at the old place.