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Watching for Causes of Water Damage in Your Home | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County
12/7/2018 (Permalink)
Even though severe weather and flooding are usually the first things that come to mind for many when thinking about water damage, weather conditions are often not the main culprits.
Instead, there are items and systems in your home that can be responsible for many situations that result in water damage.
Water damage is something that many homeowners will face. It was the third most common reason that homeowners filed a homeowners insurance claim between 2011 and 2015, with an average payout per claim of $8,861.
There is a significant difference between water damage and gradual water damage, which has an impact on homeowner’s insurance claims. Examples of gradual damage are circumstances that have been happening over time, like plumbing issues in the walls causing damage to the walls, ceilings or floors, or water damage caused by cracks in the foundation, for example. Unfortunately, many gradual water damage issues are not covered by homeowners insurance, while storm-related water damage usually is.
According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the leading causes of water damage are:
Plumbing supply system failures. This involves frozen pipes that can burst because the water pressure builds up due to freezing water in the pipes or when the supply system materials fail, causing pipes to leak or burst. Per the study conducted by IBHS, plumbing supply system failures were the leading source of residential water losses and cost an average of $5,092 per incident after the deductible. They also found that homes with ages of 16 to 40 years made up a larger portion of supply system material failure claims.
Plumbing drain system failures. This can occur when a sewer drain backs up and overflows into a home, or from material performance issues. In their study, IBHS found that 52% of drain system failures were caused by sewer backups and 37% were related to material performance issues. They also found that the average drain system failure was more expensive in southern region states than in northern region states.
Toilet failures. Toilets cause the second highest number of residential water damage losses after plumbing supply system failures and are the result of faulty fill valves or clogged drain lines. According to IBHS, toilet failures on the first floor of a home created more costly insurance claims than those that occurred in basements or upper floors.
Water heater failures. If your water heater has reached its life expectancy, the tank begins to rust and corrode, which can result in leaking or bursting issues. IBHS found that 69% of all water heater failures resulted from a slow leak or sudden burst and, on average, cost $4,444 per incident following the deductible.
Washing machine failures. These are typically caused by supply hose failures, machine overflows and drain line failures. This situation is one of the top 10 sources of residential water damage losses and, per IBHS, supply hose failures accounted for over half of all washing machine-related losses.
If your home has experienced any water damage, the team at SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County is available to help with cleanup and restoration and make it “like it never even happened.”