Yes and no are the answers to this question. As the homeowner, you must comprehend both the yes and no parts of the response. This is why. In most cases, insurance will not cover the cost of repairing the ruptured pipes. That means you are responsible for the plumber’s fees. As a result, the answer to the question “will insurance cover frozen pipes?” is a resounding no.
Water damage is usually covered by most insurance policies. As a result, insurance usually covers damage to ceilings, walls, furniture, and flooring, among other things. This is advantageous because the cost of repairing the pipes is generally significantly higher than the cost of repairing the other things.
Are Frozen water pipes covered by insurance?
Yes, in general. If your pipes freeze and burst due to the cold, the water damage will most likely be covered by your homeowner’s insurance policy.
Are Frozen water pipes peril?
Water expands by around 9% as it freezes. This increases the pressure in your home’s pipes, which might cause them to break or rupture. A 1/8-inch pipe crack can leak up to 250 gallons of water each day, inflicting serious damage.
Does home owners insurance cover burst pipe?
Accidental water damage caused by an unforeseen event, such as a burst pipe, is frequently covered by a homeowners insurance policy. Furthermore, cleaning, repair, or replacement of wood floors, drywall, and even furniture as a result of water damage caused by a broken pipe is usually covered. However, if you disregard a known leak or another long-standing issue, your claim may be denied.
Does Home Insurance Cover Frozen Pipes?
Typically, water damage caused by a burst frozen pipe is covered by your homeowners insurance, which includes cleaning and any repairs. Your claim may not be covered if you shut off your heat when leaving your residence for a few days, causing the pipes to freeze as the outside temperature dropped.
You can avoid a freeze-related calamity by taking proactive measures to maintain and preserve your pipes. When you’re not at home, replace the thermostat’s battery and set the temperature to a minimum of 55°. If you’ll be gone for a long time, have a relative or friend check on your house and ensure sure the heat is turned on as needed. Winterize your home if you’re going to be gone for the full winter. This entails completely draining your plumbing system and turning off your water supply.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Line Breaks?
Most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover water line breaks unless the pipe has been severely damaged. Repairs and cleanup, for example, may be reimbursed if you excavate in your yard and accidently break the water line coming from your meter. However, if a water line on your property breaks due to age, normal wear and tear, faulty original installation, frequent ground temperature changes, shifting soil, or damage from pests or encroaching tree roots, the break and accompanying water damage are unlikely to be covered by your standard policy.
Your city or town is responsible for repairing or replacing a water main if it breaks, but you are usually responsible for the repair or replacement of the water main supply line connecting to your residence. If your home has been harmed by a public water main break, notify both your municipality and your insurance carrier.
What Coverage Do You Need for Broken Pipes?
Dwelling coverage, personal property coverage, and/or loss of use coverage frequently include accidental water damage. Make sure water damage is a covered loss in each of these house insurance policy components by speaking with your insurance representative.
Dwelling Coverage
A house insurance policy’s dwelling coverage is a critical component. In the event of unintentional water damage, fire, extreme weather, vandalism, or any covered cause of loss, it can assist pay to rebuild or repair the physical structure of your home.
The projected cost of reconstructing your home determines your dwelling coverage limitations. It’s a good idea to talk to your insurance agent about the replacement cost of your home once a year, especially if you’ve made modifications. Even little upgrades might have an impact on the cost of rebuilding your home.
Property Coverage
In the case of a covered loss, personal property coverage helps cover your items, including as furniture, clothing, sporting goods, or technology, whether they are destroyed at your house, apartment, or anywhere else in the globe.
As long as accidental water damage is a covered cause of loss in your policy, this entails coverage for expert cleaning or replacement of furniture and personal possessions in the event of a burst pipe.
Personal property is often covered at real cash value rather than replacement cost under many policies. You might be able to add full replacement cost coverage to your policy.
Loss of Use Coverage
If a covered occurrence makes your house temporarily uninhabitable while it’s being repaired or rebuilt, loss of use coverage, also known as additional living expenses insurance, can help pay for the additional costs you incur for appropriate housing and living expenses. So, if a burst pipe has rendered your home uninhabitable due to covered damage, this coverage could help pay for things like hotel bills and pet boarding while your house is being restored or rebuilt.
What Water Damage Isn’t Covered by Homeowners Insurance?
You would need to obtain different insurance policies or add-ons to your homeowners coverage to help protect yourself against floods, backup, or sump pump failure. The homeowner is responsible for pipe and appliance upkeep.
Does State Farm homeowners insurance cover frozen pipe damage?
When interior pipes freeze and break, one of the most prevalent types of water damage happens. When this occurs, the water can harm your flooring, walls, furniture, computers, and everything else in its path. You’ll have to pay your policy’s deductible, but State Farm has a strong track record in the industry for paying for water damage caused by frozen pipe bursts as long as “appropriate care” is taken to keep the house warm, according to the firm. In other words, if it is discovered that the temperature in a residence was a significant factor in why the pipes froze and burst in the first place, the claim may be refused.
Does insurance cover freeze damage?
In general, most homeowner and commercial property insurance policies will cover damage caused by a burst frozen pipe. If the following or comparable language appears in the policy, it usually means that coverage exists: When damage is proven to have occurred as a result of a “sudden and inadvertent” discharge from a plumbing source or system, coverage is awarded (please check your policy for the exact language). However, there is one caveat: if it looks that you failed to take the necessary precautions to protect your property, your insurance policy may not respond. Even if the property is idle, occupied, or unoccupied, your insurance normally requires that heat be maintained within the property, and some policies require that you maintain a specified temperature. If it is decided that the insured did not take efforts to maintain the property to prevent freezing, you may not be eligible for insurance coverage for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, automatic fire protection, or household appliances.
Now that winter has here, here are a few tips to keep your pipes from freezing:
- Use foam sleeves, pipe tape, batt insulation, or expanding foam to insulate your pipes and meters.
- All leaks must be repaired. It’s possible that you’ll need to replace washers, modify the pipe, and/or use caulking.
- Store drinking water (1 gallon per person/per day for 3 days) in case pipes freeze.
- Allow a faucet to leak in unheated and uninsulated spaces during extremely cold weather.
- Maintain a room temperature of 69 degrees Fahrenheit or no lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit in all sections of the property (use extreme caution when warming an area with space, kerosene or other types of heaters to avoid risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning).
- Garden hoses should be removed from outdoor water facets. All outside faucets should be covered. Inquire at your local hardware shop about insulation.
- If your house has a shut-off valve that allows you to turn off the water to outside faucets, you should use it as a precaution.
- If pipes freeze, open the cold-water faucet closest to the frozen pipe fully. Use a hair dryer to thaw the pipe if you desire to do so. NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER
- To avoid freezing pipes, turn off the water supply and empty the system(s) and appliance(s) if your vacant or unoccupied property is without heat. Have a neighbor check on the property if feasible.
If you have any questions, call the Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking at (202) 727-8000.
Do frozen water pipes always burst?
A: If the expanding ice can push water out through an open faucet, frozen pipes do not necessarily explode. Pipes, on the other hand, freeze quickly, and the interval between freezing and bursting can be extremely brief.
How do you stop a frozen pipe from bursting?
Because there are no practical means to raise the ground temperature surrounding your property, you won’t be able to prevent the contraction induced by the cold water. Our recommendation is to keep an eye on your plumbing system when the weather changes and check for leaks. While we can’t prevent leaks caused by cold temperatures, we can take steps to keep pipes from freezing and exploding. A list of eight things you can do to prevent water pipe bursts follows:
Keep Water Faucets Running
Keep one or two faucets flowing slowly if it’s freezing cold outside. The line should not freeze if there is water flowing through it.
Direct Warm Air To Cold Areas Of Your Home
Pipes that freeze are frequently found near an outside wall or a window, so ensure that warm air is directed to any cooler sections of your property. (Start in your basement and look for any pipes that are close to the home’s exterior.)
Leave Your Cabinet Doors Open
If your kitchen sink is located on an outer wall (as most are), keep cabinet doors open to enable warm air to circulate. During really cold weather, you should normally leave your kitchen faucet on.
Disconnect Your Hose From The Outside Faucet
Make sure your hose is disconnected from the outside faucet. If you leave your hose attached, water will not be able to drain from the hose bib, causing the device to freeze and break.
Install Heat Tape
Heat tape is a product that may be put and will warm pipes as needed throughout the winter season. While you could handle it yourself, it’s a good idea to seek advice from an Indianapolis plumber to learn some best practices.
Seal Leaks That Allow Cold Air Into Your Home
Seal any leaks in your home’s pipes that allow chilly air to enter. Examine electrical wires, dryer vents, and pipes for air leaks. To keep the cold out, use caulk or insulation. Even a little gap can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze in extreme temperatures.
What to do if my pipes are frozen?
If you’re not a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, it’s best to leave this to the pros. If you’re familiar with home maintenance, there are some quick repairs you may try. Keep the following guidelines in mind if you try to thaw the frozen pipes yourself:
- Keep the faucet running. During the thawing process, water and steam will be produced, and your pipes will require an outlet to release this. Maintaining an open faucet allows moving water to flow through the pipe, speeding up the thawing process.
- Apply heat to the iced-up segment of the pipe. Wrapping an electronic heating pad around the pipe, heating the area with a hair dryer, or both can be used to accomplish this. If you don’t have one of them, towels soaked in hot water will suffice. Keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution, and the heating pad should never be left unattended to avoid a fire.
- Understand what not to do. To thaw frozen pipes, never use a blowtorch, propane or kerosene heaters, a charcoal stove, or any other open flame device. This is a serious fire hazard. You should also avoid utilizing a space heater unless the room is completely free of flammable materials. Never leave a space heater unattended again.
- Continue to apply heat until the water flow is normal again. Turn on other faucets in your home to check for any more frozen water pipes after you’ve successfully thawed the pipe.
- If the frozen pipes are placed inside an outside wall, act quickly. This is a serious condition that necessitates the assistance of a skilled contractor, as repairs may entail creating a hole in the wall toward the inside of the house to expose the pipes to warmer air.
How do plumbers fix frozen pipes?
A plumber can repair pipes that have frozen and burst. If the pipes are frozen but not burst, a plumber can defrost them using a heat gun. A homeowner could start the thawing process with a hair dryer as a temporary remedy. In this circumstance, a plumber’s major function and concern is to diagnose and fix the condition that caused the pipes to freeze. For additional information about frozen pipes, see our blog “Winter vs. Your Pipes.”
How long does it take for a pipe to unfreeze?
It takes roughly 30 minutes to melt frozen pipes using any of the few options available. This varies based on the weather, the length of time the pipe has been frozen, and the location of the pipe. The thawing process can be slowed down by any of these variables. 2
Remember that a frozen pipe isn’t the only problem that cold weather brings. Find out what else you can do to keep your house safe this winter.
The information provided is solely for educational purposes. It does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or other professional advice, nor does it serve as a substitute for such advice. It’s possible that the information won’t apply to you. We made every effort to ensure that the information is correct, however it may be outdated or even incorrect in some areas. It is the reader’s obligation to follow any local, state, or federal regulations that may apply. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates, and its employees offer no promises or guarantees about the information, and they take no responsibility for the information given. The Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, and Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide, Nationwide Nationwide in 2021.