Water Back Up: Are You Prepared?

In many parts of the country, water abounds as winter winds down. Melting snow and rain seem to make the whole world a watery place. Slushy, icy environments are common, making roads hazardous and driving a dangerous proposition. But too much water can even create problems in what seems like the safest of all places: home. When the quantity of water in and around your home is too much for your water removal systems to deal with, you have what is known as water back up.

Water back up manifests in a few different ways. It can happen when water rises up through the drains in your basement, causes your sewer systems to overflow, or seeps into the walls of your home's foundation. And it can cause substantial damage. For example, if you have thousands of dollars worth of belongings stored in your basement, as many people do, not to mention a heating system and other appliances, a basement flood caused by water back up can effectively ruin everything. Finished basements used as living spaces can put even more property at risk. And water back up can harm people as well as property-sewer back ups can cause severe illness.

Does your North Carolina homeowners' insurance policy cover water back up? Now is the time to make sure. In some cases, you can add water back up protection to your policy. But virtually all homeowners' insurance policies have individual limitations on the amount of water back up coverage, and some policies exclude it entirely. Since such limitations and exclusions can leave you financially high and dry in the event of severe water backup, it's smart to take steps to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Here's what you can do:

• Make sure your basement is sealed against water, and consider raising the valuables stored inside it-including washer, dryer, oil, tank, water heater, and personal items-above typical water back up levels so they will stay dry if water flows in.
• Take care of your home's gutters and downspouts. Keep them clear of leaves and other debris, and repair them promptly if they are saggy. Make sure they direct water a minimum of 10 feet away from your house.
• Tailor your landscaping and irrigation system to encourage water to always flow away from your home's foundation rather than toward it.
• Install backflow valves and standpipes at the locations of all your basement drains, remembering sinks and toilets, to prevent the backflow of sewer water.
• Test the capacity of your gutters. During the next heavy rainfall, put on your slicker and go check the gutters after 15 minutes. If water overflows, you should install more downspouts.

Taking these steps and getting water back up coverage in place will potentially help you save some serious money this wet season, so you'll have more to spend when summer finally arrives.

Contact Litaker Insurance today to ask about protecting your home from water damage.