Let's see...that's $65.88 a year. Have you called a plumber to get a ballpark figure to replace that line if needed? That might be helpful.

We've gotten those letters too but have not bought the insurance. If the line breaks, we'll have to pay for it.

Why don't you ask on the plumbing forum? Maybe they have plumbers there who could add some help in making the decision.

I know $5 a month doesn't seem like much, but by the time you have 5 here and there, it can sure add up.

Get those all the time. "Extra Service Protection" is big business nowdays, There is some kind of policy coverage for everything you own. All the fees can add up. Anyone's call if it is a worthwhile expenditure. Why are you so worried about an ambulance?

Hadn't even thought of the plumbing forum. Thanks!

I am not worried about an ambulance ride... but living on your own, there isn't anyone to haul you off, if you need it. :)

Moni

The letter we received stated, it would only cover the line from the meter to where the line enterered the house. Did not cover pipes inside the house .
Not worth the cost in our case.

I've owned four houses over the years, beginning in 1975. I've never had a new house and I've never had a broken water pipe. I think your money is better spent on other things, unless broken pipes are endemic in your area. Ask some neighbors if they've experienced something that this coverage would pay for.

Ambulance charges are often covered by medical insurance. If you do have such coverage, you may not need something additional. If you don't, perhaps you should but the supplement may or may not be a good value.

I've never subscribed to water protection. My climate is milder, but in 40+ years of owning a house I've never had a broken pipe not even with a couple of earthquakes. We take steps to prevent freezing in those rare storms that could cause it, and I have a good plumber who charges fair prices when I do need him.

My EMS fee (emergency medical services) on my city utilities bill (not optional) is $21.85/month. The only time I've needed an ambulance (knock on wood) was when our hospital sent me to one more fully staffed and with a cath lab 55 miles away. I was billed $1500 and my insurance paid it.

Before I'd buy such insurance, I would ask about the details of what exactly the policy covered and at what cost level. Sure, they might quote today's repair cost but 15 to 20 yrs later, the repair charge could have doubled and if the policy did not have an inflation adder, it would cover only half of the cost.

Also, I wonder what assurance that the compnay would be around when you needed it. Try to find the age of the firm. If it is less than 3 yrs old, it may be one of those that re-incorprates itself every 3 years to escape charges and lawsuits - That's a favorote ploy of local home builders in my neighborhood.

Usew Google to locate agent offices. There should be enough of those to sevice your area, say, at least 2 to 3 per county. You may find they do not support offices staffed with agents to help you when a crisis strikes. Some on-line auto insurances do this leaving the entire burden on the auto owner to process that paperwork, find qualified repair shops, and get quotes. Often, it envolves a number of phone calls. They may contract with an estimator to access the damage and set the cost. Sometimes these so-called estimators low ball the amount. The bottom line: It isn't worth it if the company does not support bonafide agents.

The most often failure is a burst hose on the clothes washer or the dish washer. These can be true disasters if you are not home when it happens. A hose broke on my sister-in-law's washing machine when they were out of town. They came home 2 days later to find that a towel had floated across the floor drain causing the basement to flood. Not only did they have damage, the city presented a big water bill. This kind of damage can be averted by installing a pressure fail valve in front of the appliance hoses. It shuts off the water flow if it detects loss of pressure in the hoses.

This coverage was offered by our utility company and we signed up for it. Reason being, due to the drought the ground is shifting and we've already had 4 line breaks, 2 under our driveway and 2 in the house foundation.

For the ones in the house we had the pipes re-routed, so no more worries about those. But the ones outside the house broke under the driveway and it was quite pricey to have the driveway concrete demolished and the pipes dug up and fixed, so it would have been nice to have coverage. We did make sure the coverage would include opening the driveway, digging, etc.

So, it depends on your circumstances and if your area has had drought problems which could result in soil shrinkage and subsequent pipe leaks.

We have a policy to cover the cost of water lost due to broken pipes. The meter is out by the road, a long distance from the house, and a lot of water could be lost. With this policy, we would not have to pay for the lost water. We would still have to pay for pipe repairs.

Now we also have to pay a "Storm Damage" fee each year. I really don't understand that one.

Water line from well, about 75 feet away, comes to and through house wall to pump (inside), then to pressure tank and through the house.

If the line breaks between the well and the house ... I call my landlord ... well - it's the same if inside to house, too.

I figure that I should turn off the valves on both the cold and hot water lines to the washer when I finish using it each time: sometimes I do, sometimes not.

ole joyful

My house was built in 1952 and in 2001 the line broke out in the street,sewage/water backed up in our house.I was washing clothes and when I came in from the garage I found the toilet,sinks in kitchen and bathroom full of nasty water.

Called the plumber he roto rootered it,to no avail,then ended up calling roto rooter who put a camera down the line and saw the break out in the street.Called the city,they said your problem!!

Roto rooter doesn't do that kind of work and the city couldn't direct us directly to anyone who did,but they did give us alist of plumbing contractors they used.

We picked one and thank goodness our choice was a great one.

City told the plumbers the pipes were down 7',ummmm ,no they were down almost 13'.

Lucky for us ds knows people that work for the city and they told us what to do as well,and also told us to take lots of pictures,the plumbers and sub contractors had already told us that as well.They also took lots of pictures.

They had to gut our bathroom,take down 3' of wall in the hall and bathroom,set up those fans to dry it out,replace our bathroom fixtures,the floor and wall,put that stuff that keeps mold from growing on the studs and inner walls,repaint the bathroom and hall,and all sorts of stuff.

It cost several thousands of dollars which we had to pay for initially,but when all was said and done between our insurance and the city,we weren't out any money in the end.

It was however the biggest hassel I've ever been through,and I had to handle it pretty much on my own as dh had had a stroke a few months before.Thank God my son was/is just a phone call and 10 minutes away,and is very dependable.

It took a few weeks from start to finish,and all the workers were great.

Traffic thru our area was not happy as they had to dig up the street,and put down those big iron plates,since after we bought this house they put a main highway down the hill below us,so it send a lot of traffic thru here now.

We've been in this house for 47 years.

OOPS,forgot to say that the cause of the break was one of those old terra cotta looking pipes that were installed when the houses went in,had a piece that broke off and was laying across the opening that ran from our house.

Kathi

It depends on what your water line of made of and the odds of it being ruptured by soil movement. A few iron pipes have failed in my area in ancient installations or where very heavy trucks travel, but the failure rate is very low. My first house was built new and I lived in it for 13 years without a problem. My second house was built new also and has had no problem. I've been in it for 38 yrs without incident and it more likely to have had a failure because the line is a mix of ages. There had been a house on this lot before and the plumber was able to connect my line to the old exsting one that ran from my lot line to the water main in the street. An exterior shut-off valve is located on the lot line where the transition takes place.

In my municipality, the home owner is responsible for the line running from his house to the lot line and the village is responsible for the short line that runs from the lot line to the water main. Most breaks occur in the portion in the street wehre there is heavy traffic with potential for soil shifts during spring thaws. In my commuity, a load limit is placed on the streets during the freeze-thaw cycle in the spring months, but this is not fool proof. Once a week, heavily loaded garbage trucks traverse the streets, but one culprit is the occasional illegal truck that sneaks by or one that inadvetently got routed wrong.

If your lateral is made of good materials and can flex a bit without breakage, there should be little chance of breakage.

Before I'd sign for such insurance, I'd want to know just how stable the company is and has it ever paid a claim. Querying your local BBB could be helpful. If you find it is a company that re-incorporates every 3 years, don't touch it. The new corporation has no obligation to cover the debts of a prior corporation. I would feel more confortable if the coverage was from a long standing company that also provided my home owner's policy.

Admitedly, a water line break in your part of a lateral can be expensive. In general, this line is buried below the frost line. If you have a basement, the line may be at the depth of the footing. Usually, the entire line should be replaced.

Maybe check the cost and coverage with your house insurance people, if they offer such, to have it as an add-on. Probably less cost ... for better coverage.

ole joyful

I heard some noise outside my house this morning and found an excavator in my neighbor's front lawn. They were digging up the sewer line. It was down 8 to 10 ft deep. The house has a basement and the sewer line ran under the basement floor and wall footing. The service truck was carrying new sewer pipe and no water line. I think the problem was invasion by tree roots into an old tile type sewer line. The house was built about 1940.

They did not have to open the side walk or street. They were deep enough to tunnel out as far as needed. There was a parade of service trucks today: Time Warner Cable, Electric and Gas Co., Att telephone, and the bulding inspector.

What a bummer. The kids put this house up for sale a just couple of weeks ago. Their parents had passed away several years ago and it had been rented out. Renters more or less wrecked the interior. Two years ago, they renovated the house and grounds spending about $40,000 and had one renter since. Two months ago, they pushed the renter out in preparation for sale.