Plumbing Valves Frisco

Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Leaks?

If your home has had a significant water damage loss claim or there have been multiple claims on your homeowners insurance policy, they may require you to install a leak detection device.

Of course, water leaks do not always come in the form of a leaking water heater, toilet, faucet, or appliance. Sometimes the leak comes from below ground. Slab leaks (and sewer breaks) can cause water damage to the interior of the home as well. A continual pinhole slab leak can saturate the ground to a point that the water has nowhere to go but up through the various pipe penetrations in the slab. Once the water has migrated to the surface cabinets, walls, and flooring can be damaged and create mold.

Making a repair to a slab leak requires access to the pipe. This is typically NOT covered by regular homeowners insurance policies. However, every policy should offer an additional endorsement that will cover the access portion of the repair. Usually, the access is the most expensive part of a slab leak.

Call your insurance company today to make sure that you have this very important endorsement or coverage on your policy. For total protection, you can back that up with an Earl’s Plumbing membership’s annual safety inspections, along with a whole home leak detection and water shut-off device service from Earl’s Plumbing.

Are Emergency Shut-Off Valves Worth the Cost?

We absolutely think so, and you have multiple options when it comes to these important leak-detection devices. Some are quite basic with just an audible alarm notification. Some, known as point-of-use devices, are triggered by moisture and have automated shut-off valves that turn off the water flow in the event of a leak.

Earl’s Plumbing offers a shut-off device called FloodStop for water heater installations. We strongly recommend this to our customers with water heaters in attics. These are great, long-lasting, and highly suggested if your water heaters (tanks or tankless) are above a living area.

Although water heaters are no longer allowed to be installed in the attics during construction, there are well over a half million homes that we service that have an attic installation setup. It was very common in Frisco, McKinney, and surrounding areas in the early to mid-2000s. There’s nothing wrong with an attic installation if homeowners are proactive in replacement. But as the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.”

Leak detection devices provide a backstop and peace of mind. FloodStop brand makes other products for clothes washers, dishwashers, and other leak-prone areas.

There are also multiple whole home leak detection devices that can be installed on the main water line. These are typically Wi-Fi enabled and app-based, like the Moen Flo. They typically protect by detecting unusual patterns of water flow or deviations from your normal life patterns.

Is There a Shut-Off Valve for My Hot Water Heater?

The water heater shut-off valve is probably the most easily located of your important shut-off valves. The water heater shut-off valve is always on the main water line going into the water heater.

This is typically on the right side of the heater’s location. Both tankless and tank water heaters will have one and sometimes more than one shut-off valve.

The reason that the water heater shut-off valve is important is the propensity for them to be ignored and then start leaking. Waterfalls from the ceiling in the middle of the living room or rivers running out of the garage are not normal or preferred. You must be proactive in replacing water heaters that are above living areas. The shut-off valve, if needed, will only limit the damage and obviously can only be employed when someone is home and knows what to do.

Older tank water heaters will likely have a multi-turn gate valve but they may not function properly, so be careful. If installed correctly, newer water heaters and most tankless water heaters will have quarter-turn ball valves and usually more than one.

Please note that many of the larger houses in the North Texas area may have a recirculation pump and/or a dedicated recirculation line. This is important to note in case of an emergency or when work is performed, as this pump should also have its own separate shut-off valves. They will need to be turned off and the pump unplugged to stop the water flow.