Sewer Line Insurance - Worth it?

Submitted by wbruce098 t3_zvrc3v in baltimore

Here’s my situation: 120+yo row home. There are no trees or other plants behind my house where the sewer line goes out to the street, so roots shouldn’t be an issue. However, I don’t know how old the line is or whether it’s been replaced in the past century. It could be ye olde cast iron (the main appears to be metal), definitely not PVC.

At $9-17/mo, these plans seem relatively inexpensive for something that could run me several grand to fix, but I’m worried about whether they’ll actually pay out for reasonable replacement costs, and one thing I keep finding in each plan I’ve read is that it only covers the line from the point it exits my home’s foundation. What about the portion inside my home?

Has anyone ever had positive experience with sewer line insurance? The few sources I’ve seen here and other subs don’t seem to speak highly of sewer line insurance experiences, but there’s not much out there.

Does it matter that they won’t repair/replace what’s inside my home? Should a company be replacing the whole thing if it fails?

Given that there’s no earth, grass, or trees, only concrete behind our rows out to the back alley (and then more concrete and more houses), should I be concerned about my sewer line at all, so long as I keep up regular maintenance and pay attention to what goes down the drain? Is there really any significant risk aside from clogs?

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CaptainStudly t1_j1qqglk wrote

HomeServe exterior line coverage is 100% worth it. My main exit line developed a hole, let your imagination run wild with that. Filed a claim, guy came out with an endoscope and found the hole, his company evaluated options, and within something like three weeks my drain was fixed, all covered by the policy.

Edit to add: as far as I can tell this insurance works the way insurance is supposed to work, by pooling risk. You look at it and wonder how they don't get killed by adverse selection, and I still sorta wonder that considering that it's not compulsory. But if you step back and look at how we finance fixing a city full of 100-year-old drains, the answer is everybody pays $10/mo and we fix them as they break.

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Opposite_Selection_3 t1_j1s1stl wrote

Get both the water and sewer line. In one year we had both go. Combined cost without insurance was $13,000 and that did not include landscape improvements after the work was done.

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Direcircumstances1 t1_j1tase9 wrote

Agreed! We have both! We had out water main line blow up. They replaced it right away.

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wbruce098 OP t1_j1qr296 wrote

Good to know, thank you!

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miamivt t1_j1t2iov wrote

Call them and get it today. On our block, six houses have had to replace their line this year. They were all built in 1927. It's only a matter of time that the rest of the houses need it.

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psyop63b t1_j1rvd3m wrote

I also thought exterior line coverage (water and sewer) was a no-brainer. 30 years of insurance premiums is still cheaper than a single repair.

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dcdave3605 t1_j1qrz9b wrote

Homeserve is subsidized by the city and if you are eligible for it, yes you should get it immediately.

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TalkShowHost99 t1_j1qpelp wrote

Hey there - I’ve wondered about the insurance too. I had to replace a sewer line in my last home (row home built in 1947) - roots had invaded the line and were causing lots of issues & backups in the basement (washer backing up when it drained). The replacement was all exterior - so to answer your question about interior lines - the company that did our sewer line didn’t touch anything on the interior. That doesn’t mean that roots and other problems can’t still get into the interior too.

What I’d recommend first is to hire a plumber to run a camera line through your sewer line - they usually do this through a clean out in the basement or may have to remove a toilet to do it if you don’t have a clean out in the interior. It is not all that expensive & they’ll be able to tell you what if any problems you are going to be facing. Then if indeed there is an issue waiting to happen you can make the judgement on the sewer line insurance. Before we bought our current house during the home inspection phase I hired a plumber to come out and run the camera through the sewer lines and luckily they didn’t find any problems- but it was well worth it knowing what’s going on in there!

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wbruce098 OP t1_j1qqs7i wrote

Thanks, this was very helpful! I know exactly where the clean out is, don’t have any backups, and I do have a snake of modest length. But it’s that time of year again — the time I worry about whether I should’ve gotten X insurance coverage 😂

The real question I guess is, since there’s nothing alive anywhere near the drain lines, I guess there’s no risk of roots (we have a handful of city planted trees on the sidewalk but nothing in the alley in back). Is there anything else that I should be reasonably concerned that drano or a snake can’t fix between my house and where the city takes over?

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S-Kunst t1_j1qtqy2 wrote

This sounds like a good idea, get the system looked at first.

Another problem, is if your clothes washer does not have a lint trap, you need to use those metal mesh socks which attach to the gray water line in the slop sing. . I had a back up due to a lint build up Had to have the main sewer line in the house cleaned to the clean out to the yard. Also ask your plumber about installing a safety valve to prevent sewage backing up into the house.

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wbruce098 OP t1_j1rlsmx wrote

The lint trap thing is a good point. My washer drains into a deep sink which does have a rubber filter/stopper on the drain, but not an especially good one, and it clogs fast. I bet I can find one at Ace that’s easier to clean. Any recommendations?

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S-Kunst t1_j21lqbk wrote

I buy a case of those metal mesh tubes which go over the Washer drain water hose in the slop sing. Each one lasts for about 4 loads.

https://www.amazon.com/Washing-Machine-Premium-Rustproof-Stainless/dp/B01ITKX9TG/ref=asc_df_B01ITKX9TG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167125770928&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17600804153905065478&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007921&hvtargid=pla-308479135370&psc=1

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Any-Grapefruit-937 t1_j1qvghs wrote

I can't speak to the value of the insurance, but I will say that my sewer line collapsed a few years ago and it was Terra cotta. Cost about 7k to get it repaired. Because I didn't have insurance, I had to pay it all. Just what I wanted to spend my money on. Could have come from roots from my neighbor's tree. They had a silver maple, and they are notorious for destroying underground pipes.

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candy4breakfast11 t1_j1r41kq wrote

Same here, ours was original terracotta and got destroyed by roots. Happened right after we bought our house and I spent $$$ landscaping. They had to dig out my entire yard and it’s been a clay pit since. In other news, anyone know a good landscaper who can level a rowhome yard for a reasonable price?

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Unusual-Thanks-2959 t1_j1qpdpz wrote

Ask your current insurance company about adding coverage. My company offers service line coverage which includes water, sewer, natural gas, electric, cable etc.

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jabbadarth t1_j1r5v1s wrote

Make sure that extends beyond the footprint of your house. A lot of home insurance says it covers sewer but only means until it hits your exterior wall. Homeserve specifically covers the 10ish feet of pipe from your house to the street line which is an area the city does not cover.

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Unusual-Thanks-2959 t1_j1r80ce wrote

The coverage I pay additionally for is "stoop to the curb". Each company could have different coverage so it's good to call and compare coverage and rates. Mine covers more than water/sewer, natural gas, underground electric and cable, which all serve my home, are covered.

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jabbadarth t1_j1r85cj wrote

That's great. Just wanted to make sure. I've seen people get duped.

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waverlygiant t1_j1r797v wrote

I had a poor experience; it was determined that my problem was on the city side, but the city wouldn’t do anything because I didn’t have an exterior cleanout. HomeServe would not cover the cost of adding one.

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EfficiencySuch6361 t1_j1rj27a wrote

That is absolutely fucked

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waverlygiant t1_j1rjy0z wrote

Tell me about it, cost me about $6k, though I did a full street to house sewer and water line replacement as the lines were terra cotta and galvanized pipe and would probably have to be done eventually. It was a whole thing.

Edit: also of like over a month of no sewer and booking a hotel on weekends so my husband and I could shower (thankfully it was mid-pandemic and no one had to smell us) it took the city like maybe two hours to fix the problem.

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fireslayer03 t1_j1qr2n3 wrote

Have a plumber come out and have a inspection done on it ie they will run a push camera down the line and they will be able to tell you if there is any issues ie cracked pipe offset joints etc that would be a problem in the future. That will cost depending on who you get $2-500. It will be cheaper in the long run to know what’s there. Also being a row home depending on how it’s built if your house connection is on street side you may only be responsible for 5’ of sewer line before the county or city take over if it’s in the alleyway it’s typically done from the cleanout or so many feet. Myself included do not deal with those type of insurance companies due to the fact that they want it done as cheaply as possible to the point of just wanting a joint fixed when the whole lines trashed and have actually tried to hassle me over the cost of pipe. Also easy insurance don’t dump grease down the drain and say no to flushable wipes.

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Johnhasanopinion t1_j1r2gsu wrote

Absolutely yes. Homeserve was $40/year in the city. They dug out and replaced a broken exterior clean out that blocked my sewer service. Nothing out of pocket from the plumbers that initially inspected the line to the crew that dug it out and replaced it.

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ChemicaRegem t1_j1rir05 wrote

I’d say it’s worth it with the old homes. If it’s not replaced and not cast iron, it might be terra cotta? My insurance says that service line coverage covers anything under the yard, regular insurance covers anything inside the house and accessible (like a sewer pipe running along a basement wall), but anything buried in/below the concrete foundation is not covered by anything.

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EfficiencySuch6361 t1_j1rj72q wrote

The chance of ever needing it is very low but also the cost is very low too. If u aren’t handy or good at finding specialized contractors then yes consider it, otherwise I would not get it

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sxswnxnw t1_j1smqkz wrote

I have it. It's under 10 a month (have water and sewer both), so not bad.

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Pama_Series3 t1_j1qrr8n wrote

Service line coverage is for your door to the street. Back up of sewage & drain is coverage from your door to inside your home.

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jtbis t1_j1rhj6q wrote

If it’s a clay or cast iron pipe definitely get insurance. Pay attention to the fine print, some policies are very picky and don’t cover damage caused by a failed sewer, and/or have very low coverage amounts.

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M3g4d37h t1_j1rljlo wrote

Not in a rowhome - But as a reference, last year my landlady replaced the drainage pipes (sorely needed). $21K total.

So act according to your aversion to risk vs expense

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Douseigh t1_j1snydl wrote

I have a similar issue I fear but don’t want her to bump the rent up.

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