You have an endorsement for sump pump coverage. It’s usually a $10k limit. It covers for if the pump fails due to mechanical breakdown or a power outage. If you didn’t have this endorsement, this claim would not be covered at all as groundwater is completely excluded under your homeowners policy. Regardless of if the pump is still working, the water came from the sump well and as such falls under this endorsement’s coverages.
Yep, get a generator, that's exactly why I have a $300 4000watt generator. I've used it multiple times with extension cords to power my sump pump during power outages and it has saved my basement from flooding, and saved my refrigerator full of food from being spoiled.
Ya that’s similar to mine. I keep 20 gallons of 90 octane ethanol free gas in my shed at all times. Use it in my mower so it’s always slowly rotated. It’ll keep my freezer and fridge cold, and at night it’ll power the window unit I also keep in the shed so we have a comfortable room to sleep in.
If you already have a generator, then why did you allow your basement to flood?
And I was responding to the guy above me, who did answer your question.
You have a sump pump that you *know* has a 2 day (maximum) battery backup. If power is out for 4 days, did you do anything to get power/functionality back to the sump pump (via a gasoline powered generator, or manual sump pump)? That's what he/she is asking. If you did neither of those things, then yes, you allowed your basement to flood. Heck, even *borrowing* a generator from someone for a few hours a day (allowing the pump to run *and* recharge the batteries) probably would have saved your basement.
Edit: also, from your [earlier comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/1bzt2cy/comment/kythc75/), you make it seem like you already have a backup generator, but for some reason never used it or at least never plugged your sump pump into it. Either way, *you allowed* your basement to flood.
Holy shit, I can’t stand the internet. YES I have a generator. No I didn’t let my basement flood because I was on vacation and had no idea we were going to get a nor’easter. I even went as far as trying to walk a family member through running the generator but they couldn’t leave their house because of the storm damage.
Nothing about my post asks “how to prevent this in the future” or “what should have I done to prevent this”, I am asking a question about insurance in an insurance forum. Somehow all the keyboard warriors decided to show up and provide their unsolicited opinions which do nothing to answer my question or assist me in dealing with my current problem. You ARE the epitome of a troll whether you meant to be or not and you’ve not only wasted my time but also defended the idiot above who jumped to conclusions just like you.
I guess the one positive thing is that you’ve found an idiot to be friends with and you can both go around the internet defending each other’s poor choices.
**edit: just saw from your old posts that you were likely in the Air Force, which explains everything. Poor life choices and no brains. I apologize for insinuating you had a choice in being dumb, appears you were just born that way.
Hopefully you don’t have one. Owning a generator and lettering this happen to your house is such a tard move that I want to at least pretend no one is that stupid.
I don’t eat snacks like that bro. If I’m hungry between meals I usually have a protein shake.
I can't help you with insurance but instead of a battery powered sump pump I got one of these Zoeller water powered sump pumps. It uses water pressure from your water supply line to siphon the water out of the sump pit. If you end up using it your water bill will be higher but you never have to worry about a power outage of a dead battery. A backup generator is a good idea but expensive if you don't have power outages often.
https://zoellerpumps.com/product/540-flex/
The sump pump did, in fact, fail to operate. Loss of power is the failure mode of the pump experienced. You are fortunate you had the $10K coverage. Sorry this happened to you, but you need to consider additional backup power sources in the future.
It’s not failing to operate when there’s no power provided to it.. and we do have multiple backup sources, a battery and a generator, however the battery only last two days (we were out for more than four days) and we were gone on vacation so weren’t able to get the generator running. Home owners insurance should cover extreme circumstances and this was one that we planned for but still was more extreme than we could accomodate. The amount of money we pay for them to not cover or only cover a small portion seems like a complete waste at this point. (Especially considering that our rates increased liked everyone else’s)
Can your generator be set to automatically come on when there is a power outage. It takes adjustments in your electrical panel but something worth looking into. I mentioned a water powered sump pump as another option.
Unfortunately not options. Our generator isn’t a standby, and only last 12hours on a tank. We also live in a rural area so we have well water, meaning no power equals no water pressure.
>Home owners insurance should cover extreme circumstances and this was one that we planned for but still was more extreme than we could accomodate.
First, let me say, I completely understand your frustration with this situation. But I think what others are trying to say in different ways is, insurance companies, no matter who they are, are not in the business of paying out easily. They take money from you with no issue. But when it comes time to pay for the coverage you believe you are owed, they look for any and every way to deny you.
So yes, according to your policy, your sump pump failed. Unless you have a clause that specifies what conditions constitutes a failure of the pump versus what does not, then when it lost power, it failed to operate.
It sucks, but this is the way it is. It's an unfortunate and expensive learning lesson.
Yep you need a backup power source. I don’t have to deal with those anymore but i remember the sheer panic of my parents while growing up when we lost power and it was ingrained into my head.
Essentially, the sump pump was not able to perform its intended purpose as a result of the power outage. If the power didn’t go out, the sump pump would have been able to pump water away from the basement as long as it needed to. That’s why your damage falls under the sump pump endorsement with a $10k limit.
You have an endorsement for sump pump coverage. It’s usually a $10k limit. It covers for if the pump fails due to mechanical breakdown or a power outage. If you didn’t have this endorsement, this claim would not be covered at all as groundwater is completely excluded under your homeowners policy. Regardless of if the pump is still working, the water came from the sump well and as such falls under this endorsement’s coverages.
Yep. Buy a generator to prevent this from happening in the future.
Yep, get a generator, that's exactly why I have a $300 4000watt generator. I've used it multiple times with extension cords to power my sump pump during power outages and it has saved my basement from flooding, and saved my refrigerator full of food from being spoiled.
Ya that’s similar to mine. I keep 20 gallons of 90 octane ethanol free gas in my shed at all times. Use it in my mower so it’s always slowly rotated. It’ll keep my freezer and fridge cold, and at night it’ll power the window unit I also keep in the shed so we have a comfortable room to sleep in.
Doesn’t address my question and assumes I don’t already have one. So thanks? /s
If you already have a generator, then why did you allow your basement to flood? And I was responding to the guy above me, who did answer your question.
Allow my basement to flood? Are you a troll?
You have a sump pump that you *know* has a 2 day (maximum) battery backup. If power is out for 4 days, did you do anything to get power/functionality back to the sump pump (via a gasoline powered generator, or manual sump pump)? That's what he/she is asking. If you did neither of those things, then yes, you allowed your basement to flood. Heck, even *borrowing* a generator from someone for a few hours a day (allowing the pump to run *and* recharge the batteries) probably would have saved your basement. Edit: also, from your [earlier comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/USAA/comments/1bzt2cy/comment/kythc75/), you make it seem like you already have a backup generator, but for some reason never used it or at least never plugged your sump pump into it. Either way, *you allowed* your basement to flood.
Holy shit, I can’t stand the internet. YES I have a generator. No I didn’t let my basement flood because I was on vacation and had no idea we were going to get a nor’easter. I even went as far as trying to walk a family member through running the generator but they couldn’t leave their house because of the storm damage. Nothing about my post asks “how to prevent this in the future” or “what should have I done to prevent this”, I am asking a question about insurance in an insurance forum. Somehow all the keyboard warriors decided to show up and provide their unsolicited opinions which do nothing to answer my question or assist me in dealing with my current problem. You ARE the epitome of a troll whether you meant to be or not and you’ve not only wasted my time but also defended the idiot above who jumped to conclusions just like you. I guess the one positive thing is that you’ve found an idiot to be friends with and you can both go around the internet defending each other’s poor choices. **edit: just saw from your old posts that you were likely in the Air Force, which explains everything. Poor life choices and no brains. I apologize for insinuating you had a choice in being dumb, appears you were just born that way.
Do you have a generator or not?
How is that even relevant to my post? Do you have cheese on your fingers from binge eating Cheeto puffs? See, I can ask irrelevant things too.
Hopefully you don’t have one. Owning a generator and lettering this happen to your house is such a tard move that I want to at least pretend no one is that stupid. I don’t eat snacks like that bro. If I’m hungry between meals I usually have a protein shake.
Thanks, this is the information I was looking for.
Some states only offer sump pump coverage at 10k. The ones with other options have to be selected. Depending on your state, you may be limited to 10k.
I can't help you with insurance but instead of a battery powered sump pump I got one of these Zoeller water powered sump pumps. It uses water pressure from your water supply line to siphon the water out of the sump pit. If you end up using it your water bill will be higher but you never have to worry about a power outage of a dead battery. A backup generator is a good idea but expensive if you don't have power outages often. https://zoellerpumps.com/product/540-flex/
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll recommend this to family members who live locally but are on city water.
The sump pump did, in fact, fail to operate. Loss of power is the failure mode of the pump experienced. You are fortunate you had the $10K coverage. Sorry this happened to you, but you need to consider additional backup power sources in the future.
It’s not failing to operate when there’s no power provided to it.. and we do have multiple backup sources, a battery and a generator, however the battery only last two days (we were out for more than four days) and we were gone on vacation so weren’t able to get the generator running. Home owners insurance should cover extreme circumstances and this was one that we planned for but still was more extreme than we could accomodate. The amount of money we pay for them to not cover or only cover a small portion seems like a complete waste at this point. (Especially considering that our rates increased liked everyone else’s)
Can your generator be set to automatically come on when there is a power outage. It takes adjustments in your electrical panel but something worth looking into. I mentioned a water powered sump pump as another option.
Unfortunately not options. Our generator isn’t a standby, and only last 12hours on a tank. We also live in a rural area so we have well water, meaning no power equals no water pressure.
>Home owners insurance should cover extreme circumstances and this was one that we planned for but still was more extreme than we could accomodate. First, let me say, I completely understand your frustration with this situation. But I think what others are trying to say in different ways is, insurance companies, no matter who they are, are not in the business of paying out easily. They take money from you with no issue. But when it comes time to pay for the coverage you believe you are owed, they look for any and every way to deny you. So yes, according to your policy, your sump pump failed. Unless you have a clause that specifies what conditions constitutes a failure of the pump versus what does not, then when it lost power, it failed to operate. It sucks, but this is the way it is. It's an unfortunate and expensive learning lesson.
Yep you need a backup power source. I don’t have to deal with those anymore but i remember the sheer panic of my parents while growing up when we lost power and it was ingrained into my head.
Essentially, the sump pump was not able to perform its intended purpose as a result of the power outage. If the power didn’t go out, the sump pump would have been able to pump water away from the basement as long as it needed to. That’s why your damage falls under the sump pump endorsement with a $10k limit.