I might burn down my house...insurance question.

[GRADS]

Long story short... We've been gone for 5 days to come home to find we have a leaking pipe in a wall. Carpets soaked, still have no idea where the leak is but walls will need to come down to find it. Called the insurance company and they told me because we had a claim last year (our first in 20 years) when our water heater let go and flooded the house, they said with two water claims they will not renew our policy. So is fire an option?

Is the insurance company (Mercury) bullshitting me?

 

[Ziggy]

They will drop you because you are costing them money.
I personally think it's criminal they can do that considering they are in the risk business voluntarily.

 

[beaverretriever]

Burn it. Who the fuck has carpet in this day and age?

 

[Ziggy]

Burn it. Who the fuck has carpet in this day and age?

Old people
We have it in some bedrooms.

 

[Singleton]

And finding new insurance with 2 water claims within 16 months will cost you.
Reason I have StateFarm - 3 water claims in 18 months when we purchased current house and pay less today in homeowners then when I purchased the house. One of my policies dates back to 1985, so I have guaranteed renewal with SF on all policies, no matter the claim history.

 

[DaveC]

Fawk

As long as they payout on your loss who cares.

Move on after you get your house fixed

 

[beaverretriever]

Old people
We have it in some bedrooms.

Of course Im kidding. I would never have carpet in main areas like great rooms, kitchen etc, but a really high end carpet with a thick pad is pretty nice and is hard to beat comfort wise. We are building a new home and we put carpet ina few bedrooms. Our current home is all modern maple.

 

[Happy Smitty]

Let it dry out first. It will burn easier.

 

[Willie B]

... Do you think the crown molding could’ve caused a leak???...

 

[nowski]

Have you ever considered using Seadek instead of carpeting???

 

[Ziggy]

Shot a nail right through a pipe.

 

[colenighthawk]

Long story short... We've been gone for 5 days to come home to find we have a leaking pipe in a wall. Carpets soaked, still have no idea where the leak is but walls will need to come down to find it. Called the insurance company and they told me because we had a claim last year (our first in 20 years) when our water heater let go and flooded the house, they said with two water claims they will not renew our policy. So is fire an option?

Is the insurance company (Mercury) bullshitting me?

If your in OC or LA area call me, that's what we do. I'm with Servicemaster, we do water mitigation. We deal with insurance company daily.
We can help.
714.728.7563

 

[GRADS]

Old people
We have it in some bedrooms.

Us too.

... Do you think the crown molding could’ve caused a leak???...

Holy fuck, I didn't even think about that...you might be on to something. Our water pipes are run through the ceiling and down the walls. Thank you.

 

[GRADS]

Shot a nail right through a pipe.

Yep, I'm thinking this is it. So make the crown moulding guy pay for it if this is true?

 

[mash on it]

Jewish lightning?

Dan'l

 

[GRADS]

Sometimes the power of RDP never ceases to amaze me. I'm like 99% sure the crown moulding guys put a nail through something...never would have thought about that. Told my wife I was glad I posted something. Thanks.

 

[Icky]

Sometimes the power of RDP never ceases to amaze me. I'm like 99% sure the crown moulding guys put a nail through something...never would have thought about that. Told my wife I was glad I posted something. Thanks.

Just keep in mind you're going to have to prove it, document as you trace it back to the source of the leak

 

[Carlson-jet]

Shut the Focking water off boi and find out what is leaking. Jezzus..
This isn't rocket science.

 

[GRADS]

Shut the Focking water off boi and find out what is leaking. Jezzus..
This isn't rocket science.

So just start randomly cutting into walls to see were it is leaking?

 

[Carlson-jet]

So just start randomly cutting into walls to see were it is leaking?

NO! Shut off the water to stop further damage. Then cut into the walls. Patches are cheap. Entire house flooding restoration going 18 inches above water damage in all the drywall plus flooring/cabinet/structural replacement is not. It is an obligation to stop the damage or insurance can deny coverage. Since you have now posted there is an issue..

 

[TPC]

Fire dept on your property in Cali your homeowners Ins won’t get renewed.

 

[Fun Times]

If your in OC or LA area call me, that's what we do. I'm with Servicemaster, we do water mitigation. We deal with insurance company daily.
We can help.
714.728.7563

Just letting you know Grads lives up in the Northern California area or he probably would give you a call for help (as like most here) he usually seems pretty cool when it comes to wanting to meet actual members of RDP.

 

[Ziggy]

Yep, I'm thinking this is it. So make the crown moulding guy pay for it if this is true?

A Licensed and bonded guy should have insurance, no?

 

[was thatguy]

A Licensed and bonded guy should have insurance, no?

They seemed legit..

 

[2FORCEFULL]

Sometimes the power of RDP never ceases to amaze me. I'm like 99% sure the crown moulding guys put a nail through something...never would have thought about that. Told my wife I was glad I posted something. Thanks.

it's the plumbers fault....they're supposed to have steel straps to prevent nails from going in to the pipes..... if it was a re plumb.... changed out the copper. then they probably never plated the top plate....

 

[McKay]

Yep, I'm thinking this is it. So make the crown moulding guy pay for it if this is true?

This is just completely wrong to me. You hired a guy to install crown molding. Did you expect him to glue it up? It is shitty installation of your plumbing if a finish nail is able to reach a water line. Don’t fuck this guy over for doing a job you hired him to do.

 

[2FORCEFULL]

So just start randomly cutting into walls to see were it is leaking?

call a leak detector company.....

 

[2FORCEFULL]

This is just completely wrong to me. You hired a guy to install crown molding. Did you expect him to glue it up? It is shitty installation of your plumbing if a finish nail is able to reach a water line. Don’t fuck this guy over for doing a job you hired him to do.

that's the problem when people don't have a clue,....

 

[buck35]

Do you have an attic ? If so then climb up and find the source,or rule that out.

 

[Yellowboat]

If the guy put nail thru a pipe it should be easy to find.

Start checking the walls on the opposite side of bathrooms/ kitchen.

Given the age and location of your house, a pin hole is also a possibility.

 

[WYRD]

Put yore man bun in a ponytail, grab some work boots and man up. If you don't know how educate yourself on YouTube...ain't that difficult

 

[Sherpa]

infrared camera will find the leak source through the walls in minutes..........

--Sherpa

 

[NicPaus]

To bad you live up North. I would bring by everything needed to get you dried out and restored. Just bought another pallet of blowers and dehumidifiers that are ready to go...

 

[SixD9R]

Well grads- since you have so much free time on your hands, tear that wall out and get fixing

In all seriousness, you could probably do the entire job for a few hundy's and not have to deal with finding a new insurance company that will hit you with much higher rates due to your recent claims. You will end up way ahead in the long run plus, while you are fixing the wall you won't be attention whoring on RDP.

 

[DC-88]

Sounds like the finish carpenter was the messenger that the plumber forgot a nail plate in an older tract house. It happens. We just ran over to Visalia this week and did 2 houses of crown in a new tract. Really low quality units, and this was on my mind while we were there. With Pex the nail can stick in there for years before it leaks.

 

[Havasu blue label]

Attic look for the pipes fix it your done

 

[nowski]

I have a resource for putting up a new wall if needed. There licensed, insured, bonded and provide their own security, let us know...

 

[Singleton]

Yep, I'm thinking this is it. So make the crown moulding guy pay for it if this is true?

That would be a waste of time. The contract you signed for the crown most likely has a clause that states not responsible for damage caused due to unmarked or unprotected pipes.

Call out a water mitigation company (servepro, etc) and have them determine where the leak is. They will give estimate on removal of damaged area and drying process. Then determine if you want to do it yourself or pay. Over Thanksgiving we had water get into the house due to a gutter extension being kicked off and not draining the water correctly. Servepro came out, pin pointed what caused the issue and what needed to be removed. Gave quote to remove damaged area and dry. I went to HomeDepot and did it myself for 1/3 the cost. After the holidays I will patch the areas of drywall I had to remove and fix the floor.

Your bigger issue is if you opened a claim with insurance and then close it, you will still be asked to provide evidence everything was resolved (damage removed and area dry). I opened and then closed my claim when I found out my leak was due to improper drainage around house. Cert cost me $200 from servepro to get a document stating everything damaged was removed and wood dried to required specs. Already got doc from SF stating claim is closed and required work was done to dismiss and purge claim from account.

 

[DaveC]

What this guy said

Tell them you suspect damage by the contractor and ask them to find it. Should be pretty evident with a nail hanging out of a pipe. If damage is found then document it and turn everything over to your insurance company.

Insurance companies are not too happy to pay for damages caused by others so they will seek reimbursement from the contractor.

That would be a waste of time. The contract you signed for the crown most likely has a clause that states not responsible for damage caused due to unmarked or unprotected pipes.

Call out a water mitigation company (servepro, etc) and have them determine where the leak is. They will give estimate on removal of damaged area and drying process. Then determine if you want to do it yourself or pay. Over Thanksgiving we had water get into the house due to a gutter extension being kicked off and not draining the water correctly. Servepro came out, pin pointed what caused the issue and what needed to be removed. Gave quote to remove damaged area and dry. I went to HomeDepot and did it myself for 1/3 the cost. After the holidays I will patch the areas of drywall I had to remove and fix the floor.

Your bigger issue is if you opened a claim with insurance and then close it, you will still be asked to provide evidence everything was resolved (damage removed and area dry). I opened and then closed my claim when I found out my leak was due to improper drainage around house. Cert cost me $200 from servepro to get a document stating everything damaged was removed and wood dried to required specs. Already got doc from SF stating claim is closed and required work was done to dismiss and purge claim from account.

 

[DaveC]

Of course you young guys prefer no carpets.

But do the carpets match the drapes?

Of course Im kidding. I would never have carpet in main areas like great rooms, kitchen etc, but a really high end carpet with a thick pad is pretty nice and is hard to beat comfort wise. We are building a new home and we put carpet ina few bedrooms. Our current home is all modern maple.

 

[jetboatperformance]

You have every responsibily to make an attempt to mitigate damage once discovered else can considered contributory negligence, same concept as driving an "known" unsafe vehicle or (fill in the blank) . We Came home years ago to water literately pouring out the front and back doors , a water hose to our washer had burst, damage was huge , Insurance paid no questions but agent admonished us to not have another one ... (That pissed me off like I wanted 2 weeks of remediation right ?) .... a year later we got a supplement check from the "Gates Hose" company , Our insurer had subrogated against them as it was thier hose that was the causal piece , I was surprised as those hoses were in place for quite sometime ... additionally we replace all "stinger hoses in the house with braided stainless types ......I frequently look at mechanical claims where the operator failed to protect by continuing to operate after the failure onset became apparent,

 

[GRADS]

it's the plumbers fault....they're supposed to have steel straps to prevent nails from going in to the pipes..... if it was a re plumb.... changed out the copper. then they probably never plated the top plate....

How do you plate a pipe when it goes down a wall vertically? All of the plumbing in our house is run in the attic and then drops down to the shower, sinks etc. I don't think I would see the leak in the attic, my guess it is in the wall and dripping down the wall because we are noticing the water at the base boards. If it was in the ceiling I'm pretty sure the ceiling would show signs of water.

 

[coolchange]

You have every responsibily to make an attempt to mitigate damage once discovered else can considered contributory negligence, same concept as driving an "known" unsafe vehicle or (fill in the blank) . We Came home years ago to water literately pouring out the front and back doors , a water hose to our washer had burst, damage was huge , Insurance paid no questions but agent admonished us to not have another one ... (That pissed me off like I wanted 2 weeks of remediation right ?) .... a year later we got a supplement check from the "Gates Hose" company , Our insurer had subrogated against them as it was thier hose that was the causal piece , I was surprised as those hoses were in place for quite sometime ... additionally we replace all "stinger hoses in the house with braided stainless types ......I frequently look at mechanical claims where the operator failed to protect by continuing to operate after the failure onset became apparent,

Thanks, good reminder. I am checking hoses now.
Grads, if you know where the pipes are, that might be a clue where to start.

 

[JDKRXW]

Old people
We have it in some bedrooms.

Green shag??

 

[DRYHEAT]

Is there any one area that seems wetter than the other? Start there is it on the backside of a bathroom or other water source? If the house is more than 20 years old and has copper piping it may be a pinhole leak. If there is soft drywall in the area that’s where I would start tearing stuff out.No matter what you find there was no mold. LOL

 

[Old Texan]

What color is the water? It could be the supreme golden shower you've wished for all these years come to wash you out......

 

[coolchange]

House was dry, 5 days later it's soaked?
Not a finish nail penetration.

 

[Bobby V]

I have a resource for putting up a new wall if needed. There licensed, insured, bonded and provide their own security, let us know...

View attachment 827205

Its been almost 4 years. How long does it take to build a wrought iron fence...lol

 

[84miller]

How do you plate a pipe when it goes down a wall vertically? All of the plumbing in our house is run in the attic and then drops down to the shower, sinks etc. I don't think I would see the leak in the attic, my guess it is in the wall and dripping down the wall because we are noticing the water at the base boards. If it was in the ceiling I'm pretty sure the ceiling would show signs of water.

Water leaks can be very tricky. My whole bedroom was torn apart down to the studs, professional fix going on, showed me where the leak was, day before new drywall installation, major rain storm! Bedroom was flooded. Wound up there was a hole in the flashing on the roof. So professionals can be wrong, lucky the rain hit with the drywall down. Saying all that, get a professional to come take a look. You may have wanted get one before contacting the insurance as even if you pay all out of pocket, you have a call in. Insurance SUCKS, use it and you get screwed.

 

[buck35]

Water leaks can be very tricky. My whole bedroom was torn apart down to the studs, professional fix going on, showed me where the leak was, day before new drywall installation, major rain storm! Bedroom was flooded. Wound up there was a hole in the flashing on the roof. So professionals can be wrong, lucky the rain hit with the drywall down. Saying all that, get a professional to come take a look. You may have wanted get one before contacting the insurance as even if you pay all out of pocket, you have a call in. Insurance SUCKS, use it and you get screwed.

Good call, wasn't grads asking about a reroof of too long ago?