There's water in my basement: am I covered?

If your home is your castle, the last thing you want to do is to come home to discover raw sewage seeping into your home’s basement or a toilet overflowing from your second-floor bathroom due to a broken sewer line. Both can create major and costly damage, but the good news is that both can be covered with an affordable sewer backup endorsement added to your homeowners insurance policy.  Most home insurance policies in Michigan do not automatically include this coverage.

What’s Covered?
For an additional premium to your homeowners insurance policy, an endorsement for water backup and sump discharge will cover losses caused by:

• • The backup of water or waterborne materials through a sewer or through a drain, or
• • Water or waterborne material that overflows from a sump, even if the backup of water is due to the mechanical breakdown of the sump pump. Coverage includes damage to covered property but excludes the sump pump and any related equipment that has broken down.
  The endorsement does not cover losses that involve owner negligence, such as from damage as the result of forgetting to turn on your sump pump, or damages caused by a flood. A separate flood insurance policy is available to cover losses due to flooding.
  Some water and sewer backups are unavoidable, but there are some simple things you can do to prevent backups in your sewer line.

• • Paper products – Do not flush anything other than toilet paper down your drain. Other paper products do not deteriorate quickly.
• • Cooking grease - As grease goes down the drain and cools, it solidifies and gets trapped. Instead of rinsing grease down your drain, dispose of cooled grease in your garbage.
• • Shrub and tree roots – Seeking moisture, it’s not uncommon for the roots of trees and shrubs to make their way into sewer line cracks. Over time, the cracks allow debris to build up. If you have continuing problems with tree roots in your sewer lateral, consider replacing it with a pipe made of plastic.
• • Illegal plumbing connections – Connecting sump pumps, French drains and other flood control systems to your sanitary sewer only spells trouble. Consult a plumber to correct any illegal connections.
  Water in Your Basement?
  Often, water entering the basement is not due to a sewer backup but rather from poor soil grading around your home’s exterior. If you have a water problem and have ruled out sewer backup, making sure that water is draining away from your home’s foundation properly can often fix the problem.
  The Cost of Coverage
  The cost of sewer backup coverage is affordable.  Our team can provide you with more information about coverage costs, limits and deductibles.  Call Phil Klein Insurance Group at (248) 682-7445 to learn more about this coverage and all the affordable ways we can help you to protect your home and personal property.  Or, get an instant online quote now at www.changeinsurance.today

Lisa's No-Nos: Stroller Safety

Child, the cool exterior (Well, for a few places anyway…)! Very poor climate your geographical area will make you're feeling as you must keep cozy and also comfy inside of along with your munchkin, yet let’s confront that – an individual appreciated the break time of year (along using a handful of cookies) now just isn't enough time to be able to veggies around the lounger! Some oxygen can do an individual along with your child excellent (and maintain the dullness and also crankies away)! Keep reading regarding cold-weather child stroller basic safety suggestions that may retain an individual relocating almost all wintertime extended! Above all, retain child included correctly.

 Don’t neglect in which tiny hands, foot and also noses will need added want to keep cozy. In case there is wet or perhaps drizzle, work with a child stroller protect that may guard child from your factors whilst still being permit these start to see the outside. Make sure you simply utilize accent goods which can be appropriate for the strollerRead the particular guidelines as well as the safety measures on your own merchandise. Remember that several push strollers have got basic safety characteristics which includes connectors and also latching parts, brakes and also locking components. Any time flip or perhaps unfolding the particular child stroller, make certain that your son or daughter will be significantly adequate apart which they don’t acquire inquisitive hands found inside relocating elements.