Washington Gas perpetual pushing of gas and water line coverage

[Anonymous]

For probably two years, we've received constant mailed marketing, many of them branded by Washington Gas, telling us that our water and gas lines are our responsibility and trying to get us to pay for some sort of insurance coverage. I just toss them out again and again, marveling at how much they must spend on this perpetual campaign. My house has been here 100 years. I've owned it for 25 years. Why the sudden hard sell to buy coverage we've never had? Did laws change that shifted ownership and responsibility for pipes from the utility to the owner? Is it a scam? I feel like I better read up. If you own a house in DC, do you pay for this coverage? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

It is annoying, but it’s not a scam.

If you need to replace your sewer line, it will cost you like $8-15k depending on the specifics.

I think this is something like pet insurance where you can just elect to sort of self-insure, as long as you feel like you’ll always have that cash on hand.

But if you don’t, it’s not a scam or necessarily a bad idea to have it added to your homeowner’s insurance. I think you just have to do the math and make a call.

[Anonymous]

We just spent $16k replacing a 100 year old waterline that burst between our house and the main and cost another arm and leg in water bill charges before we knew it was busted.

[Anonymous]

Our cost to repair a broken sewer pipe (tree roots) between our house and the street line was $12K about a year ago.
I wish we had the insurance.

[Anonymous]

I know. I used to think it was a scam until my water line broke a few years back. The coldest night of the year. It was PITA. I am still not sure if you need it though. My line was about 30 years old at that time.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, PPs for confirming that this is actually a legitimate thing. It's just weird to me that we have owned and lived in our house for literally 25 years and this marketing and awareness campaign didn't seem to start until a couple years ago, so for a long time I assumed it was a scam but with the seemingly
Authentic Washington Gas branding on the mailers I started to think it was something I better pay attention to. Thanks for chiming in.

[Anonymous]

Have them checked out with a camera if possible. Sewer is easy to check. Water lines require more expensive cameras to get into tighter pipes.

If you wait for an emergency to replace lines, you will always pay 2-5 times more money.

Much cheaper to do it at your leisure.

[Anonymous]

My main water line sprung a pinprick leak 3 weeks ago (house is 26 years old and it was original pipe). It’s a very short distance from my house to the connection to the water main; I have a very small front yard. The repair was over $7k and didn’t involve the sewer at all. Had I paid $6/month for the last 25 years, that would be $1800 and this would have been covered. I gambled and I lost.

My mother had a rider added to her homeowner’s insurance policy to cover this type of repair. Just a couple years later her main water line had to be replaced on her far larger property. She saved 5 figures.

It’s not a scam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have them checked out with a camera if possible. Sewer is easy to check. Water lines require more expensive cameras to get into tighter pipes.

If you wait for an emergency to replace lines, you will always pay 2-5 times more money.

Much cheaper to do it at your leisure.

Do this.

My 20 year old condo TH development had a problem. A maple tree planted too close to the storm sewer grew into the sewer and grew a root in it the size and shape of a small dolphin. This was not a huge ancient tree. It wasn't noticed and in a storm a water backup flooded three townhouses' basements. The condo had to pay for the tree to be fully removed from the ground. And the storm sewer work. The townhouses had to have remediation/basement cleanup at the owner's expense (which is rarely insured).

Not saying you need the insurance but be attentive to potential problems. You know best about your lot and landscaping.

Our city allows solicitation for this kind of insurance with an intro/city letterhead. But the company is something like SWLA.

[Anonymous]

We have external water line and internal plumbing coverage through Dominion. Our house is ~40 years old with polybutelene water supply line coming into the basement. Multiple homes in the neighborhood have already had their line burst sometime in the past 10 decade. I wish we could just replace it now *before* it floods the basement, but the plan only covers a leak and it's only $5/mo, so significantly cheaper to just wait it out and hope the leak is in the 95 percent of the line that is outside.

[Anonymous]

From our neighbors who had the inexpensive insurance, they said not worth it - they delayed, denied, and kept coming up with reasons not to pay. They eventually gave up and just paid it themselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From our neighbors who had the inexpensive insurance, they said not worth it - they delayed, denied, and kept coming up with reasons not to pay. They eventually gave up and just paid it themselves

Interesting, 18:54 here, our neighbors were the ones who suggested it. The only person who had a problem was because the section that leaked was inside the basement so they recommended having both the exterior AND the interior coverage for full protection.

[Anonymous]

PP what kind of home insurance rider covers water and gas lines, I want to see if we can get that. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you again for all the advice and cautionary tales. I guess we'll do this. Now the question is do we go with the advertised deal sent by Washington Gas or see if it's something we want to add to our homeowners insurance. Thank you everyone for convincing me that this isn't a scam.

[Anonymous]

I am 20:16. Only way I would get it is via homeowners. The cheap coverage sounds like it takes forever to file a claim get it fixed and paid for.