Water Line Protection May Not Be All It's Cracked Up To Be
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Drinkable, usable water in our homes -- it's something we take for granted until it's not there.
"There was a geyser shooting out of the yard," Laura Ann Kimutis told KDKA money editor Jon Delano.
Kimutis, a second grade teacher with a 16-month-old child, found out what it's like to be without water the hard way.
"For thirteen days, we didn't have water," she said.
Kimutis lives on a hill outside Washington, Pa., and the water line that runs from her house to the main water line on the street sprung a leak.
"We could see it shooting out of the ground, so we put a brick over it," she said, "and we know how to shut off the water from the meter."
That's exactly what Laura Ann's husband did, thinking it wouldn't take long to get the leak fixed.
Why?
Because like many in this area, the family pays a monthly $6 fee for something called water line protection.
Whether it's a water line or a gas line or a sewage line, the homeowner is responsible for repairs to that line from their home to the utility company's main line in the sidewalk or on the street.
Water line protection is a kind of insurance that a homeowner can purchase from the utility that essentially makes the utility responsible for those repairs.
That can save homeowners a lot of money, says Jason Daugherty, who owns a local South Hills plumbing company.
"You would spend anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 on the low end for a plumbing repair. Of course, you can have a $5,000, $6,000, $7,000 job," Daugherty said.
But that protection doesn't always work as advertised, or as quickly as needed, says Kimutis.
"It was a very horrific nightmare," she said.
Kimutis thought her policy would get her "a quick fix" from American Water Resources, a subsidiary of American Water Company (parent of Pennsylvania American Water Company).
But after they sent a plumber out to write up a repair plan, Kimutis said, "The proposal was denied, so now I'm out water an extra couple of days and I still don't have my line fixed."
American Water Resources kept sending plumbers to her home but then rejected their repair plans.
It wasn't until Kimutis called her state senator, PA Sen. Camera Bartolotta, that repairs were finally done -- thirteen days later.
"We do regret that the process took as long as it did," said Malcolm Conner, president of American Water Resources, "but again this is not typical at all. We did complete the repair for the customer, but we are truly sorry for any inconvenience that that did cause her."
Conner says that experience was an aberration.
"We service over 40,000 claims a year, and I would say that over 99 percent of them are done within a 24-hour period," Conner said.
Kimutis is not so sure, since her claims were initially denied.
"I have multiple friends who have had claims denied for things they thought were being covered under the protection," she said.
A number of companies offer line protection plans, so it pays to check out the terms carefully, says independent insurance agent Tom O'Malley.
O'Malley: "What repairs are not covered, and there's a number of ..."
Delano: "It's quite a list."
O'Malley: "Quite a list, but again that's not unusual either."
Things not covered include damages caused by the leak, as well as damages caused by the plumber while repairing the water line, such as openings made in walls, sidewalks and driveways or any damage to gardens and shrubs.
The only thing covered is repairing the underground break itself.
So should you get water line protection?
That may depend on the age of your house and how far your home is set back from the street, but note, says Daugherty, "Any part of your plumbing system is always susceptible to breaking, whether it be in your house or underground. More so underground."
Which is why Kimutis is still staying on her water line protection program.
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