Water Damage Culprits in Your Home
According to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the leading causes of water damage are:
Plumbing supply system failures. This happens when frozen pipes burst due to the buildup in water pressure caused by freezing water or when the supply system material fails resulting in a leaking or bursting pipes. According to IBHS, plumbing supply system failures are the leading source of residential water losses, costing an average of $5,092 per incident after the deductible. Homes 16 to 40 years of age made up a larger group of supply system material failure claims, also according to IBHS.
Plumbing drain system failures. This situation occurs when sewer drains back up and overflow into a home or from construction material performance issues. In its study, IBHS found that 52% of drain system failures were caused by sewer backups and 37% were related to material performance issues. Southern state claims were found to be more expensive than northern state claims according to IBHS.
Toilet failures. Toilets are the second highest source of residential water loss after plumbing supply systems. Anything from faulty fill valves or clogged drain lines can cause toilets to malfunction and cause water damage and, according to IBHS, toilet failures on the first floor of a home resulted in more extensive claims than those that occurred in basements or upper floors.
Water heater failures. Water heaters reaching or passing their life expectancy begin to rust and corrode, which can result in leaking or bursting issues. IBHS found that 69% of all water heater failures resulted from a slow leak or sudden bursting and, on average, cost $4,444 per incident following the deductible.
Washing machine failures. Machines overflowing, supply hose failures and drain line failures are typically the causes of washing machine failures and are one of the top 10 sources of residential water losses. Per IBHS, supply hose failures were to blame for over half of all washing machine-related losses.