Insurance for tank leak damage

[dolfan]

I'm helping a friend who had a catastrophic tank failure on his 40g reef tank. The tank was on his main floor, and the leak into the basement also took out his main electrical panel!

He is now telling me that he is hearing that aquarium leak/flood related claims may not be covered by a typical homeowner policy unless a specific clause is added. I'm curious if anyone here has any experience with something like this.

 

[ZapataInc]

@sharis100 Should know about information about this.

 

[Adam]

Yes she should unfortunately.

I've heard that it's best to discuss this with you're agent before you put the tank in. Some INS companies may want to add a rider for that coverage.

 

[enderg60]

It should be covered under flood insurance (as in when a pipe breaks in the house or similar). But be ready for a fight when they find out it was a fish tank. Make sure its worded that a flood is water in the house that causes damage, and does not include verbiage specifically calling out pipe breaks or sink/tub overflows.

Also even if they do pay out, they will not cover the tank or anything inside. Just repairs to the house.

 

[dolfan]

I think I'm going to put in a call to my agent to open the topic all though my 90g tank is in the basement and my biggest damage would be carpet and baseboard related.

 

[dolfan]

Yes, my friend is not worried about the tank or livestock , only home repairs at this point.

 

[sharis100]

So, our situation was different in that the plumbing in the house actually took out the fish equipment, livestock, tanks and half the house . But, I do know that before our disaster, I made sure to let our carrier know about our equipment and tanks. They will not cover livestock, but they will cover all other stuff. So, your friend’s situation is very different from ours. Wish them the best of luck in repairs! If you need a good electrician, we used TE Electricians to replace our electrical damage from our disaster, and they were very good. They coordinated well with GA Power for our meter replacement and panel repairs.

 

[skriz]

Your homeowners insurance will cover it. It doesn't cover the cause of the damage, but will cover the damage. So, they aquarium is on him. The house is on them, minus your deductible. Do not say flood, though. Say water damage and water leak. Best to go over it with your agent first.

 

[dolfan]

Well his update to me yesterday is that his company (Farmers) is not going to cover. Which is comical giving their ad campaign of all the nutty things they have seen and cover. I will likely have a discussion with my agent proactively just to make sure we are covered. The biggest cost was due to the tank being positioned directly above his electric panel in the basement. He's been without power now for 3 days.