So the other day we got a call from a local insurance company and at first we thought it was just another sales call, but as I was fighting the urge to hang up the representative said that “I don’t think plumbers in this area are ready for what’s coming.” and immediately I thought; what? we can handle whatever she’s talking about and more let me see what she’s talking about. So let me give you the info she gave me that got me thinking she may be right and share our plans to be prepared, and how you can plan for the future as well.
Last year there were 327,648 water damage claims in California alone and the average cost is $9,633. Give and take this cost the insurance industry in California over 3 BILLION dollars which is obviously the companies would like to bring this number down if at all possible. According to the rep they will implement new requirements to be able to get new insurance policies or renew an existing one. This wonderful lady who called was not selling us on anything and I’m sure was only wanting to inform us so she could continue bringing in new customers because these new rules will and have stopped people from being able to obtain a new policy.
She told me about the two big changes coming down the line and I feel for a lot of us because the one that scares me the most is that if you want to buy or renew on a home that is 25 years young they will require you to hire a licensed plumber to replace all the plumbing in the home, she didn’t specify water or sewer but hopefully just the water line. Even then it will cost our customers $6,000-$15,000 out of pocket to just get the water lines replaced. This makes sense because PEX water lines are warrantied for 10 years and copper is warrantied for 25. The other requirement is to install a Moen Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff valve at your meter. This new devise can reduce up to 90% of annual household water waste and prevent 60% of unforeseen water leaks that can cause catastrophic water damage to your home. Now this devise we are proud to say that we are familiar with and encourage everyone to install as soon as possible.
Funny story, me and my family went to a 49ers game about 2 years ago and came home to a flood caused by a tiny water line in the attic that fed a swamp cooler and it wasn’t a week into the demo that our supplier asked us if we knew about the Flo by Moen devise, we brushed it off and then about another week later we had another incident that could of been worse than it was if my wife were not home. So I am convinced of the necessity of this type of product; I like the peace of mind.
Came home to this mess after the game,,
at least the 49ers won
Now this was one insurance company out of many although I’m sure the rest will follow in their foot steps if they have not already. So I agree with the insurance rep who called, WE(the plumbing industry) ARE NOT READY, I feel we are so busy as it is and to now have replumb everyone’s homes whether there’s a leak or not will be very difficult. But we have made arrangements to invest in about 100 Moen Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff valves this first quarter of this year to be prepared. We will come up with a common price to help our customers out and move right into getting these devices installed.
Please follow the link below to learn more about these units and make an informed decision.
Francis F./MPC