Insurance companies and homeowner policies

[wsoldier]

I want to pull the trigger on a decent size tank (100-200G), but living in a 3rd floor condo unit makes me nervous about potential for damage. Yes I'm also aware of structural integrity and flooring capacity.

I've searched through old threads, but I wanted to get a sense of who has had recent success with getting explicit coverage in their condo/homeowner insurance policy to protect against water damage resulting from a tank.

Homesite apparently doesn't cover it from my recent call, and that was only after prodding them for explicit confirmation in writing that they would cover it.

Thanks!

[Sk8r]

They say Lloyd's of London will insure anything for the right price. But I have never heard of anybody able to get coverage from homeowner's. Your best defenses are a 'water alarm,' preferably one reporting to your cellphone; and a waterproof laminate like Coretec. Plus being sure to fasten all your water lines firmly in place where they can't flip loose. That and being VERY careful with ro/di filters: they work very slowly, you can't possibly sit and attend them, and they're a real problem. You MIGHT consider a water delivery service and go with distilled, IF you can find a reputable dealer. In OK, we had a distilled water service that was contaminated with copper, lethal to tanks.

[Rover88]

Originally Posted by wsoldier

I want to pull the trigger on a decent size tank (100-200G), but living in a 3rd floor condo unit makes me nervous about potential for damage. Yes I'm also aware of structural integrity and flooring capacity.

I've searched through old threads, but I wanted to get a sense of who has had recent success with getting explicit coverage in their condo/homeowner insurance policy to protect against water damage resulting from a tank.

Homesite apparently doesn't cover it from my recent call, and that was only after prodding them for explicit confirmation in writing that they would cover it.

Thanks!

I'm Canadian, but my insurance covers my tank as a 'water storage vessel'. I didn't pay anything extra, it was treated according to the person on the phone the same as a hot water heater.
They explicitly stated that they will not cover livestock, only equipment attached to the tank and any damages in the apartment caused by a leak or tank rupture.

[LPS_Blasto]

I understand the desire for a large tank. I do.

That being said, I wouldn't do it. It's too big. It's an unreasonably large tank to be sitting in a building with other people below it.

A 100g tank is going to be pushing 1,500 lbs when running. A 200g tank will be closer to 2,000 lbs. That's a dead load on what is more than likely, a wood floor and structure. It may hold up for awhile ... or it may not. Do you want the responsibility if there is structural damage to the building?

My philosophy with regard to reef tanks:
When in doubt -- DON'T

How about a nano or a 30-40g tank instead?

[wsoldier]

Thanks for the responses thus far. State Farm supposedly covers liability due to this but I'm getting clarification from local agents.

@LPS_Blasto: I appreciate your advice and perhaps you are correct, and hence my concern about proper liability coverage. I'm in a pretty large, modern complex and there are units above, so I'm less concerned about structural integrity (although I am trying to attain that information for confirmation). The reason I'm interested in a ~100G leads to a separate discussion about low maintenance/ULM, but to answer your question I suppose I'm not convinced that a small tank would be low maintenance. I also travel regularly and while I'm sure there are other threads on this topic, I'm concerned that I cannot leave a smaller tank for a few weeks at a time.

However, to tie back into my original thread concern, even a tank such as 40-60 gallons could cause a decent amount of damage.

Thanks!

[Daddyrawg]

Originally Posted by wsoldier

Thanks for the responses thus far. State Farm supposedly covers liability due to this but I'm getting clarification from local agents.

. I also travel regularly and while I'm sure there are other threads on this topic, I'm concerned that I cannot leave a smaller tank for a few weeks at a time.

can't leave a large tank a few weeks at a time either lol..

better invest in an ATO system and auto feeder.. I have a 100 gallon and go through 5 gallons a wk of RODI water due to evap..

Good Luck



However, to tie back into my original thread concern, even a tank such as 40-60 gallons could cause a decent amount of damage.

Thanks!

[Redseadragon12]

get a nano for sure. Tanks leak it would really suck to leak 100 gallons on 3 floors of soiled fish water.

[lapin]

You might ask about a million dollar or more "wrap" to add to your insurance policy. Not sure if it will cover your instance. It is liability insurance to cover things like lawsuits ect.... I think I have a 5 mil one.

[Rjukan]

Unfortunately I don't have any information on the insurance end, only more questions. I'm curious how it would work in a multi unit dwelling where the adjuster wouldn't be able to know what the water would damage in the units below... Even if they covered you, it wouldn't be an unlimited amount and you could possibly be open to law suits for the amounts not covered.

What's the policy of the condo? Usually they wouldn't allow a fish tank over a certain size anyway. It could be a moot point.

[Rover88]

Originally Posted by Rjukan

Unfortunately I don't have any information on the insurance end, only more questions. I'm curious how it would work in a multi unit dwelling where the adjuster wouldn't be able to know what the water would damage in the units below... Even if they covered you, it wouldn't be an unlimited amount and you could possibly be open to law suits for the amounts not covered.

What's the policy of the condo? Usually they wouldn't allow a fish tank over a certain size anyway. It could be a moot point.

IIRC, it depends on the building or your area.

Some buildings have a policy of 'Your insurance covers you' and others have a policy of 'Your insurance covers what you cause'.

There are PRO's and CONs to each. It sounds most fair to have the policy of your insurance covers any issues that you cause or accidental effects, but then what winds up happening is that the claims process is long as the individual companies fight and bicker over who caused what, and then the condo's insurer fights to assign blame to the units if its something thats their fault, etc.

If your insurance cover you and your unit, anything that happens just goes into your insurance, and its taken care of far more quickly... Even if the fault is the guy above you having a fish tank rupture and leak into your unit.

I'm way oversimplifying it, but there was an article I read about it not that long back that I can't find right now that went into it a lot more in detail.

[wsoldier]

@laptin: These "wrap" insurance policies seem to pertain to contractors and large building projects from what I found online. Are you suggesting this pertains to simple home owners and is offered through insurance companies as a supplemental policy, or by a 3rd party? Thanks.

Judging by the lack of responses and general clarity, it sounds like people are just hoping they're covered or taking the response from their insurance company at face value rather than relying on explicit language in their policy to ensure that they're protected. That seems scary to me (in the US anyway) and placing a lot of trust in the system.

[shaginwagon13]

I currently have a clause in my insurance policy specifically stating that my tank and anything damaged in the case of a tank failure will be covered. This extends to the fish, corals and liverock. The only think that is not covered is the actual piece of equipment that fails. My premiums went up slightly, but its a trivial amount compared to the dollar value that would be caused if the tank were to fail.

Maybe its different up here in Canada, but you can place insurance policies on almost anything if your willing to pay slightly more per month for it.

Realistically though, OP SHOULD at the very minimum get a structural engineer in his unit and determine if the load of a tank that large poses any potential risk to the people below. Not only for piece of mind, but also from a liability standpoint. Getting a stamp from an engineer takes a large portion of the liability off you as you did your due diligence in consulting an expert in the field to assess and determine a 2,000 lb tank would be alright. This goes down the road of having the tank fall through the floor.

Don't ever assume your floors will hold. Your not an engineer and no offence but your not qualified to make that determination.

Originally Posted by Rover88

I'm Canadian, but my insurance covers my tank as a 'water storage vessel'. I didn't pay anything extra, it was treated according to the person on the phone the same as a hot water heater.
They explicitly stated that they will not cover livestock, only equipment attached to the tank and any damages in the apartment caused by a leak or tank rupture.

Mine covers livestock. I pay extra though, so maybe that is why; but that covered is out there.