BY VINCE BURGEY
On April 30, up to five inches of rain fell on parts of Westchester County, causing problems throughout the region. Roads became flooded and basements filled up with rainwater. It was another reminder of the destructive power of water and what may be the biggest risk to homeowners in Westchester.
Local homeowners who lived through Superstorm Sandy in 2012 are well aware of the havoc that Mother Nature can bring to the area. For Westchester, Sandy was less of a rain event than even the April 30 storm, but widespread power outages that lasted for days or weeks often meant that sump pumps installed to keep basements dry were rendered useless.
A large majority of Westchester homes insured by Chubb Personal Insurance have basements. And most of them are fully realized living spaces. Today”™s basements are not like the basements of yore ”“ utilitarian pits beneath homes that provided a dark and dank storage area for homeowners and a prime shelter for spiders, mice and other creepy-crawlies. Even in older homes, people have turned their basements into much more: home movie theaters, workout gyms with rubberized floors, temperature-controlled wine cellars and even the occasional bowling alley.
As the insurer of homes with fancy basements loaded with expensive equipment and valuable collections, companies such as Chubb have a vested interest in helping to make sure these basements remain dry even during the wettest of times. And now the wettest of times are upon us, as we”™re currently in the midst of the spring rainy season, and the official start of hurricane season is just around the corner (June 1).
Fortunately, there are several things that homeowners can do to help prevent heavy rains from turning their below-ground theaters, gyms and wine cellars into indoor swimming pools.
Defense mechanisms
Water is persistent. Over time, it will almost always find its way into the home. That”™s why the first line of defense against excessive rain is outside the home. The topography around a home can have a major impact on whether the basement stays dry. The ground and patios surrounding a home should slope away from the foundation and toward drains and streams. Rain gutters should be kept clean and downspouts should extend far enough to direct the rainwater away from the home.
Homeowners can do everything shy of installing a giant umbrella over their property, but water can still infiltrate the basement during the wet season, especially if the water table is high. That”™s why it”™s important to have a sump pump installed to extract the water before it rises to the level of the basement floor. As with downspouts, these systems should pump the excess water far away from the home.
Sump pumps are common throughout Westchester, but as we learned from Sandy, electrical generators are less so. As I mentioned above, sump pumps without power are useless. Fortunately, there are several options to keep the pumps, well, pumping when the power goes out.
Ideally, homeowners should have an automatic backup generator that runs on natural gas or propane. Some generators can power the entire house, while others keep the juice flowing to critical systems, like sump pumps, lights, alarm systems, refrigerators and garage door openers.
In lieu of a whole-house generator, homeowners should consider sump pump systems with built-in redundancy. Here are some options:
Ӣ A battery backup to a 110-volt sump pump. This usually means a marine battery with a power inverter that brings the 12-volt power from the battery up to the 110 volts needed for the sump pump. The problem with this system is that these batteries will last only 24 to 48 hours.
Ӣ A redundant 12-volt sump pump with battery in the same pit as the 110-volt sump pump. Without the need for a power inverter, this battery backup could last for several days.
Ӣ A water pressure-powered sump pump. This backup system uses the water pressure in the home plumbing to power the sump pump.
Even if you”™ve taken every precaution to keep your basement dry, there is still a chance that water will make its way inside. If possible, before the water starts to trickle in, move valuables off the basement floor to keep them dry. You may not be able to save the wall-to-wall carpeting, but picking up that box of old photographs will help preserve family memories.
Finally, homeowners who have taken steps to reduce the risk of a loss may be eligible for a policy discount from their insurer. Chubb, for example, offers discounts of up to 15 percent in New York for a variety of home-protection upgrades.
With an average of 42 inches of rain falling on Westchester each year, the challenge to area homeowners is keeping that water out of their basements. But careful planning and wise investments can allow most homeowners to set their mops aside and enjoy the comforts of their well-appointed basements ”“ even during a rainstorm.
Vince Burgey is the personal insurance manager for the Westchester branch of Chubb Personal Insurance in White Plains. Go to Chubb.com for more tips on protecting basements from flooding.
Comments 1