RetireJapan

Does anyone here have insurance to cover burst water pipes in cold months?
I am trying to do some research, and am struggling to find insurance companies that will cover this.
It is something I need where I live, more so than flood/typhoon etc. insurance.

Thanks.

Any 火災保険 I've seen have this option (often this it a must-be type). Sompo, Rakuten and Tokyo Marine definitely have it. The limit it 10万, though.
I'm not sure if it can be purchased separately.

Ori wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:09 am Any 火災保険 I've seen have this option (often this it a must-be type). Sompo, Rakuten and Tokyo Marine definitely have it. The limit it 10万, though.
I'm not sure if it can be purchased separately.

Okay. Thank you.

I think you've posted in another thread about your pipes, and maybe it was mentioned in the 'bills' thread, leaving your water on/dribbling to prevent freezing?

In a cold area like yours, is some kind of pipe heating system ever used? I'd think that along with just insulating the pipes (probably already SOP), there might be some kind of wrapping, prior to that, just enough electric used to keep things from freezing?

At any rate, good luck!

captainspoke wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:00 am I think you've posted in another thread about your pipes, and maybe it was mentioned in the 'bills' thread, leaving your water on/dribbling to prevent freezing?

In a cold area like yours, is some kind of pipe heating system ever used? I'd think that along with just insulating the pipes (probably already SOP), there might be some kind of wrapping, prior to that, just enough electric used to keep things from freezing?

At any rate, good luck!

I do indeed keep all taps trickling during a cold spell.
And I have put electrical insulation and foam sleeves around the outside piping.
I still worry about pipes freezing under the house, where I cannot access to wrap them in insulation.
I am also away on business trips a lot, and I don't like to leave taps trickling 24/7 for two weeks or so when I am away....
I cannot leave heat on in my house when I am away as I only have kerosene heaters and a wood stove.

Roger Van Zant wrote: ↑Thu Nov 18, 2021 3:36 am

captainspoke wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 10:00 am I think you've posted in another thread about your pipes, and maybe it was mentioned in the 'bills' thread, leaving your water on/dribbling to prevent freezing?

In a cold area like yours, is some kind of pipe heating system ever used? I'd think that along with just insulating the pipes (probably already SOP), there might be some kind of wrapping, prior to that, just enough electric used to keep things from freezing?

At any rate, good luck!

I do indeed keep all taps trickling during a cold spell.
And I have put electrical insulation and foam sleeves around the outside piping.
I still worry about pipes freezing under the house, where I cannot access to wrap them in insulation.
I am also away on business trips a lot, and I don't like to leave taps trickling 24/7 for two weeks or so when I am away....
I cannot leave heat on in my house when I am away as I only have kerosene heaters and a wood stove.

The other thing you could do would be to turn the water off at the main stop cock, and drain the pipes. You don't need to drain all the water out. Just enough so that there is sufficient space for the water to expand in the pipes if it freezes, so that it doesn't burst the pipes.

I just took out a pretty cheap policy with Sony Sompo - 10 years for just under 70,000 yen. It covers fire and damage from typhoons, snow etc. I decided against optional coverage for water damage from floods etc but it seems that burst pipes due to snow/cold temperatures is included within the snow coverage anyway

If you live somewhere that burst pipes are a distinct likelihood, you should ask yourself these questions:

What is the expected number of incidents over (say) 10 years?
What is the approximate cost of repairs for these?
How much will insurance against this cost?

Generally you could expect the insurance company to want at least double the expected cost; after all they have to pay for a nicely carpeted office in a plausibly permanent setting, or you couldn't trust them. If the expected number of incidents is very very low, it makes sense to exchange a small probability multiplied by a high cost, for twice the expected cost, because in the really rare case that you suffered the damage you might be seriously impacted financially. But it never makes sense to insure against something you expect to happen. (Of course this reasoning depends on the assumption that the insurance company is numerate...)

But it never makes sense to insure against something you expect to happen.

You lost me with this sentence....

Roger Van Zant wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2022 3:00 am

But it never makes sense to insure against something you expect to happen.

You lost me with this sentence....

Because if you expect burst pipes to happen, you have two choices:
1: Pay for them yourself - expected cost n yen
2: Let the insurance company pay for them; expected cost n x insurance company markup, perhaps twice as much.

But it does make sense to insure against an uncountenanceable but extremely unlikely loss. Of course the expected* cost is higher, but the maximum cost is bearable.

(* That's a technical term, by the way, from probability theory, which the insurance company would probably advise you not to study)