Your Furnace And Home Insurance
A broken furnace comes with a lot of stress, not the least of which is due to the financial costs. Whether you’re getting repairs or finding a furnace replacement, everyone wants to keep the costs as low as possible. That’s where homeowners insurance can come in.
Absolute Comfort Air has helped Winder homeowners with heater repair and replacement for years, so we’re no strangers to insurance. We’d like to walk you through how your furnace applies to home insurance and what can be done to keep insurance on your side.
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Furnace Repair?
Home insurance should cover furnace replacement and repair, so long as the reason for the damage is covered by your particular insurance. In other words, while a broken furnace will often fall under the coverage of insurance, you should never assume that it will be a sure thing.
Each insurance policy is unique and yours likely has different guidelines than that of someone else you know. With that being said, all insurance plans will follow a similar line of logic. Home insurance is meant to protect your furnace from sudden crises. That doesn’t mean it can be relied upon to cover problems caused by negligence or poor maintenance.
If you ignore heater maintenance on the assumption that insurance will take care of any problems, you’ll find yourself disappointed and, more importantly, burdened with bills. While homeowners insurance can help protect your furnace, it isn’t an excuse to neglect your unit’s health.
What Will Home Insurance Cover?
When your furnace needs repair or replacement, one of your first questions is naturally whether or not you can rely on homeowners insurance to cover the cost.
Generally, if the reason for your furnace trouble couldn’t have been reasonably predicted and prevented, it’s likely your insurance will cover it. Here are some things that home insurance will typically cover for you.
Natural Disasters
It’s common for homeowners insurance to cover damages caused by natural disasters. Some examples are fires, lightning, wind and hail. For instance, if your outdoor condenser is struck by debris during a storm, most insurance plans will cover it.
This is useful for homeowners in areas prone to harsh storms, but know that specific disasters may be excluded in some plans.
Theft And Vandalism
If your furnace requires replacement or repair due to a case of theft or vandalism, most plans will cover it. Don’t forget that every plan is unique and yours might have specific conditions that need to apply.
Sudden Unexpected Damage
Certain extreme damages like furnace explosions or pipe floods will often be covered by insurance. Keep in mind that some heater problems are caused by owner neglect, and the costs might not be covered if poor maintenance is involved. It’s best to stay on top of heater maintenance to minimize these risks.
What Won’t Home Insurance Cover?
Should you find yourself requiring a furnace replacement, no one wants to learn that their insurance won’t help them with the costs.
The good news is that most plans have similar rules for what is excluded from coverage. Even so, make sure to review your personal plan carefully, as no two insurances are the same.
Pest Damage
As common as pests are, few insurance plans will cover their damage to your heating system components. That means if rats or insects start getting at part of your furnace, you’ll have to take on the costs yourself. This also applies to damages caused by your own pets, which is one of many reasons to keep pets away from your heater.
Lack Of Maintenance
A surprising amount of homeowners choose to neglect furnace maintenance. Even something like a dirty filter or old age can cause your heater to wear itself out or malfunction. Don’t expect homeowners insurance to help you if your furnace starts suffering due to poor maintenance.
Improper Installation And Misuse
The installment of your furnace is very important as if it’s done incorrectly, any problems it faces likely won’t be covered by home insurance. The handling of your furnace directly relates to how likely it is for insurance to cover it.
Should your unit be mishandled, you’ll have to pay the costs on your own. It’s wise to ensure that your heater is installed only by professional technicians.
Rely On Quality Heater Installation
A faulty furnace installation not only gives you years of inefficient heating, it also prevents home insurance from covering those inevitable repairs. That first installation needs to be done right, which is why you can turn to Absolute Comfort Air to get the job done.
When the weather gets chilly, there’s no time to worry about hefty bills along with the cold. Let Absolute Comfort Air set your heating system up for success — contact us today!
