For adjusters and policyholders
What we write down about the plumbing
After a pump failure or a sewer backup, we document the plumbing: what we saw, in what order, with photographs. The file goes to the homeowner.
We don't decide coverage, we don't act for the homeowner with the insurer, and we don't give an opinion on the claim. The file records what the plumbing looked like and what we did to it.
The file
What is in it
The pit and the pump
Photos of the pit before work, the pump's label and the float.
Make and model where the label can be read
Float and discharge check valve position
The drain line
Where the main drain line leaves the house, and whether a valve is fitted.
The valve's position, and whether the flap moves
The nearest floor drain and cleanout
The water
The water line on the walls and on the floor, with a tape in the frame.
Photographs taken before anything is moved
Where we think it entered, as seen, not as concluded
The power
Which outlet feeds the pump, and whether a battery is fitted.
Outlet, cord and breaker, as seen
The battery's label, if there is one
The timeline
When the call came in, when we arrived and what stopped when.
The first call and the arrival time
What we did, in order
The discharge route
From the pit to the outdoor end, photographed.
The outlet, and whether it was clear
Where the water went
Before the next storm
A homeowner policy often treats a water backup as a separate endorsement, and a sump pump failure can be covered differently from a sewer backup.
Check yours before a storm, not after. Ask the insurer what counts as a backup, what the limit is, and what proof they want. Then keep a dry-day photograph of the pit and the pump label in your phone.
Need the plumbing's side of the story?
Call, or send the address and the date. A plumber will tell you what a file can hold.