Electric line insurance

[Pyrrho]

So I keep getting these flyers from the electric company urging me to buy insurance to cover the costs of repairs to the weatherhead and stuff the electric company is not responsible for.

Doesn't seem like it covers all that much. The question is whether or not the contractor would have to do more work to bring the service up to code if they had to replace anything between the lines and the breaker box.

This outfit: http://www.homeserveusa.com/

Not quite grokking the fine print about pre-existing conditions...I'm suspicious that I would only be able to make a claim if something actually breaks, as opposed to preventive maintenance.

Should I sign up?

Yes? No? FOAD?

[gnome]

My power company offers "Inside line wire maintenance" for what is sincerely a nominal fee each month. I am able to get up to $500 worth of repairs to electrical systems (broken or failed outlets, etc) per year. I have already used it twice and found it most handy. The first time they didn't even make it count against the $500 since they worked out the problem to be technically outside my house.

I don't know if your plan is equivalent to that.

[Anaxagoras]

How much are the premiums?

Can you cancel any time?

[Pyrrho]

How much are the premiums?

Can you cancel any time?

$4.99 per month, annual contract, can cancel any time, allegedly, after 30-day waiting period, renews automatically "at the then-current premiums" or something like that.

Local electric company sends out the flyers. Fee would be on my usual electric bill.

[Anaxagoras]

My house is about ten years old and so far I haven't had to have any electrical work done.

I guess it depends on stuff like how old your house is and how dodgy you think the wiring might be.

[Rob Lister]

I think it depends on your home. If your wiring is knob and tube wiring, or cloth covered wiring, there might be a benefit, but they might see that as a preexisting condition.

I wouldn't bother with it, but then again, I can fix almost anything myself.

Oh, right, like you bother fixing anything.
That's not what I said; I said I CAN fix most anything
When was the last time you personally fixed something. Anything at all.
That's not the point.
Well just for fun, when.
Okay, how about that attic fan.
That was more than 20 years ago and you had to call a roofer to repair what you did.
There's been plenty of other stuff.
The last thing you did was hang a picture, and it is crooked. How did you manage to fuck that up? It's one nail, yet the picture can't be straightened!
Again, I don't that that is the issue.

I clicked the link and it really is kind of vague what they cover. For example, that mouse that ate through that wiring, is that covered?

[DrMatt]

Are you in a mandatory conduit jurisdiction?


Chicago building code requires indoor electric to flow through conduit. This is very expensive during the initial building. When a wire burns or otherwise must be replaced, you use all the wires currently in a conduit to pull a string through the conduit, and use the string to pull new wires in. Most repairs can be done without breaking open and then repairing and repainting your walls, so repairs are less expensive than in other zones. But the theory is that the grounded conduit doubles as a fire-shield for the walls it flows through. I dunno.