Do you need added protection for your outside utility lines?

PITTSBURGH — You probably get them in the mail. We know some people who get them once a month. They're letters from the gas company, electric company and other utilities, telling you your outside lines aren't protected. Channel 11 News sorted through the fine print so your family can decide whether it's coverage worth buying.

"I'm thinking, what can go wrong with a relatively new home?" said Kevin Miracle.

That was Miracle's first mistake thinking his 16-year-old home was safe from wear and tear. But then he came home to a broken pipe filling about 6 to 8 feet of water into the basement.

The break happened just 2 inches outside the home's foundation, and that's the difference between homeowner's insurance covering it and being out thousands of dollars. Those 2 inches meant Miracle was on the hook for repairs. It cost him $5,000 and the aggravation of finding contractors.

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A couple of weeks later, Miracle happened to see a letter in the mail from "Peoples Gas." We collected similar letters from people in our newsroom. They show up routinely in local mailboxes either from your borough or a utility company, and they tell you your home isn't covered for external water, sewer, or gas problems. But what do these plans really offer, and is it worth it?

Once all the dust settled from his pipe repairs, Miracle signed up for the Peoples Gas protection plan. His external gas and water lines from the foundation to the curb are now covered for wear and tear, for less than 8 dollars a month. It would have covered his broken pipe, but admits he doesn't know the plan's fine print.

"I guess if they tell me the tree roots is what went in and moved everything, I don't know," said Miracle. "I did not ask that question."

We took Miracle's questions to Peoples Gas sales manager, Vivian Sabatini. If a tree root, an animal or maybe ice causes a broken pipe, Sabatini said none of that is covered.

"If their line fails as the result of normal wear and tear, then it's completely covered," said Sabatini.

And it would not cover the water damage in Miracle's basement. So we took the utility dilemma to WPXI consumer expert Clark Howard.

"You could have a water line break, a gas line break, a problem with your electric line," said Howard. "But the odds that any of those three things are going to happen is so tiny, don't take the bait, don't spend the money."

But Sabatini said these plans do offer a hassle-free contractor and piece of mind for when those tiny changes do happen.

Peoples Gas also told us it is looking at better ways to advertise and explain its programs. It said its mailers often get thrown out or get lumped in with junk mail.

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