懂house insurance的, 请看一下!

Here is what I experienced with dealing with the insurance co. At first, on the second day after I reported the first incident, the claim department told me my coverage was low for the water/sewer backup. I fought back with all evidence of the recorded phone conversations, and eventually the insurance policy department corrected it to much higher coverage limit on my water damage endorsement. By this time, the second water backup/damage already happened.

Now I am just afraid, I shall bother to contact them for the 2nd water backup or shall tell them the 2nd water backup shall be part of the 1st claim (anyway, it happend within the 2 weeks from the first claim. ) Here are what I worry:

1. Is there a common time frame to inform insurance co. about an incident, such as water/sewer backup?
2. If I make another claim, will it delay the insurance co to settle/give me the payment for first claim. I need the payment to start removing the floors, and I do not want to call city inspector until I receive payment from the insurance co., because if the city inspector comes, and finds out it is the problem is on my property side, then the insurance co. will be much tighter on paying me the money, and much more careful scrutinizing. And who knows what is the exact problem and might even something the insurance co. may use to exclude the claim completely. For now, the insurance has informed the city and city is not moving to send someone to come yet. The city also told me the get estimates for the damage as well.
3. Also if I mention the 2nd water backup incident, I am still afraid, the insurance co. may be triggered to use this exclusion “the insurance company does not insure damage from continuous or repeated seepage, leakage, discharge or overflow of water.” I am not sure twice in 2 weeks from possible city’s fault is considered a repeated discharge, overflow of water.
4. However, if I inform the claim department with the 2nd water/sewer backup, will they put more consideration on the damage and payment, because now the person that handles my first claim told me he is waiting for team leader to see how much they will pay to cover for the damage, as they sort out the differences between the insurance co.’s adjuster’s estimate and the 3rd party contractors’ estimates.

By the way, when the insurance sent their adjuster came last week, it was already many days after 2nd water/sewer backup, and we cleaned up the place much nicer already, we have to clean it up otherwise molds will grow like crazy. I am not sure the cleanness will leave the insurance’s own adjuster consider the damage less serious, and if we inform them the 2nd water damage incident, it will help them to take more considerations on the damage, and pay us higher amount. The main differences from the insurance’s adjuster’s estimate and 3rd party estimates are: whether ceramic floors and subfloors need be replaced, whether bathtub in basement needs be replaced, whether gas forced air furnace and hot water heater need be replaced as both the lower parts of the furnace and hot water heater has water/sewer backup into.

Thanks ahead.