The insured’s home sustained water damage after a four-year-old water valve in the master bathroom failed. The valve’s manufacturer denied liability, arguing that the loss resulted from an installation problem as opposed to a product defect. The manufacturer specifically claimed that a product defect would have caused the valve to fail shortly after it was manufactured, not years after its installation. Through scientific analysis, we were able to establish that the valve failed as a result of dezincification, and the timeline associated with the product’s failure – i.e. after multiple years in service – was wholly consistent with that failure mode. Based upon our thorough analysis of the product’s defects and failure, the manufacturer settled the claim without the need for costly litigation.