Insurance Companies and wood stoves...

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With a DIY installation I think the smart thing is subrogate your risk by having a building official or fire marshall sign off for your protection and keep those papers in a safe place and do send a copy of them in a return recipt rquired letter to the insurance co , keep the recipt with your copies of the paperwork.

Our fire department no longer does inspections. I went to the municipality to inquire about a permit, yes one was required- $250. Does that include an inspection? No they just want your money. Three guesses about my permit. Informed the insurance co. about my install and provided them with pictures, informed them it would be wett inspected some time in the new year. My rate went up $90 a year until the inspection then $30 after. Had calls almost weekly in the new year to see if we had the wett done yet, kept telling them I would get it done when I could afford it. Finally after a couple of months they called to make an appointment for their inspector (wett??) come look at it. He came took pictures, measured, and went into the attic to check up there. Next thing I know I get a letter in the mail saying my install was ok and my rate would be going up $30 a year.
My advice to anyone thinking on, or that has a stove in place- ALWAYS, ALWAYS inform your insurance company. If your house burnt down for any other reason than the would stove, and they came and found it in the ashes, guess what- you would be on your own with no coverage!
 
Might give Grange a shot, I put everything with them (auto/home) for the discounts. easy to deal with and best price in my location. 1/2 price for same coverages vs State Farm. had to take the trampoline down though because the yard is not fenced in, the net to keep you on it dont count. they class it same as a swimming pool :rolleyes: oh well the savings out weigh it though, guess I will just half to get the kids something safer like a go-cart or dirt bike. lol
 
Man Gieco were the only company that would insure me when I told them I had a wood burning stove. They told me that it would not effect my coverage and that if it had been an open fireplace that they would have turned me down. I think its really all about who you get on the phone and the amount of time and experience they have with this stuff.
I think you are right, it's much like a travel agent finding you best airline ticket. Usually there a few different options available, some are cheaper, some have certain restrictions, and not every airline will take you where you want to go. It's up to the insurance agent, or travel agent, to find the package that suits your particular needs the best way they can, and sometimes that requires a little work on their part.
 
Based upon the responses I've heard from different folks, I'm wondering if there can be differences with the same company depending on one's region.

pen
No question about it Pen. The last post:

I called our SF agent and all they wanted was the wett cert for each of the woodstove and insert. Charge me $40/yr each. They did ask if I still have a working furnace, and apparently they see the furnace as primary heat and the stove and insert as secondary. Glad they don't rate things based on hours of use ;)
When I put in my new stove, my insurance company wanted an extra $45 a year and to send out an inspector. Which I thought was reasonaable. But, I checked with State Farm and they didn't want anything extra and no inspection, just to know I had it. They couldn't match the rates I had with my insurance company because of no claims and longevity. None the less, the above is much different than what the SF agent told me here.
 
First and second insert that we had put in, I let the insurance company know. Both times were "Oh...thanks for letting us know. We'll make a note of it in your file". That was it. No spikes in premium (though my premium went down for the second one because I was also reporting no more oil tank/combustion for primary heat). I was pretty surprised at how little they cared about the inserts, though personally I think they're considerably safer than an open fireplace. I get why insurance companies are concerned about free standers though....but even then, mind didn't care. We had one in the basement when we bought and it never factored in. Let em know it was gone just in case and again, did not care.
 
First and second insert that we had put in, I let the insurance company know. Both times were "Oh...thanks for letting us know. We'll make a note of it in your file". That was it. No spikes in premium (though my premium went down for the second one because I was also reporting no more oil tank/combustion for primary heat). I was pretty surprised at how little they cared about the inserts, though personally I think they're considerably safer than an open fireplace. I get why insurance companies are concerned about free standers though....but even then, mind didn't care. We had one in the basement when we bought and it never factored in. Let em know it was gone just in case and again, did not care.
Why would a freestanding stove be more of a concern to insurance companies th an an insert?
 
Well, I don't know that they would be, but I could easily see it. Inserts are largely contained in the masonry whereas stoves have all surface area, flue included, exposed to the house (some, not all installs obviously).
 
My insurance company ( Eaton Insurance) didnt bat an eye when I told them I installed an insert. They simply said "we will note it on your policy" and they made the comment " No change in premium because you are paying for an open fireplace already" They did say if I installed a free standing wood burner my premium would go up 10%. Now if I can just get them to insure the place with a pond Id be all set with them.
you should tell them the local fire company can use the pond as a water source to fill their tankers or use with their pumps. i know some companies do look at the availability of water in the area.

cass
 
I used to have Farmer's insurance, it used to be about 450 per year, since 2 or 3 years ago they went nuts and the wood stove isn't even the issue at hand, it is the location of the nearest staffed fire dept. I am only 5 miles from our local volunteer fire dept and have 3 more within 10 miles in other towns but that is not good enough, the nearest city is 30 miles and that is the nearest full time staffed fire dept so they raised my premium to 950 per year. It seems Farmer's insurance only wants to insure farmers who live in town, lol.
 
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I don't have insurance and probably never will. Nuff said, end of story. We heat with wood, cook with wood, heat water with wood, etc... I wouldn't have it any other way.
Propane or electric would cost us a fortune. If the house burns down, somebody set it on fire. I don't like bills, I hate loans, and taxes drive me up a tree. I won't pay a cent that I don't have to. Code is for people who don't know what they are doing IMO. I build everything as safe as I possibly can, which is WAY above code. I think I am done ranting now.

If I had an insurance company and they had a limit on wood storage, I would be in deep trouble.
 
So recently I decided to switch insurance companies because Allstates rates kept climbing. I called a local insurance agency and met with an agent who found us a policy with more coverage for both home and auto for a couple hundred a year less.
Now, a month AFTER the new policies took effect, my agent calls and asks "Do you have a wood burning stove?" Really? Isn't this something you should ask before you write the policy? Besides, I gave him a copy of my allstate policy that showed I had a wood burning fireplace. Anyway, I say yes and he asks if it was professionally installed, and I say yes again. He says it "shouldn't" be a problem, but I will call you tomorrow. Well I hope not, it wasn't an issue for Allstate. I told him that Allstate did not raise my rates when I had it installed because I was already being charged for a wood burning fireplace. I told him that I thought wood burning inserts were safer than fireplaces anyway. He said it's the opposite. I am hoping he is confused by terminology, stove vs. insert. This could not turn out well for me, we'll see.
I talked to Allstate today and they said that if you had a fire and your house has a wood stove, they will not cover it. They will not insure a home with a wood stove.
 
Interesting. Since on their website they give tips on using wood in your wood stove. ;lol

http://blog.allstate.com/firewood-tips-buying-storing-using/


"We wish you a winter’s worth of warmth, and hope you follow best burn practices. Just remember to keep a well-maintained stove and chimney to maximize savings, safety and efficiency."

And their helpful holiday safety tips:

"For fireplaces and wood stoves, burn only seasoned hardwood. Keep persons, pets and flammable objects at least three feet away, open flues before using, and use screens to control embers."
 
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Will they at least sell you some liability insurance in case someone gets hurt on the property.

Interesting you mention liability insurance. Last month, my wife and I met with a financial planner guy who said, when we told him we had no homeowner's insurance, that we would be very, very wise to get ourselves some liability coverage. He gave me a couple places to start asking, and I spend quite a bit of an afternoon online looking all over the place. The deal is, every single insurer I called or checked online requires you to have both auto and home insurance FIRST before they will write you a policy for liability. Their excuse: they require the primary insurance to cover the main [lawsuit, etc.] stuff and the "liability" policy then picks up if the primary policy is not large enough to cover the damage from whatever suit. I called the financial planner guy and my CPA friend and they both said, huh, didn't know that. I said to a couple insurers, what if I am renting a house or apartment and just want a liability policy. They said, nope, you'd have to have, first, a good renter's policy. Then, they MIGHT write me a liability. I said, what if I don't have a car and don't want one. They said, you will certainly be borrowing someone's car or etc. and you could have an accident, so you have to have some sort of good auto policy and blah blah. I said, what if I am very wealthy and not working but traveling the world with no house or cars to my name right now but could get sued for some of my wealth, they said well, sorry, no liability policy.

There have to be coverages available; I haven't yet found them. I have found no home owner's policy for a home in an area with no hydrants and no liability policy for homeowners who have no homeowners' insurance. So far, anyhow. I can only take so much looking before I give up for a while. But as to wood stoves, I have had a number of companies say wood stoves are ok. Those places were more worried about our golden retrievers than the wood stoves.
 
I have found no home owner's policy for a home in an area with no hydrants and no liability policy for homeowners who have no homeowners' insurance.

That's weird. There isn't a hydrant within nine miles of this house. But thousands of houses around and you can bet that most have homeowner's insurance.
 
C'mon folks...check the lower left corners of the posts. This thread has been dredged up from nearly 18 months in the grave.
 
Whoops. I bit. ;em
 
Good topic...start a fresh thread with some new stuff. Rick
 
Interesting you mention liability insurance. Last month, my wife and I met with a financial planner guy who said, when we told him we had no homeowner's insurance, that we would be very, very wise to get ourselves some liability coverage. He gave me a couple places to start asking, and I spend quite a bit of an afternoon online looking all over the place. The deal is, every single insurer I called or checked online requires you to have both auto and home insurance FIRST before they will write you a policy for liability. Their excuse: they require the primary insurance to cover the main [lawsuit, etc.] stuff and the "liability" policy then picks up if the primary policy is not large enough to cover the damage from whatever suit. I called the financial planner guy and my CPA friend and they both said, huh, didn't know that. I said to a couple insurers, what if I am renting a house or apartment and just want a liability policy. They said, nope, you'd have to have, first, a good renter's policy. Then, they MIGHT write me a liability. I said, what if I don't have a car and don't want one. They said, you will certainly be borrowing someone's car or etc. and you could have an accident, so you have to have some sort of good auto policy and blah blah. I said, what if I am very wealthy and not working but traveling the world with no house or cars to my name right now but could get sued for some of my wealth, they said well, sorry, no liability policy.

There have to be coverages available; I haven't yet found them. I have found no home owner's policy for a home in an area with no hydrants and no liability policy for homeowners who have no homeowners' insurance. So far, anyhow. I can only take so much looking before I give up for a while. But as to wood stoves, I have had a number of companies say wood stoves are ok. Those places were more worried about our golden retrievers than the wood stoves.
I think you may be talking about an "umbrella policy". This would be in addition to all your other insurance needs (ie homeowners, auto...). Many companies will not underwrite an umbrella (basically additional liability insurance) unless you have the rest as primaries. Umbrellas are basically designed to give you extra cushion in case of a claim against you. A good example is you now have a child driving and is now on your auto policy. Typical coverages are min $100 or $250k on claims. Should a claim be higher, your umbrella would kick in. Many people with assets (and kids) will buy this policy addendum.
 
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Good topic...start a fresh thread with some new stuff. Rick

I don't quite follow that logic. Why open a new thread then? When people would write the same stuff again since they don't know what was in the old thread why would that be new? And it is not that this thread is that ancient with completely outdated info.
 
I don't quite follow that logic. Why open a new thread then? When people would write the same stuff again since they don't know what was in the old thread why would that be new? And it is not that this thread is that ancient with completely outdated info.

So, I figure you read through all 93 posts before this comment, then. :rolleyes:
 
Closing the old door.
 
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