Storing pellets indoors causing possible insurance problems.

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TimfromMA

TimfromMA

Minister of Fire
Mar 6, 2014
2,306
Central MA
A pellet using friend of mine told me that they were forced to move their pellet stash to a shed after their homeowners insurance sent them a letter stating that they would not pay a fire related loss on the house if pellets were stored inside.

Anyone else hear of this?
 
Never heard of it either. What was the rationale?
 
Yes,same with my insurance.And as I have a handbuilt log cabin,only 2 companys in state will insure me.
 
My friend didn't say.
 
For wood stoves,out here,most companies allow 1 days worth inside house.But if you have attached garage,you can fill it up.Makes no sense.I put 3 ton in basement anyway,as fire response does not exsist where I live,if catches fire,nothing will be left.
 
Oh great. Like pellets burn better than two by fours. Sheesh! ;hm
 
I've got 6 3/4 tons in the basement.
 
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What stinkin shortage???
 
TimfromMA said:
A pellet using friend of mine told me that they were forced to move their pellet stash to a shed after their homeowners insurance sent them a letter stating that they would not pay a fire related loss on the house if pellets were stored inside.

Anyone else hear of this?
Click to expand...
Wow
He can easily find another company to insure him
 
I am trying to get a mental image of telling my homeowner's insurance agent how many pellets I store in the house. Nope, can get one.
 
Unless your storage room is near 250 C or 482F wood pellets combustion wont happen. Read this about wood pellets , basic info...
 

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hyfire said:
Unless your storage room is near 250 C or 482F wood pellets combustion wont happen. Read this about wood pellets , basic info...
Click to expand...

Pellets are made for burning. The rationale could be that a small fire that can be easily extinguished could get out of control rather quickly if the pellet stash catches fire.
 
TimfromMA said:
Pellets are made for burning. The rationale could be that a small fire that can be easily extinguished could get out of control rather quickly if the pellet stash catches fire.
Click to expand...
so the 44 gallons of gas in my ford excursion parked in my raised ranch garage is a fire hazard ,I know this and so do they,, also the 275 gal of oil in the tank that I use for hot water ,that's also in there and everybody around here has a trampoline for the kids which your also NOT supposed to have , and hey don't forget the lawnmore
 
Pellets stored in a garage are not the same as ones stored inside the living space. The garage is supposed to have a fire rated wall and door between it and the living space. Just sayin.
Ron
 
hyfire said:
Unless your storage room is near 250 C or 482F wood pellets combustion wont happen. Read this about wood pellets , basic info...
Click to expand...
There's a lot of good information in that well written paper. I especially liked the paragraph:

"It is important to understand that gasses burn as flames and that solid particles smolder,
and that during the combustion of wood 80 % of the energy is released as gas and the
rest is released from the charcoal remains."

Very good read.
 
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So what happens if someone has a pellet boiler with a multi ton pellet storage bin or bag? If it's your primary heat source, in order to qualify for large State rebates you have to be able to store weeks worth of pellets, not just a day's worth. You should tell your friend his insurance agent needs to talk to the State.
 
TimfromMA said:
Pellets are made for burning. The rationale could be that a small fire that can be easily extinguished could get out of control rather quickly if the pellet stash catches fire.
Click to expand...


There is no rationale! Insurance companies are notoriously dumb about real life risks and often base their decisions on faulty data.
 
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