Insurance Issues?

I had no issues with my insurance. I installed a indoor boiler in a polebarn with enough room for 7 cord of wood. I installed the boiler in a 8 by 10 foot room with 5/8" fire rated drywall and a steel entry door to the wood storage.

I had 2 out of three companies approve my Garn installation which is in an attached boiler room on my 30x40 stick-built workshop. I had to send photos of the installation along with Garn’s installation specs and ratings.

I actually had an insurance broker out to quote my home and pole barns acoule weeks ago...He refused to even give me a quote because I have my EKO60 in the attached garage. He also stated that the only way he could give me a quote was if the boiler was moved inside the house or 25' - 50' away from the house/barns. (I was planning on moving it to a polebarn). Now I'm wondering what would happen if my current insurance company would 'review' me. This agent was telling me that some "recommendation" came down from the Federal government basically stating "ANY solid fuel appliance....should not be in the garage/outbuilding". I'm still deciding what to do...
Bryan

Brian.
If “ANY solid fuel appliance….should not be in the garage/outbuilding†where should it then be ?

He told me that I could put it in the house...that would be fine. Or out in the yard. I understand why the insurance companies wouldn't want one in the garage...but not the polebarn.
I really like the EKO60...but now I am wondering if I just shouldn't build a "little building" out in the yard. Putting it in the basement would be a hassle.
When we bought the house, there was actually an older aguatherm boiler in the garage...burned lots of wood, terribly inefficient...it developed a leak so I sold it and bought the EKO. The insurance guy six years ago didn't care what was in the garage...
Bryan

for my indoor boiler My insurance said not in the shop. They said in the house or a shed. I asked how far away the shed had to be from the shop or house and they told me ass long as they could see daylight between the two.

State Farm said the boiler had to be UL listed and the installation passed by the local building inspector. I am placing my boiler in a room partitioned off from one corner of the the garage with an outside entry only, per the International Residential Code requirement. Using 5/8 inch sheetrock too per the fire code regulation.

Mike

Boundaryh20 said:

He told me that I could put it in the house...that would be fine. Or out in the yard. I understand why the insurance companies wouldn't want one in the garage...but not the polebarn.
I really like the EKO60...but now I am wondering if I just shouldn't build a "little building" out in the yard. Putting it in the basement would be a hassle.
When we bought the house, there was actually an older aguatherm boiler in the garage...burned lots of wood, terribly inefficient...it developed a leak so I sold it and bought the EKO. The insurance guy six years ago didn't care what was in the garage...
Bryan

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Run with it. My boiler is in a unattached garage, err I mean wood storage building. Took a bit of doing, but we're fine. My garage is 50ft from house.

Also found it funny, i had more rules if the boiler was in the next door building. But when asked about putting the same boiler in basement of my house? Do whatever you want. Make sense? There are reasons, but......

Insurance companies seem to look at a boiler in a shed, workshop, storage building, etc as an unattended wood burner. "You can't be in both places at once and the house is you place of residence". If the appliance is somewhere in the house it is attended and they seem not to worry.

Tell them you sleep in the workshop. :lol:

The ins co concern is fumes/vapors from gasoline engines/5 gal cans/spillage, etc that the fumes will stay low to ground and ignite off of the wood boiler. The preferred way is build a boiler room with separate outside entrance, no entrance from inside the garage. Firewalls and the whole shootin' match.

What i have is the boiler in its own room, but with entrance from the now re-named "wood storage facility". Bring my wood all stacked on pallets. I prefer the boiler in an out building for many reasons.

flyingcow said:

What i have is the boiler in its own room, but with entrance from the now re-named "wood storage facility". Bring my wood all stacked on pallets. I prefer the boiler in an out building for many reasons.

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How do you hold your firewood on the pallet?

3 pallets. One on bottom, one on each side. Than have a 2x4 across the top holding together. Seems to work good. I stack wood right off of the splitter, wood stays outside to dry and when I need wood I move pallets with my tractor. The garage is tall enough to drive right in and drop the pallet easy. Rough figures is a pallet of wood will weight 2,000/2500lbs. I can get just a 1/2 a cord on a pallet.

Boundaryh20 said:

.... Putting it in the basement would be a hassle ...

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Can't tell from this if your main issue with a basement install is getting it moved in, or just having it living down there. If the big deal is getting it there, yes it's a project - but for most of us it turned out not to be that big of a deal - one and done. Before getting into an outbuilding and running underground lines, you might want to spend a few hours here reading through the archive on boilers in the basement (assuming you haven't already done so). It's one of the primary points of contention on this forum - some of us are totally ok with having them in the basement, and others don't want any part of that. There are valid points on both sides. Might be worth another look, unless you've completely evaluated it already. In any case, good luck with it.

flyingcow said:

3 pallets. One on bottom, one on each side. Than have a 2x4 across the top holding together. Seems to work good. I stack wood right off of the splitter, wood stays outside to dry and when I need wood I move pallets with my tractor. The garage is tall enough to drive right in and drop the pallet easy. Rough figures is a pallet of wood will weight 2,000/2500lbs. I can get just a 1/2 a cord on a pallet.

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Thanks, good idea! Looks like I will have to get looking for more pallets, would need 21 (10.5 cords) for a heating season.

Sawyer said:

flyingcow said:

3 pallets. One on bottom, one on each side. Than have a 2x4 across the top holding together. Seems to work good. I stack wood right off of the splitter, wood stays outside to dry and when I need wood I move pallets with my tractor. The garage is tall enough to drive right in and drop the pallet easy. Rough figures is a pallet of wood will weight 2,000/2500lbs. I can get just a 1/2 a cord on a pallet.

Click to expand...

Thanks, good idea! Looks like I will have to get looking for more pallets, would need 21 (10.5 cords) for a heating season.

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Times that by 2, you need at least 1 yrs of wood ahead. I am trying to go 2 1/2 yrs ahead

Sawyer said:

flyingcow said:

3 pallets. One on bottom, one on each side. Than have a 2x4 across the top holding together. Seems to work good. I stack wood right off of the splitter, wood stays outside to dry and when I need wood I move pallets with my tractor. The garage is tall enough to drive right in and drop the pallet easy. Rough figures is a pallet of wood will weight 2,000/2500lbs. I can get just a 1/2 a cord on a pallet.

Click to expand...

Thanks, good idea! Looks like I will have to get looking for more pallets, would need 21 (10.5 cords) for a heating season.

Click to expand...

That would be more like 60 pallets I think. I havn't had my coffey yet so maybe im ovelooking somthing. 2 years = 120 pallets.

Yes, 63 pallets to build 21 wood storage pallets. Forgot about the two year factor, 42 cubes will take up a bunch of space! Allowing a little air space the row would be about 200' long.