New to house and wood burning stove, insurance questions

[TishnChase]

I just recently purchased a house that has a wood burning furnace in the basement.
I have just found out that it is the original Johnson Energy Systems Furnace from 1977. I believe it is model 1100.
My insurance company will not cover it because it is not UL listed. I'm wondering if I could purchase a new blower for it to satisfy the insurance company.

I'm very new to all of this, so I appologize if this post is in the wrong forum.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? I would really love to start using it, the cost of propane is killing me already. I've only been in the house a month now.

 

[begreen]

Don't bother, changing the blower wouldn't make it any more insurable.

And welcome to the forum. You are in the right place.

 

[TishnChase]

Thank you for your reply!

So, is it just useless?
Is there nothing I can do?

 

[begreen]

Well, that's up to you. Safety should be the number one concern. Cosmetically, outside doesn't look too bad, but we have no way of knowing it's interior or working condition or whether it would be safe to run this season. For sure you will need to have a chimney sweep clean and check the flue out and give you a report on it's condition. That is going to determine a lot.

The best place for us to start helping you is to understand more about the house and what your options are. Heating from the basement is not ideal, but can be done in some circumstances. But usually with wood heat it's best to put the heat where the people are. Tell us a bit about the house. Are there any fireplaces upstairs? Do you use the basement at all right now?

Some other questions to ponder: Do you have any money to fix the problem? Do you have a good source of dry wood for the rest of this winter? Have you ever heated with wood before? Is someone home to watch over the fire? Is wood the best answer for your long term plans for this house?

PS: What is propane going for in your area?

 

[pinewoodburner]

You can buy a new wood furnace that is UL listed or you can try another insurance company. Do you know who insured the house before? With energy cost going up and up you may want to look into a new furnace or a wood stove. Most people with propane or oil can get payback in about 3 or 4 years, or less. Lots of information on this site.

 

[TishnChase]

My home is a ranch with a full walk-out basement. The main floor alone is approximately 1165 sq ft. It is heated currently with a propane powered furnace. The wood furnace is hooked up so that the heat vents through the duct system of the regular furnace. So if I were to use the wood furnace, it should heat the whole house the same as the regular furnace. The sellers were the children of the man who lived in the house before me. They told me that he used it all the time and that it worked very well. They also left me plenty of wood (already split) and has been sitting for at least a year, so it is also good and dry.
There is also a regular wood burning fireplace in the living room on the main floor. I have been using this on a somewhat regular basis. I don't keep the fire going when I sleep or am not at home. There is no blower on this fireplace, the heat trickles out through small vents to the side of the fire opening. Most of the wall around the fireplace is masonry, but it never seems to get very hot. Basically, when I burn in the fireplace, the living room is the only room that benefits from the heat.

I don't have much money to work with the wood furnace at the moment. There are other things on my list that are priority right now. I would however, if money is going to be an issue, like to get a game plan for the future.

I definitely think that using the wood furnace would help me save tons of money in heating costs. At the same time, I do want to be safe. I was planning on calling a chimney sweep to clean it and check it out, but when my insurance agent said that they would not insure it, I didn't think I needed to waste that time and/or money at this point.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[begreen]

A wood furnace is sort of an option, but it may not be the best one thinking long term. The new units available are going to put out much more heat via a larger duct and the expense of the entire installation needs to be taken into account. Not saying it won't work, but that needs to be taken into account.

In order to assess options and where limited funds can be spent, you need to think to the future. There are pros and cons to any decision. My general inclination would be to first know what I have starting off. You need some trained eyes for this. The sweep can assess both this flue and the fireplace flue to confirm that they are different pipes (they will need to be if legal) and will give you a report on both.

Ask the sweep to also look at the old Johnson. If it's in good working order, I might consider running the rest of the season with it, putting aside the money that would have gone for the propane and saving it for a new insert for the fireplace. Depending on the condition of the flue and the condition of its flue an insert might be able to be purchased and installed with a liner for under $2500. That would have the benefit of good heat, nice fireview and lower wood consumption. The downside being that the basement would be unheated (though you could still cycle the propane furnace once a day to warm up pipes there).

 

[TishnChase]

The flues are definitely separate. The fireplace flue is on the edge of the house, completely brick. And the wood furnace flue is in the middle of the house, pipe, all by itself.
I am very much considering the sweep and running with it this season. I'll see how it goes, then maybe think of replacing it with a newer wood furnace.
I like the fireplace being wood burning. I guess I like the atmosphere. Not sure if I'll want to change that.

Thank you, you've given me much to think about and research.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Be very careful how you phrase it, when you ask the sweep to "look at your Johnson"!

 

[WhitePine]

Be very careful how you phrase it, when you ask the sweep to "look at your Johnson"!

Especially your old Johnson. :bug:

"Ask the sweep to also look at the old Johnson." -- BeGreen

 

[begreen]

Clean it up boys, I was careful to say "the Johnson"

 

[oconnor]

There is a manufacturer of wood stoves in Canada that makes a stove designed for connection to an air distribution system. J.A. Roby is the company. The stove looks like this pic.

Here is a link to a local retailer in NS. http://www.ujr.ca/EN/ja_roby_stoves.htm

Not likely you will be buying from them, just to say that there are solutions that are less than a full scale wood furnace.

 

[poltroon]

For the insurance issue, you might find out who insured the house before. That company may be happy to continue the policy. That is what we had to do when we purchased our house.

 

[TishnChase]

CleanBurnin -

Thank you for your reply. I guess that's what I was hoping for when I suggested replacing the one I have. I would not want to put in one of those big "furnace" units.

 

[begreen]

You might get by with just a nice big stove down there if it is easy for the heat to get upstairs. Not ideal, but it might get you by. Is old unit located somewhat centrally in the basement? Is there a staircase nearby the old stove? If yes, where does that doorway open up to on the main floor?

 

[TishnChase]

I don't think a stove would work in the house the way it is.
The unit is centrally located, but not very close to the stairs, and the stairs enter the main level in the corner of the kitchen which is the corner of the whole house.
That would not give me heat upstairs at all.

 

[TishnChase]

BeGreen -
Sorry, I didn't see your question earlier -
I paid 2.41 per gal. for propane just the other day.

 

[begreen]

If it makes you feel any better, that's a bit more than half our local prices. Propane here is a luxury item. Sorry the basement stove won't work, but good that you have a good grasp of the issues.

Take a look at this insert and see what you think. http://www.overstockstoves.com/50tnc13i--epa-certified-noncatalytic-wood-stove--1550131500.html

 

[pen]

I agree getting the sweep out there.

Another thought is to try a different insurance company. When I purchased my home, I had to go with Traveler's insurance for the homeowners as the house came w/ a pre-ul listed fisher wood stove. The other companies that I had been interested in being insured with wanted to me remove the stove. Traveler's was fine with it so long as all appropriate clearances were met.

pen

 

[gohabsgo]

Here is an idea for you. You may want to look at a PSG furnace. They have a model called the Mini-Caddy. You can see it on their web site at www.psg-distribution.com The advantage with the Mini-Caddy is that you can use an optional round plenum that connects to a distribution box. That distribution box has up to 8 round outlets for you to run 5-inch pipes to different areas of the house. This is cheaper than rectangular ducts. The furnace looks good as a standalone unit and has a glass door. It is UL listed and even EPA-certified! You will burn clean and efficiently. It is thermostatically controlled, of course. A wise investment for the long run.