Homeowners insurance companies and woodstoves.

[njtomatoguy]

I had Amica Ins. when i put my stove in. They didn't ask any questions, ask to see anything, didn't really
seem to care. I now switched to progressive, and they want a full inspection, with photos, full copy of the
owners manual(I don't have it, but did download it).
What a royal PITA.

I specifically asked if it was a problem when I switched, the rep said no. Now, I got 2 calls from the NJ
division of Homeside insurance acting like its an emergency.

I told her i would take pics, and send them. Also, she seemed to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder
about the self install. I asked who they used to install stoves, and her answer was any contractor with a
NJ HO License- Which is basically a registry, not a real license.

I Told her I did a better job than most contractors would do that had not done one before, researched it on the web,
got suggestions from a stove shop owner(Thanks Craig) and have not burned down my house yet.

This is just a heads up to make sure no-one else experiences this if you change Homeowners carriers.

 

[Summertime]

When I told my Nationwide agent about my stove he said he would research wood stoves and any extra premium charges, when he called back he said there wasn't any extra premiums or concerns regarding wood stoves. I just wanted to make sure and it's a good feeling to know that I am safe..

 

[matt_jr]

I'm guessing this would be a problem for me since I'm planning on building my own wood furnace.

 

[rphurley]

Anybody have any Homeowners experience with Geico? They insure my cars and motorcycle and I know that they offer homeowners ins. and I'll probably get a pretty good rate with all combined.

 

[80s Burnout]

I had to produce the permit, which according to the insurance company is sufficient to demonstrate that the stove was installed properly.

 

[rphurley]

I had to produce the permit, which according to the insurance company is sufficient to demonstrate that the stove was installed properly.

What company are you with?

 

[wendell]

I'm with Liberty Mutual and they didn't care and had no change in rates when I put in my stove.

 

[Later]

Progressive is the problem.

 

[ValleyTrash]

I have One beacon and they require either a form completed by a liscensed installer or a city permit approval/inspection. My premium didn't go up either.

 

[mattinpa]

I put an add on wood furnace in my house and Allstate gave me no problems. No forms, no permits, no increase.

 

[rdust]

When I called allstate and asked about it the only thing that changed was the replacement value of the home to reflect the purchase price of the stove.

 

[trafick]

When I bought the house we are now in we had Erie insurance on the car. I figured I would go with them on the house to get the "multiple policy" discount. When I went to talk to them about home owners insurance the person that looked at the house said that there was a problem. I had to take the wood stove out of the basement because they didn't insure houses with wood stoves. Guess who's not with Erie anymore!

 

[Lasher]

I have MetLife for home/auto insurance since I get a discount through work.

I brought my house in Dec 2005 and it had an open fireplace in the living room. When I went to install my insert, I called them to find out what the deal was.

They did not need anything. No permit, no instal by a "professional" or anything. All they said was that I had a fireplace already on the insurance policy and putting a wood stove insert in did not change anything.


I think each insurance company is different...

 

[pinewoodburner]

When I bought the house we are now in we had Erie insurance on the car. I figured I would go with them on the house to get the "multiple policy" discount. When I went to talk to them about home owners insurance the person that looked at the house said that there was a problem. I had to take the wood stove out of the basement because they didn't insure houses with wood stoves. Guess who's not with Erie anymore!

I have Erie and I have a woodstove. I added it to my policy and I did the install myself. I called before hand and ask the policy and they said no increase in the policy since I was using the existing fireplace and flue. They did tell me to have it installed by a certified installer and the stove had to be UL listed. I asked what a certified installer was and they did not know, so I asked how about if I send you the UL listing and the approval from the County building inspector. That was ok, so I did the install myself with a permit and sent them the approval and all was good.

 

[trafick]

pinewoodburner,

Now that I think about it (12years later) what you said about it being UL listed was the problem. The woodstove in the basement at the time of purchase wasn't UL listed so Erie wouldn't insure. There was also another problem that I wouldn't fix to their satisfaction so that's why I went with Farm Bureau. Thanks for clearing the cobwebs.

 

[BrotherBart]

When we bought the house in 1985 I told Allstate I was heating it with wood stoves. I don't plan on reminding them.

 

[Mr.M2]

I've got State Farm. We live in a very small rural town. I told the agent that Ash was doing the install and they said "No problem".
Ash is the local stove, fireplace, chimney sweep guy. Ahhh, the irony. The stove guy's name is really Ash, short for Ashby.

I imagine the situation would have been quite different with State Farm when we lived in the city though.

 

[SlyFerret]

When I finished my install, I called my State Farm rep to tell them. They emailed me a PDF file to print up, fill out and mail back.

They gave me space to sketch the stove/walls and mark my actual measurements for clearance, and measurements for the hearth pad.

They also has me fill in the requirements from the manual.

They never asked for a copy of the manual, or any photos.

My rates did not change (they said because I already had a fireplace in another room).

-SF

 

[mainstation]

When we bought the house in 1985 I told Allstate I was heating it with wood stoves. I don't plan on reminding them.

-this is the way I did it with my last house and insert, no problem for years, then one silly inquiry led to a few forms to fill out and me having to cut into my pine board floor and extend the heart stone by a lousy inch, 1".
Insurance companies = make and change the rules of the game as their profit level goes up & down.

 

[ChipTam]

My experience was similar to that of SlyFerret's. Our insurance company is the Co-Operators (Canada). When we installed our wood stove, I contacted our local agent who stopped by with a 2-page form from the home office. He took down about 50 measurements and compared them with required clearances in the instalation manual. He then sent that sheet back to the home office. That was last fall and, so far, I haven't heard anything from them so I guess we passed. Our local agent told us that there would be no additional premium for the wood stove.

ChipTam

 

[Bigg_Redd]

In the State of Washington no claim can be denied if everything is up to code (or code at the time of the install).

 

[rphurley]

In the State of Washington no claim can be denied if everything is up to code (or code at the time of the install).

That's a good law. Here in Ct, the state is so deep in bed with the insurance companies that they essentially let them do as they please.

 

[waynek]

We have Cincinnati Group Insurance...had it for 14 years. When we bought our current house we had the Ahrens chimney product installed in the two flue chimney. One flue serves the woodburning stove and the other the fireplace. Shopped around for homeowners insurance and selected Cincinnati Group. They sent a representative to inspect the chimney and non-EPA stove installation and pronunced it more then satisfactory. The did not assess a stove surcharge.

We had the chimney in the previous house lined with the Ahrens process as well. Farmers Mutual approved the installation and also did not assess a stove surcharge.

Jackpine

 

[scfa99]

I can vouch for Metlife, didn't require anything and my rates didn't go up.

 

[LeonMSPT]

I have State Farm. When I bought the house, some siding on the back side hadn't been painted since it was installed. They cried and moaned and then finally threatened to cancel the policy if I didn't get it painted. The underwriter was all bent out of shape.

VC fireplace insert in the living room fireplace... "Is the chimney lined all the way to the top?"
"Ayuh, all the way to the top, sealed off with stainless steel and caulking compound. My cousin's shop did the install about ten years ago."
"We don't care about that. Couldn't burn the house down with it if you tried."

Huge chimney, built 150 years ago, insert sits in the middle of a big fireplace. Safest thing going with burning wood.

Put in the wood boiler... truck registration needed renewing and I couldn't find the stupid card the state of Maine requires be shown when registering a vehicle for "proof of insurance".

"You know, I put in a new heating system this past summer, with a wood/coal boiler?"
"You did? How's it working? It's not the "primary" heat source is it?
"What's the matter with you? Think I am an idiot? There's a new oil burner, connected to the wood/coal boiler."
"Burn much oil this winter?"
"No, and didn't want to. The oil burner picks up when the water temperature comes down to 140 degrees, which is a rare occurrence."
"Done right?"

Sent him some pictures of the entire system...

He liked it. No problem.