Homeowner's insurance

[mtnbiker727]

We finally bought a house here in Pennsylvania (we've been renting), and I was told by my long-time insurance broker that pellet heat is not an "acceptable" primary method of heating a home. He said it needs to be thermostat controlled and have a supply for at least several days. I told him I was buying a pellet boiler with a 14 bushel hopper, and he said that's not good enough. I finally told him I would leave the oil hot air furnace in, but I hate hot air don't want that thing taking up space in my basement.

Erie won't insure the house because it has 3 tab shingles (new rule).

I've also read that some companies won't allow a biomass boiler and fuel to be stored inside the house because of fire risk.

Does anyone have an insurance company that I should try?

 

[bogieb]

AFAIK, most insurance companies require a primary heating system that can run while no one is there (oil, gas, electric). I get it, especially in cold climates where frozen pipes could cause damage.

 

[johneh]

AFAIK, most insurance companies require a primary heating system that can run while no one is there (oil, gas, electric). I get it, especially in cold climates where frozen pipes could cause damage

Same here in Ontario, no automatic system, no insurance.
I heat mainly with wood, but have a wood/ propane combination
furnace wooks well have not bought any propane in 3 years, and the tanks are still at 45% full

 

[Whitenuckler]

Same here in Ontario, no automatic system, no insurance.
I heat mainly with wood, but have a wood/ propane combination
furnace wooks well have not bought any propane in 3 years, and the tanks are still at 45% full

Here in PEI, my house had an oil boiler. It was removed before I bought and heat pumps installed along with electric heaters. My insurance did not call that out. To me it is not as reliable as oil, as heat pumps don't work well at -10C and below and you need utility power. You need power for the electric heaters too, but you could use a generator. Maybe a heat pump and/or some electric heaters would satisfy the OP's insurance company and be a good choice regardless.

 

[blades]

hadn't heard about a 3 tab rule, but any roof that is 20 years old, ins co won't even quote , type not withstanding ( includes clay tile and steel

 

[Whitenuckler]

hadn't heard about a 3 tab rule, but any roof that is 20 years old, ins co won't even quote , type not withstanding ( includes clay tile and steel

I was not aware of a 3 tab rule so I looked it up. I put on a new roof last year. Insurance did not ask me about it. I put on good quality ones with the raised tabs. Plus here they tar each one due to wind.
Quote:
Yes, they're obsolete compared to dimensional shingles. Insurance companies are upgrading roofs to dimensional as they won't insure a 3 tab roof in some areas due to winds. Tabs blow off too many times. Roofing companies and insurance companies are phasing out 3 tab shingles. Just not a good product anymore.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Just keep checking around. You may be able to have a stipulation that leaves the roof out if needed. Just a thought. We have had only wood heat for many years, and they never said a word. Not sure what they would say now, since nobody has asked any questions in over 15 years.

 

[EbS-P]

I’d put in a min split. Are they going to ask for your manual J and see if it’s sized appropriately?

 

[Oregun]

Try Safeco insurance.

 

[EbS-P]

Or try an independent agency

 

[zrock]

Most insurance companies will require a primary source of heat that works unattended and will last several days. As far as the shingles how long since they have been installed? If they are only a few years old and still under manufacturer warranty then you can fight the insurance company on that one. My insurance company tried to tell me i had to replace my 10 year old steel roof or they would not insure me. I came back at them stating the roof has a 50 year warranty and if they tried to cancel my insurance over this that i would see them in court. They dropped the issue right away as they had no leg to stand on

 

[mellow]

Primary would be the oil, doesn't mean you have to use it. List it as primary and heat with the pellet stove. Set the thermostat on the oil to 65 or below. Deal with it till you have enough funds to install a better primary system.

Welcome to being a homeowner 👍

 

[blades]

insurance, existing customer with old roof ( yep its a 50 year one also- 34 years in ) - they just raise the rates- case in point 22% increase over last year.
Shingles on my 7/12 roof are 1/4" thick . that means that each overlapping row is 1/2" thick. Today's shingles installed the same way barely make 1/4" thick.
just a note and a bit of a guess - most shingles sold in the state are mfg in Canada, brand name doesn't matter.

 

[kennyp2339]

Welp... my homeowners insurance co finally caught up to me lol, received a letter in the mail that my policy will not be renewed for 2026 unless I remove the woodstove, doesn't matter to them that everything has been installed to code and inspected, they wont insure anyone that has any type of wood burning in homes, same letter also says that I need to add another railing on my porch stairs, this railing will block the window in the bedroom, time to do some insurance shopping.

 

[Turbo89]

Welp... my homeowners insurance co finally caught up to me lol, received a letter in the mail that my policy will not be renewed for 2026 unless I remove the woodstove, doesn't matter to them that everything has been installed to code and inspected, they wont insure anyone that has any type of wood burning in homes, same letter also says that I need to add another railing on my porch stairs, this railing will block the window in the bedroom, time to do some insurance shopping.

Time to start shopping around! Insurance companies are getting out of control!

 

[EbS-P]

My independent agent told me that inserts in a masonry fireplace don’t have to be listed as a wood stove. But I had an inspection last week for a new policy after I got a non renewal and there were lots of pictures of the inserts taken.

 

[johneh]

Many years ago, we pulled out our wood stove in favour of a pellet stove.
The insurance company at the time told us that if we kept the wood stove
that they would no longer insure us . We put the pellet stove in, and they
said the same thing. Now I have a new insurance company that likes the
pellet stove; they even like my wood furnace. So it is different strokes for
different folks, I guess

 

[Whitenuckler]

I don't know that much about the insurance business, however I believe there is separation between who sells you the policy and the underwriters. I think the underwriters are the ones who make the policies (contacts) and have the actuaries, lawyers and engineers.
If the underwriter drops solid fuel burning, the the agent must drop it unless they find another underwriter.

 

[bholler]

I don't know that much about the insurance business, however I believe there is separation between who sells you the policy and the underwriters. I think the underwriters are the ones who make the policies (contacts) and have the actuaries, lawyers and engineers.
If the underwriter drops solid fuel burning, the the agent must drop it unless they find another underwriter.

Atleast in the states agents are really just salespeople. And some of them will say lots of stuff to make the sale which isn't actually in the policy.