Homeowners Insurance with a Wood Stove Question?

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papossefan

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I am in the process of purchasing my first home and have some questions about getting insurance with a wood stove in the basement. The wood stove in on its own flue, which had a stainless liner put in it a few years ago. However I have been told by a couple people that it is hard to get insurance these days if your stove isn't UL listed. Is this true??? If so, does anyone know if any of the older wood stoves like kodiak, Alaska, schrader, etc. are UL listed? Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me.

Ryan
 
The insurance company I work for doesn't ask about it being UL listed. In PA, just having a woodstove will not disqualify you either. I do think it will raise your rates, though.
 
my insurance company came out and took some pictures and measurements and that was it. Of course the premium went up!!! But compared with the amount of money I would have spent on fuel oil.. the higher ins. premium was a bargain!
 
I called my insurance company about my rates when I installed a woodstove, they said that as long as it is installed according to building code there would be no additional premiums on my bill. Dont know what building code they are talking about, we have NO building code here what so ever.The only thing that is inspected when you build a new house is the electrical. We dont even have to have a building permit to build ANYTHING, including a house.
 
I had to have the local fire chief come over and inspect my installation before I could get insurance, he made me screw the stove pipes together but other than that eveything was A O.K.

Not sure about the premiums, I assume mine are higher from the wood stove.
 
my stove

in my town you need to get a permit and a ul stove. that is the town.....the insurance didnt care and it was 5% increase in rates for alt heating method.
 
Just call it a stove and not a heater for one thing, and as long as it's not the primary source you'll be ok. My insurence didn't seem to care a bit about my cookstove even though it heats more than the oil burner. :clap:
 
My insurance went up by $35 a year. Nobody even came to look at it. They just asked if there were any combustibles nearby.
 
My insurance went up by $35 a year. Nobody even came to look at it. They just asked if there were any combustibles nearby.

Nope, no combustionable nearby. I stack a little wood around it to dry it off, the wife hangs laundry on a rack nearby, and a few stacks of newspaper to start a fire with.Oh, wait...diesel fuel burns I guess. I keep a jug of it handy to start fires quick in the morning. Other than all that, no combustionables nearby.:)
 
When we bought our house it already had a woodstove in it. We checked with our homeowners insurance agent and he said as long as it had double wall flue from the ceiling through the roof, there was no increase. He never did come and look at it. Just had us email him pictures.
 
My insurance company "State Farm - Missouri" insists the furnace be UL listed or they would not carry my insurance. I would ask your agent, then get their regulations in writing before you install one. :givebeer:
 
My insurance agent came out, took pictures, got serial numbers etc. There was a form to fill out(isn't there always) and my rate went up $50 or so.
 
Nope, no combustionable nearby. I stack a little wood around it to dry it off, the wife hangs laundry on a rack nearby, and a few stacks of newspaper to start a fire with.Oh, wait...diesel fuel burns I guess. I keep a jug of it handy to start fires quick in the morning. Other than all that, no combustionables nearby.:)
so are you just being silly or do you not know everything you listed is combustible?
all non ul woodstoves should be 48" from combustibles, 60" top of stove to ceiling combustibles, certified stoves will have a plate usually on the back of the stove that list clearance to combustibles
 
I have American Family here in Wis. and I was told it had to have a UL label, even an OWB had to have the UL label. I was told that they had a client who decided to put in a OWB without checking with them. He went and bought from someone who was custom making them, installed everything they way it should have been and then called the insurance company. He was told that either the OWB had to be replaced with a UL listed one or to find another carrier. Not sure which one happened.

I was also told that putting in a pellet stove or a free standing stove would raise the rates a bit. I put in a high efficiency fireplace and was told that those were exempted from any additional fee increases, must have been true as my rates never went up.
 
i was at my insurance agent office and i asked them if they had any problems with me installing a wood boiler in my basement. they said "no problem" i said, wanna come look at it after its in? they said "no". must just be easier to write a new policy, than come ispect my stuff.......i did get a permit from the township so it will get inspected by some type of official.
 
When I first installed my stove, the fire chief came out and inspected. My stove is for supplemental heat, officially. Rates did not change because of stove.

When I changed insurance companies, new company wanted pictures and to come inspect. I sent them pics, they never came to inspect. Again listed as supplemental heat.

I have electric baseboard as my official primary heat source. I look at the stove as being supplemental to solar heat and never turn on the baseboard (you could use the meter as a fan when the baseboard heat is on). Any additional warming that I need on top of heating from the sun is supplemental and provided by my stove.:laugh:
 
Wood Heat Friendly Insurance Thread?

I wonder if it would be a benifit to start a thread of insurance companies and agents that are wood heat friendly, so that we would have less hassle as a group. What do you think, any mods what to comment on this? Just any idea. :cheers:
 
I wonder if it would be a benifit to start a thread of insurance companies and agents that are wood heat friendly, so that we would have less hassle as a group. What do you think, any mods what to comment on this? Just any idea. :cheers:

What ever became of this idea? I just got a letter from my insurance Co. saying they were canceling my HO policy in Nov. Not sure why I think they have a dispute with my Farmers Agent?
 
Hello,
I just recently changed my home insurance to State Farm. My agent took some pictures and some measurements. He said it would cost me $40 a year more to have the wood stove. I just moved to this new house at the end of last October and have not yet had time to build my separate woodworking shop. I asked the agent about the insurance that I would have on the shop and he asked what kind of heat it will have. I said that I would heat it with a wood stove and he said that State Farm would not insure an out building with a woodstove in it !!!! I said that I guess then it won't be insured !!!!!!




Henry and Wanda
 
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