Government reaching to govern wood burning consumers

[Kevin in Ohio]

When I purchased my outdoor boiler a few years back I had do certify that it was going to be heating a farm building or I had to buy a fancy gasser unit. No one cared that I also ran pipes to the house. Many people around us heat with wood and almost all have outdoor boilers. My insurance guy put the boiler on my policy as if it were another building. He didn’t care in the least.

As a people we will be regulated until we can’t even stand up without a permit.

Several years ago I decided to try to get a qoute from another insurance company with a combined policy to save some money. Agent came out, took measurements/pictures and said they could do a lot better than what I was currently paying. He then send it in to corporate for final approval and would get back with me. He later did and said they rejected it as I had a :"wood stove" in my barn. If I would take that out they could do it. This was State Farm. The stove is a UL listed add on wood furnace and the walls are Insulated/finished/painted drywall. He took more pics showing the label on the stove and the "barn" and assured me it would be approved. He called back later and was upset as they still refused and this was about 8 years ago.

 

[sean donato]

Several years ago I decided to try to get a qoute from another insurance company with a combined policy to save some money. Agent came out, took measurements/pictures and said they could do a lot better than what I was currently paying. He then send it in to corporate for final approval and would get back with me. He later did and said they rejected it as I had a :"wood stove" in my barn. If I would take that out they could do it. This was State Farm. The stove is a UL listed add on wood furnace and the walls are Insulated/finished/painted drywall. He took more pics showing the label on the stove and the "barn" and assured me it would be approved. He called back later and was upset as they still refused and this was about 8 years ago.

Per national fire codes, you can't have a solid fuel furnace/stove in a shop/garage. It's one of those things thats stupid as it comes with even half modern air tight furnace. So that's not surprising.
My father in laws shop burned down from an electrical fault, during winter. His insurance wouldn't cover anything till the fire Marshall finished the investigation and found the fire started on the opposite side if the shop. Basically proved it wasn't from having a wood boiler in the shop. His new shop has the new boiler built into a block room off the side of the building, which gets its air from outside and not from the shop. Which is covered.

 

[BobcatBranch]

I bought my retirement property a couple of years ago ( Ontario Canada, North Bay area). I noticed that a lot of listing showed where the fireplace / wood stove, had been removed.. You couldn't get a mortgage, or insurance unless the stove / fireplace was "WETT" certified. It was obviously easier to remove the heating appliance than to replace it to meet certification. It also made the sale easier for the vendor and buyer, as even having a WETT certified heater would jack up the home insurance rates..

If they keep on taking it, they'll keep on shoving it in.

 

[benz66]

Insurance co. employees in the head shed are all morons. In about 2006 we changed the FARM policy to FARM bureau ins. A couple weeks later the new policy was cancelled. Why? They cancelled the policy because (shudder) we had ANIMALS on the farm. Horror of horrors to a moron.

 

[Sampson]

As I expected, the Canadian fed gov is slowly reaching in to place controls on the wood burning marketplace. Like all things they want to impose on its citizen, they start with small and subtle changes to impose new rules to the general population. They start with only imposing on specific groups, generally businesses. The sort of impositions that the general public would think, "It doesn't affect me so why should I care." Such impositions will eventually apply to homeowner's with wood boilers, and eventually those with smaller wood stoves. You could anticipate a situation where such regulation agencies work with insurance companies to require annual or bi-annual inspections of residential wood stoves requiring repairs to gaskets, bricks, flu parts. Then possibly they will impose regulations on dryness of the wood supply. It's already being done in Europe. There's all sort of regs and articles, like this one from across the pond.

Sadly, I can't say I am surprised. Their over-reaching knows no limits, and it will happen just as you say. A little bit at a time so that the majority will think "oh this will never affect me".

 

[Seachaser]

One brick at a time until the foundation crumbles.

 

[sean donato]

One brick at a time until the foundation crumbles.

Most our governments are using a dozer at this point, no need for one brick at a time.

 

[jcquade]

Sadly, I can't say I am surprised. Their over-reaching knows no limits, and it will happen just as you say. A little bit at a time so that the majority will think "oh this will never affect me".

I am not surprised. They should tell their leaders/regulators to ride bikes year round so that pollution from their limos does not affect people. walk the talk I say or go home.

 

[woodfarmer]

being a certified “WETT” inspector for over 25 years, I have seen a fair number of really bad installs in my time.