OWB-friendly homeowner's insurance?

[802climber]

We're shopping for a homeowner's insurance company that is reasonable about wood burners, indoor and outdoor. I have heard bad stories about some HO insurance companies being extra fussy about OWB's.

We have two chimneys for our oil-fired boiler, woodstove and fireplace. Also, getting an outdoor wood boiler in the near future. Located in Vermont if it makes any difference.

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[firebrick43]

Are you a veteran? USAA doesn't care about woodstoves, boilers, and such.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Are they being fussy about an OWB, or an OWB being the *sole* source of home heating?

From a fire danger perspective, they really shouldn't care about it unless you're not doing the "Outside" part of OWB. Indoor, they will be more concerned.

Wood heat of any form as the exclusive system will cause a concern since they don't want to see your pipes freeze when you get stuck out of town at the hospital when a blizzard blows in.

 

[802climber]

Well we are buying this house. It has an oil fired boiler as its primary source of heat. It also has a fireplace and a woodstove. We are planning on putting in an OWB.

I will start making some calls, but I was just curious if there were any insurance companies to avoid? I guess we could ask the insurance people for specs on installing the OWB.

 

[Mike Van]

Down here you'd be better off asking the local building inspector first, because if you can't meet the state regs, it won't matter what the insurance companies specs are.

 

[Poston5]

I use nationwide with my owb and they didn't even care that I had it. In fact they told me it is covered in case something happens to it through my home owners policy.