Homeowners Insurance with a Wood Stove Question?

[Coldfront]

I hate to lose the ins. co. I was with they were ok with a wood stove in my garage also. It was $40 for each wood stove extra per year. They are dropping me because they had a falling out with Farmers Insurance. My agent said I could stay with them if I want just need to go through one of there agents not Farmers.

 

[alleyyooper]

I had more trouble gettin home owners insurance because of the 25 bee hives in the front and back yard and the 22 antique tractors I own than the wood burner.
Stupid agent even asked what i would do if a 5 year old wandered on my posted property and got stung. She got real mad when I asked what she would do if she lived next door with the horses and the stupit 5 year old got kicked in the head.
Most agents don't know the companies real policys just go with what they want.

Al

 

[avalancher]

I will have to say one thing, we have Farm Bureau, and they have been the least picky about anything. Just to give you an idea....

They had no problem with the woodstove, and didnt increase our rates because of it.Didnt seem to even care.

When the agent did a walk through of my shop, he spotted the very large steel cabinet and the sticker that said, "warning, explosives" and said, "nice antique, whatcha got in there?"

When I replied that it wasnt a antique but was full of dynamite, his eyebrows danced a jig across his glasses, and he waggled his ears for a full minute, but then wanted to take a look.I showed him the locks, the heat resistant walls, and the inner packing of the dynamite cases, and he said, "well, looks like you got things secured."
Made a few notes on his pad, and that was all.

Next was the workshop with the homemade barrel stove, and didnt bat an eye.Scribbled down a few things, measured the outside dimensions of the shop and house, and left.

While I did have some heated words with them this summer over our water damage claim, they eventually paid up.All in all, Farm Bureau has been painless to deal with, and I have all my insurance with them including car, house, shop, and extra policies on my atv's, guns, tools,business tools, computer equipment, and my wife's camera gear.

 

[Dalmatian90]

My own suspicion is when insurance companies get nit-picky or suddenly cranky (or dropping agents they used to use)...they're trying to reduce their exposure in an area. Not necessarily individual people, they just want to insure fewer people in a given area.

Back in the 90s I worked for what was then a mostly life insurance company with a mid-size property & casualty business (roles have since flipped). There were certain areas they were REALLY worried about hurricanes. Had an agency that had gone gang busters in the Virginia Beach area, company loved all the sales till the actuaries finally got through to upper management about what they were on the hook for if they ever took a direct hit. They stopped writing new policies in the area, and though they couldn't just drop everyone at once they did everything they could to encourage people to switch to other insurers. They figured it would take about 10 years to wean themselves down to a level of exposure that didn't risk bankrupting the company.

 

[camr]

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!

Second that. Insurance company sent a guy out for 15 minutes of on-site inspection, a couple of photographs and we were good to go. The increase in the premium was next to nothing.

 

[logbutcher]

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.

YOU WHAT ?
You are now no longer insurable, especially with all those " combustionables" :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[moose5180]

I added a fireplace insert and the insurance co said they would rather have the insert than the open fireplace.
So no increase in rate.

 

[Rio_Grande]

I just had this conversation with our agent yesterday. The fireplace and wood furnace supplemental heat cost us next to nothing on our policy. The new shop however is gonna cost me 100.00 a year more but they dont have regulations on the type of stove instalation or anything. So for less than 10.00 a month I will have a stove in my shop shortly.

 

[Fyrebug]

I think you would find it hard to buy a wood burning appliances that has not been tested to UL standards. It's pretty much mandatory for MFG's.

If an inspector does come, they typically want to check by the installation manual you've respected the clearances and that should be good to go.