Wood furnace and insurance help!

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

12ram2500

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2019
Messages
61
Reaction score
57
Location
Pennsylvania
Hey guys I need your help my house has been paid and so I havent had insurance. Well I went to bank to refinance my house so I can do some projects like a new roof etc banks all good to go on the money side. But my problem is I need insurance which I have no problem but I'm running into a road block getting insurance. I have a forced air wood furnace (drolet tundra 2) in my attached garage and it's the only heat source I'm having a real hard time finding a company to cover the house. I'm in pa if that matters any help greatly appreciated guys.
 
I’m in PA and I have Erie Ins. They cover my HotBlast wood furnace but it was a bit of hassle at first. Quite a few hoops I had to jump thru to meet their requirements. The big problem is going to be yours, no open flame source in the garage. I took out garage door and put in a set of French doors and they approved it since with no garage door it’s “no longer” a garage.. :crazy:I have an oil furnace as my “primary” heat source. I haven’t heard it run in 5 years.
 
I dont even use the garage except to store things. And the wood heat is the only heat no other furnace or heat source
 
I didn’t use my garage either but since it had a garage door that’s what it was classified as until I replaced it with French doors.
 
I'm with a "farmers" insurance company. I pay a small surcharge for two pellet stoves and the owb. They seem to be a little more lenient. Maybe something like that. If you have a insurance broker close might be worth the call since they usually have access to many companies.
 
Put a Toyo stove in.
Most insurances won't deal with wood only because of the freezing pipes issues.
Plus it's not wise on your part either. Can't even be gone a weekend in winter.

When I shopped around for home insurance I realized it's hard to get.

Lot of places I checked with didn't insure in AK. Then wood stove was a no go. Or having a dog or having an outbuilding. Or an attached garage. Or fire station too far away (~2 miles) or fire plug too far (1/4 mile), or not having public water or sewer (well and septic)
IE they cherry pick the very least hazardous area and houses so they have a minimal chance of paying.
 
I have State Farm and I had no extra cost as long as it wasn’t the primary heat source and it was professionally in stalled. And even if I didn’t meet those requirements it was still only $50 a month extra.

Maybe pit in a few electric baseboards and say that those are the primary heat
 
Are you having a hard time because you have a wood furnace, or because it is in the garage, or because you don't have another heat source?
 
Having a hard time because of wood and it being the only heat source not a huge issue of it being in the attached garage I'm thinking my only solution is hooking up another heat source like a fuel oil furnace or propane furnace and calling it my primary even though it will never get used
 
Usually the first rule is, you need a steady source of heat that works on it's own without manual intervention. That is called the primary heat even if it rarely gets used. The cheapest thing to install would likely be some electric baseboards.
 
I’m in PA and I have Erie Ins. They cover my HotBlast wood furnace but it was a bit of hassle at first. Quite a few hoops I had to jump thru to meet their requirements. The big problem is going to be yours, no open flame source in the garage. I took out garage door and put in a set of French doors and they approved it since with no garage door it’s “no longer” a garage.. :crazy:I have an oil furnace as my “primary” heat source. I haven’t heard it run in 5 years.

I put an 18x30' addition on my house and installed a wood stove back in the 80s. Insurance man spotted the chimney and went over my installation with a fine tooth comb checking clearances,etc. Everything passed and I haven't had any further hassles. Yes the agents do watch for such things.
 
Was told by State farm you can't have solid fuel stove in a garage. They will not cover. In basement fine, or anywhere but a garage.

No idea what to do other than moving stove to out building. Or convert one of the garages to an "entry" or "mudroom"......
 
The garage part is fine the problem is it's the only heat source and I didnt want to go threw the hassle and expense of putting in another heat source that will never get used. I live on the bordered of the national forest and only heat options are wood/pellets oil or propane electric or heat pump so I use wood. Electric in my neck of the woods is to expensive I can keep my house 75 or 80 degrees for very very cheap
 
Back
Top