zr900
ArboristSite Guru
Who has a home made wood stove and has State Farm Ins, and have you had any problem with them insuring you?
Home made wood stove and insurance companies
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savageactor7
ArboristSite Guru
OH OH...I smell trouble in River City.
whiting-5
ArboristSite Operative
i have state farm when i first started building my house i had a barrel kit stove smack dab in the living room my agent just said thats different i think it depends on the agent. i was shopping prices and another agent different co would not insure with any fire burning device i said what about an owb i said no fire in the house just hot water he said no!!! besides those thing are just a fad wont be around in couple of years that was 2005 i told him he was a dumb-ass if your that ignorant i dont want to even talk prices on insurance.
AIM
Addicted to ArboristSite
My insurance is state auto (yep home insurance)
Anyways I was informed that any HOMEMADE wood burning device was a no no. If it was a MANUFACTURED UL LISTED wood burner and put in according to their guidelines it was OK. Just a $60 per year surcharge.
My OWB is homemade but since I placed it more than 20 feet away from an insurable structure my insurance guy said it was no problem.
Anyways I was informed that any HOMEMADE wood burning device was a no no. If it was a MANUFACTURED UL LISTED wood burner and put in according to their guidelines it was OK. Just a $60 per year surcharge.
My OWB is homemade but since I placed it more than 20 feet away from an insurable structure my insurance guy said it was no problem.
Wirenut2266
ArboristSite Guru
yup: My agent wouldn't touch homemade either. UL listed stove no problem with finished product picture. $50 a year.......
AIM
Addicted to ArboristSite
My insurance guy told me 20' away and there was no issues regardless of UL or homemade. Within 20' and UL is the only option.
zr900
ArboristSite Guru
Thanks for your thoughts so far.
Here is my situation.
My Grandpa made wood stoves for family and friends. He made them out of 3/16 plate if they were going to be used in a barn/shop, and out of 1/4 for the ones that were used in homes. My parents, and grandparents have used them and they have worked great to heat their homes for the last 30 years, and they didn't have any trouble getting their insurance companies to insure them but again it was nearly 30 years ago.
I know that they are better built, and probably safer than any stove that i could buy off the shelf and it is also free.
Here is my situation.
My Grandpa made wood stoves for family and friends. He made them out of 3/16 plate if they were going to be used in a barn/shop, and out of 1/4 for the ones that were used in homes. My parents, and grandparents have used them and they have worked great to heat their homes for the last 30 years, and they didn't have any trouble getting their insurance companies to insure them but again it was nearly 30 years ago.
I know that they are better built, and probably safer than any stove that i could buy off the shelf and it is also free.
Several issues here...
1. EPA certified to have reduced smoke... My local building code requires new stoves to be EPA certified.
2. Insurance company wants stove installed to code and pass inspection.
3. Building inspector wants to see the manufacturer's specifications for the SPECIFIC woodstove and chimney installed as to R-value of hearth if wood floor under stove, distance stove from walls required by manufacturer, distance hearth comes forward from stove, and chimney has manufacturer's specified clearances from combustible construction materials, insulation, etc.
So basically the woodstove manufacturer designs the woodstove for EPA standards and tests for this, then also tests to see how hot it can get, then specifies how far from the wall it can be, etc. And the insurance company wants to make darn sure the woodstove was installed the way the manufacturer specified.
No label, no building inspection, no insurance!
1. EPA certified to have reduced smoke... My local building code requires new stoves to be EPA certified.
2. Insurance company wants stove installed to code and pass inspection.
3. Building inspector wants to see the manufacturer's specifications for the SPECIFIC woodstove and chimney installed as to R-value of hearth if wood floor under stove, distance stove from walls required by manufacturer, distance hearth comes forward from stove, and chimney has manufacturer's specified clearances from combustible construction materials, insulation, etc.
So basically the woodstove manufacturer designs the woodstove for EPA standards and tests for this, then also tests to see how hot it can get, then specifies how far from the wall it can be, etc. And the insurance company wants to make darn sure the woodstove was installed the way the manufacturer specified.
No label, no building inspection, no insurance!
Tesen
ArboristSite Operative
Bro inlaw made an OWB for a friend's mother, sure it is outside her house but she had state farm at the time, no issues. Outside and a distance from the house, I think what AIM said was correct (I think, foggy memory, not 100% sure, but I think that made a difference).
Tes
Last edited:
burnunit
New Member
i must say from experience that state farm sux
they cancelled my policy 3 years ago because long island was due for a major hurricane and i live on the east end of the island
went to another company Farmers Insurance and saved myself some change and no bs about a hurricane coming
they cancelled my policy 3 years ago because long island was due for a major hurricane and i live on the east end of the island
went to another company Farmers Insurance and saved myself some change and no bs about a hurricane coming
Ul Listing
I also have state farm, and half of my family works there so I got the same answer by all. The Ul listing only applys to indoor furnaces. Since there will be no combustion indoors they do not require any ul listing or any listing at all for an outdoor furnace. They do recommend 30 - 50 Ft. from the house. If they tell you it has to be UL Listed for an outdoor boiler they are not doing their homework, I would call and talk to a underwriter in their corporate office, They are the ones that read what can and cannot be covered. My local agent told me that I could not have one, I talked to my family in the corporate office where the decisions are made and they said I could. I went back to my local agent and told him to call down to corporate and talk to ******. Now everytime I go in there he does his homework on all my questions.
I also have state farm, and half of my family works there so I got the same answer by all. The Ul listing only applys to indoor furnaces. Since there will be no combustion indoors they do not require any ul listing or any listing at all for an outdoor furnace. They do recommend 30 - 50 Ft. from the house. If they tell you it has to be UL Listed for an outdoor boiler they are not doing their homework, I would call and talk to a underwriter in their corporate office, They are the ones that read what can and cannot be covered. My local agent told me that I could not have one, I talked to my family in the corporate office where the decisions are made and they said I could. I went back to my local agent and told him to call down to corporate and talk to ******. Now everytime I go in there he does his homework on all my questions.
iowa
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have Farmers Ins. and my agent is cool. I told him mine was home aid nice burner with new double wall pipe installed. He asked if it was professionally installed or who installed it. I told him my dad and I did it. He made a few phone calls and called me back and said I was good to go! I'm happy
Vibes
Addicted to ArboristSite
Just because that agent said you're'' good to go,'' I'll bet you my house for your house that if your place burns they won't cover you. Agents are snakes for the most part, and get their checks by comissions. The agent has nothing to lose by telling you something that is wrong. It will never come back to haunt him if your house does burn.
Nationwide wouldn't insure my double wall that I was gong to make the hangers for. The hangers that came with the pipe were lite flimsy and expensive. I wouldn't hang a flower pot with them. I'm a Union Sheet Metal Worker and have hung 1000's of feet of comercial stack up to 11 stories high. The stuff I could make would last 3 lifetimes on a house and is good enough to hold tons in hospitals, power plants, and chemical plants. Inside and out at very high temps and dirty conditions. But they said if its not UL Listed they wouldn't cover a fire no-way.
Insurance companies look for every angle not to pay ut on claims. Just ask anyone who has been flooded when that agent sold them flood insurance.
Nationwide wouldn't insure my double wall that I was gong to make the hangers for. The hangers that came with the pipe were lite flimsy and expensive. I wouldn't hang a flower pot with them. I'm a Union Sheet Metal Worker and have hung 1000's of feet of comercial stack up to 11 stories high. The stuff I could make would last 3 lifetimes on a house and is good enough to hold tons in hospitals, power plants, and chemical plants. Inside and out at very high temps and dirty conditions. But they said if its not UL Listed they wouldn't cover a fire no-way.
Insurance companies look for every angle not to pay ut on claims. Just ask anyone who has been flooded when that agent sold them flood insurance.
avalancher
Arboristsite Raconteur
We had state farm, and switched to Farmers just for this reason. They wouldnt insure us unless our hearth was proffesionally built.I built mine out of native rock, with a layer of concrete backerboard, then a plate of 3/16 sheet metal, then another layer of backerboard.then layed 8 inch thick rock on top of that.they wouldnt cover it.I offered for them to come on out, take heat readings from the back of the wall with an infrared thermometer and under the floor.Wouldnt do it.
We switched to Farmers, they sent out an inspector who measured my distance from the stove the wall. i was 3 inches to close, but after he noted the amount of material, a little over 10 inches of rock,mortar,steel, and backerboard, he signed off on it.
Saved us a bunch of money really, we pay 400 bucks a year less, got all my tools covered as well as the house, and all three ATV's.Better coverage, less money.
I wouldnt fool with state farm if i didnt have to.
We switched to Farmers, they sent out an inspector who measured my distance from the stove the wall. i was 3 inches to close, but after he noted the amount of material, a little over 10 inches of rock,mortar,steel, and backerboard, he signed off on it.
Saved us a bunch of money really, we pay 400 bucks a year less, got all my tools covered as well as the house, and all three ATV's.Better coverage, less money.
I wouldnt fool with state farm if i didnt have to.
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