Wood burner and insurance

[Bkpigs]

Had an insurance inspector look at our new place. Complete tool, didn't even go in. Said everything was fine but a week later got a letter saying we need to remove the wood burner from our detached garage. We don't have a detached garage and the chimney for the basement fireplace sic good 15 feet from the attached garage. Anyhow, the wife talked to the insurance lady and she said we are not allowed to have a wood burner anywhere on the property! I have one in my shop at our old place. Apparently an open fireplace is ok and a contraption the burns pressurized flammable gas (gas furnace) is also ok. I live in the wonderful communist state of Illinois. Just curious what you guys do about this. Just put one in the new shop I am planning on building and ignoring the ban? The lady is an insurance broker and said none of the companies she carries will cover it.

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Our hole country is turning communist and that's the way we
like it cause we're letting it happen. Call insurance company's
your self and see what they say. Someone will cover you or no
one would have a fireplace.

 

[gene bender]

Check around i get mine from FarmBureau

 

[cole in mo.]

I've got a bryan outside furnace for my shop, its the hot air kind, and sits 3 feet from the building wall. Insurance guy looked it over and didn't have any problems at all. But if I'd put a wood burning stove inside the shop, there would've been more problems than Washington could conder up.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I pay $25 a year extra on the insurance to have the wood stove in my basement.

 

[Nick m]

Farm bureau was fine with my add on in the basement. They have never said anything about the one in my shop either. State farm wouldn't insure me, they insured everything I had from my first truck until a couple years ago. Farm bureau has been real easy to deal with.

 

[PJH]

"Said everything was fine but a week later got a letter saying we need to remove the wood burner from our detached garage."

Don"t you just love it when somebody ain"t got guts enough to discuss something face to face with you?

 

[JDemaris]

Just get a different insurance company. In our
house - we've got two wood stoves, one large wood
furnace, a coal stove, and a Rumford wood-cooking
fireplace and bake oven. Our barn has a large
wood furnace. None of our home insurance companies
objected. BUT !!! We got cancelled last year
because we have a herd of goats. The company we
had no longer insures if there are any farm
animals on the property. So, we had to find a
different company. Wound up with Farm and Family
Insurance that is 20% more then we'd been paying
before.

 

[Mike M]

Do you have to have so many acres or be a full time farmer to get Farm Bureau insurance ?

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have Farm Bureau Ins. and have been a member since 1967. You do not need to own a farm to get benefits from being a Farm Bureau member. I think you should go by the local office and talk to them.

 

[Charlie M]

I couldn't get a blanket liability policy because I own the old farm tractors. Usually insurance companies are OK with wood burners if they are installed to code although they may charge more for them.

 

[Dick2]

The company that I worked for developed the first double wall metal chimney. We bypassed the insurance company and went right to the underwriters. They sent a rep down who observed the test procedures and then sent us a letter approving the product.

If anyone had a problem with their insurance company, we'd give them a copy of the underwriter's approval and the insurance company would do an about face and grant insurance coverage.

 

[GeneMO]

If you want to do business with those incompetent people then I would skip over everyones heads and call the underwriter whose name should be on the letter you got and explain that they facts are wrong, and that the inspecter didn't even go inside.

But I know for a fact that Farm Bureau will allow you to have wood heat. They will access a surcharge of 10-15%. At least that is how they do it here in Mo.


I do know a little bit about it since I sleep with a property inspector for Mo. FB.

Also, around here we have "county mutual" ins. companies and they have no problems with wood heat.

You are being given some bad information.

Gene

 

[GeneMO]

Nope, Farm Bureau insures as many city folks as they do country.

Now to qualify for their farmowners policy, then naturally you would need some type of farming operation. But you dont need farm ins. unless you have the exposure.

They are fine with goats, sheep, and all types of small "mini-farms"

Gene (Retired Farm Bureau claims supervisor)

 

[Rick Kr]

Obviously the guy got a little confused inspecting your place since he got the layout wrong.

My insurance in Michigan will not let me have a woodburner in an un-occupied building. So in my house is fine. But in my shop they said no.

I didn't really pursue it after that, since I went with radiant, which is WAY nicer. Of course it is not the same as burning free wood. But it works for me.

Rick

 

[ss55]

I'd start getting quotes from other insurance companies. Discuss all your policies for the best package deal: home, car, truck, farm, etc.

Your insurance company does have the right to determine what they will and won't insure and at what price. That's capitalism. You have the right to take your busines to another company.

I would not ignore the ban because the insurance company can use that violation to get out of paying you any future damage claims, and they will still keep the money you paid them for their insurance.

 

[JD Farmer]

Currently in process of installing an outdoor wood boiler. Replacing my Brunco indoor wood furnace and double barrel stove in the shop.

And I could care less what the Ins co. has to say. They are the worst thing that's happened to this country, home of the free and land of the brave.

 

[Mike M]

I have seen alot of good reports on here about them.
I never talked to them because I don't have a farm. Sounds like it will be worth asking them.

Anyone know if they do auto's too ? or just property ?

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Insurance company vs. Insurance broker.

After 9-11 my insurance rates doubled on commercial property. Insurance companies
want all your insurance business, personal, car, and business. So it is hard for me to
chance companies. Many don’t want anything to do with commercial properties.

A few years ago, I had a Hail claim and that’s when I found out the difference between
Actual Cash Value and Replacement Cash Value. The company I was with would only
sell me ACV. I had a $4300 dollar claim and they would only pay $1550 of it.

I started calling around. Most will only sell ACV. That’s when I went to an insurance
broker. They found me a company that sells RCV. A year later, I was glad I changed
insurance company. A wind storm damaged 5 buildings. New company paid off like they should.
Glad I switched.

Don’t feel like you are being discriminated against with a wood burner. Insurance
companies are out to make money. They are state regulated. They can’t go broke. They
have bean counters that look at areas cause them to pay a claims. You are many times more likely to have a fire with wood heat, period, plan and simple. high risk.

Some well known insurance companies won’t cover shingles that are more than 15 years
old. Some won’t insure you if you have a certain breed of dog, a swimming pool, trampoline. The list can go on. Shop around, find yourself a broker that will sell you what you want, that’s what I did.

I don’t heat with wood. Never plan to either. I find the best heat source is INSULATION.

If most people would spend money on insulation instead on a chainsaw, wood spliter, a outside wood boiler, they wouldn’t have to work so hard and save money.
Good luck.

 

[W_B]

(quoted from post at 15:42:05 11/14/13)
And I could care less what the Ins co. has to say. They are the worst thing that's happened to this country, home of the free and land of the brave.

Really? I normally respect your opinions and knowledge, but that last statement is just pure ignorant. Obviously you know little about insurance and you've not sat where I do and millions of others that have worked in the insurance industry that pays out millions in claims every day for auto accidents and fires and wind damage and life insurance and medical claims. Yes, some folks have problems with their carriers, most of the time it's because people don't have a clue what is covered and what is not. You pay for the coverage you get, if you don't like it shop around. Don't expect everything that happens is covered, especially if you don't follow the provisions of the contract, of which just about all of it has been litigated at one time or another and is required by law (did you also know that insurance is one of the most regulated businesses in the country?). There are multiple avenues for dispute resolution.

If you don't want to deal with insurance companies be sure you have enough dough to pay for your own losses, including if you hit someone with your truck and put them out of work with permanent injury or kill someone. It'll ruin you and they will own your farm and everything else you have, otherwise insurance will pay for that high prices lawyer you'll need and likely settle for policy limits or less. And you'll go on with life, thanks to the "plague" of insurance.

 

[37chief]

I think I would look for a different insurance co. I had insurance on our place. This is where I keep my tractors. The agent said I need to keep all my equipment locked up. I found different insurance co. Stan

 

[VADAVE]

AND tell the insurance broker you're going elsewhere because of the stupid rule.

That's is the only thing that will change theeir mind--loss of money!

 

[paul]

Some insurance is a necessary evil.

My experience with insurance companies has not been as
rosy as you paint.

In the original post, they complained about a wood burner in a
building that didnt have one. That right there says something is
wrong with that company......

Paul

 

[just another old geezer]

I have new double pane windows and excellent insulation and still burn wood in Wisconsin because: 1. it's a shame to see all the good wood in my wood lot rot away and, 2. I have used a total of 235 gallons fuel oil since September of '08. I agree insulation is necessary, but would never trade my wood furnace for any other kind of heat. About 30 to 40 hours of work and I can heat my house for a year. And I pay my insurance company a $86 per year "solid fuel surcharge" to have it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I agree there is a lot of truth in this for many individuals, but for others such as myself that have access to considerable wood from cleaning fence rows and forest perimeters, it sure seems a shame to just pile it up and burn it. Also you are ignoring the exercise benefits that many sorely need. Personally I enjoy tending the wood stove during the winter when outdoor activities are at a low ebb.

 

[Goose]

As an Insurance Inspector myself, I see a lot of variation between companies.

For one client company, if I encounter a wood stove in either the house or an outbuilding, I'm required to fill out a separate two page report on it. For another company, if there's a wood stove present, they just want to know it's there, no particulars.

The thing is, you wouldn't believe the contraptions I've seen people cobble together for a wood stove, and then expect to get it insured. In general, if the stove is UL approved, installed PER MANUFACTURER'S SPECS, and inspected by the local fire chief, there shouldn't be a problem with it, although an insurance company may put a WS surcharge on the policy.

And you also can't trust that a professional installer will do it right. I recall one situation where I was sent to specifically recheck a wood stove installation in the living room of a house on an acreage. The underwriter didn't like something he'd seen on a photo from the insurance agent. I felt sorry for the young couple that owned the house. They'd paid a professional fireplace installer $2400 to install the wood stove, and the installer had run five feet of single wall chimney horizontally four inches from away from a combustible wall for the entire five feet.

I could cite other instances.

As I said, in general if a wood stove is quality construction, UL approved, and installed per the manufacturers specs, there probably will be no problem. Insurance companies like to see a stove sitting on a non-combustible surface extending at least 18" in front of the stove, and any adjacent walls having non-combustible protection at least 18" from the unit. It's when DIY'ers cobble stuff together that things become sticky.

 

[Mike (WA)]

Check with Grange Insurance or Farm Bureau. We had had Mutual of Enumclaw, but they tried to trick us into taking our son off the auto policy when he had an accident, about 20 years ago, so we left. We had to go shopping, and turned out the only place we could go was Farm Bureau, because nobody else would insure us because we had more than 4 horses. They didn't seem to care about our wood stove.

 

[Mark - IN.]

Some insurance companies have policies that prohibit wood burners like my brother's last, short lived insurance company, and he lives in rural Millersburg, IN. He pulled his would burner out for a year, or however long he had that company, got rid of them, got a new company, put his wood burner back.

Illinois you say? I remember reading that at least one city or village northwest of Chicago either in Cook County or DuPage county made a move a couple of years ago to ban wood burning altogether in fireplaces, wood burners, etc...based upon global warming and air polution. Come to think of it, there are towns in Illinois that actually did ban wind generators too.

Good luck, and you need to move out of there. Worked for me.

Mark
No Fireplaces In Elk Grove Village, For One?

 

[1923 Gleaner]

Self insure. I have done it for years. Set aside money that you would spend on insurance into a savings account. How do you think these ripoff companies became multi-billion dollar monsters. The only product they have to sell is fear, make you afraid something bad will happen. I have no use for insurance companies.

 

[wisbaker]

First remember you're dealing with insurance companies, they lie cheat and steal AND pay enough
to political candidates to insure they'll be able to do so in the future, I'd file a complaint
with the state insurance commission against the insurance company that wants you to remove the
wood burner that isn't there.Find another insurance company first, if you can 'cause they talk
to each other. I've had USAA insurance or 27 years. I was able to keep homeowner's insurance in
Florida after Andrew, some of my co-workers weren't so lucky wiht their insurance companies.
They're good but still an insurance company (lie cheat and steal). A snake is a snake and if
you mess with snakes you'll get bit. I had a car-deer with the pickup about 10 years ago, they
decided to use cheap C.R.A.P (certified replacement auto parts) head light isn't up to snuff,
it faded and clouded over unlike the OEM that's on the other side that's been there 2-3 years
and 60,000 miles longer. Weaseled out of the alleged warranty, seem's I was wearing the wrong
color underwear when I hit the deer or some other BS reason. Every time I walk up to the front
of my truck I'm reminded they are not to be trusted, and my trusting them wasn't worth the
additional 25 dollars the OEM headlight would of cost them. The only time you'll get treated
fairly by them is when they have to pay you AND you're not insured with them. Another USAA
member hit one of the County trucks I was responsible for, USAA sprung for OEM parts AND my
choice of body shops, I used the expensive guy who always gave me an estimate but was always to
high for me to accept.

 

[Pops1532]

(quoted from post at 12:10:49 11/14/13) Had an insurance inspector look at our new place. Complete tool, didn't even go in. Said everything was fine but a week later got a letter saying we need to remove the wood burner from our detached garage. We don't have a detached garage and the chimney for the basement fireplace sic good 15 feet from the attached garage. Anyhow, the wife talked to the insurance lady and she said we are not allowed to have a wood burner anywhere on the property! I have one in my shop at our old place. Apparently an open fireplace is ok and a contraption the burns pressurized flammable gas (gas furnace) is also ok. I live in the wonderful communist state of Illinois. Just curious what you guys do about this. Just put one in the new shop I am planning on building and ignoring the ban? The lady is an insurance broker and said none of the companies she carries will cover it.

Thanks.

As others have said shop around for a company that will cover a wood burner. Installing a wood burner when not allowed by your insurer could lead to a few big problems. The worst being you have a fire and not being covered. I guess worse than that would be a fire where someone gets burned and you're not covered.
Another problem would be if your insurer had your property inspected and found the wood burner. They would cancel your insurance. They would likely send a copy of the cancellation notice to the bank that holds your mortgage (if you have one). That could open another can of worms.

I used to heat with wood. I contacted my insurance company and asked what their requirements were. They simply wanted a letter from the building inspector or fire chief saying the installation was up to code. The building inspector said they wouldn't provide such a letter. The fire chief wrote the letter but told me the board of directors instructed him not to write any more letters like that because they were afraid doing so could create liability issues for the department.

To the guy that said he's self insured. Are you just self insured for property damage/loss, or are you self insured for liability also?

 

[36 Coupe]

My wife and I made a trip to a salt water beach she likes.She drove so I could look around.Just about every house large or small has a stack of firewood in the yard.Insurance companies couldnt sell any policies here if they banned wood heat.A 100 gallon minimum order of fuel oil will cost 360.00 here.I used to buy the fuel oil when it sold for 2 bucks a gallon but My wife buys the oil since she retired.I can not afford fuel oil on my ss check.About half our heat comes from wood I cut.Average household in Maine uses 1000 gallons a winter.We use 500 gallons.Fuel oil runs 3.60 a gallon here.The price of fuel and real estate taxes will bankrupt this country.Savings accounts are paying a whopping 1 tenth of one percent.The banks are stealing from depositors.Notice all the new banks being built around here.Big expensive buildings.

 

[Texasmark1]

I use State Farm and they make no mention of it here in TX.

 

[Lou from Wi.]

BK, We heat with both oil and wood. Oil comes on when temps are in the - column, at night. Had a change of companies when I was told we had to paint the garage in order to keep the policy in effect. Fight em when coverage is raced to the top of the charts when other states are flooding, fires etc. I was told all policy owners had to take a bite out the chit cake so in essence we were paying through the nose when such problems occured in other states. When we changed ,the old company kept sending letters stating they needed to know our new insurance company. Letters kept coming until I threatened to sue for harassment. stopped em dead in their tracks. All they wanted to do is blacklist us with the new company. Blizzard of B.S. Hope this works out for you. LOU.

 

[Nathan (SD)]

Ditto. I got crap about too many dogs for my home liability. I said cancel me. The dumb azz thought I was kidding till I bugged him about my refund a week later. Aint had no property insurance since. I got liability insurance with a different company.