Insurance company dropping coverage if you heat with wood, pellets, etc.

So I did a little shopping around for home owners insurance this month hoping to save a little $$$ in the process.

My current company sent out an inspector about a month ago initially to check things over, measure my house and shop, etc. The company sent me a non-renewal notice because of the stove in my shop. I called about this hoping I could pay an extra fee and keep the stove… not going to happen. My shop has a 12X8 overhead door… I pretty much never have a running car inside anymore. Maybe to do an oil change or a quick repair. I have a lift in one part which makes auto repairs easier but I mostly work on hot rod projects and stock cars these day… never anything with a tank of gas. And that section is about 18X30 and is separated from the heated part by a 2X4 wall and heavy wood sliding door.But I'd have to get rid of the overhead door to make it a "workshop" not a "garage"… without any guarantee they would still allow my stove in an "outbuilding".

Back 18 years ago when I built my shop I heated it with a big wood fired barrel stove and they raised holy hell about that so I installed a gas fired radiant tube heater… no problem there. They were still OK about my pellet burner in my house.

So I went to my other insurance agent who writes the policies on my cars. They did the inspector deal, too. Still don't want a pellet stove in the shop. And now that company is no longer writing insurance for any type of alternative fuel heating source in a home… pellet, coal, wood, etc. That policy starts Nov. 1.

Since the new outfit will save me $115.00 per year, and my home stove will be grandfathered in if the policy starts NLT 10/31, I went with them.

Now I have a couple options… quit heating the shop with pellets and get back on NG… hide my pellet vent by going thru the roof (line of sight prevents seeing vent from anywhere but overhead) or just stay the course and hope the inspector minds his own business.

Anyone else facing a similar fate?

 

NG would be the obvious heating choice if that is an option, as NG is cheap. Or use electric on an extension cord. That is what I do here.

 

NG is cheap… that's what I hear. But my gas company just announced the heating season this year will be more expensive than last… go figure.

 

Yah, they said that here too, but NG is only going to be something like 5% more, and still 1/2 the price of electric and 1/3 the price of oil. Wood is the cheapest heat source, but... if they will not insure it, yah have to go with something else. Heated overalls?

 

He said he has a pair of heated "drawers".

 

heated underalls….

 

Yah, it depends on where you live. Here are the residential rates by state:

http://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/ng_pri_sum_a_EPG0_PRS_DMcf_a.htm

 

good info...

 

All insurance companies I deal with go by NFPA211 even though it is not enforceable. I would speak with the agent face to face and have him explain himself. Most just turn into babbling uneducated morons and end up taking your payment. I have yet to lose to an insurance company.

Eric

 

First off, you need to spread out more on the companies contacted, A lot of these kind of problems are not always caused by the insurance company per say but by the underwriter they use. Might want to check with Acuity Ins. out of Sheboygan, Wi. 1-920-458-9131. A fair number of these so called inspectors do not know squat about soild fuel appliances.( or their under writers)
Ok, next thing get the stove in the shop a minimum of 4' off the floor That should resolves some issues right there. I am in Milwaukee, city inspectors are a royal pain no matter what it is. I do not even bother with solid fuel for the shop as for the most part the ones I have met are to busy puffing up there chests than to be slightly educated.
I had a problem a couple years back, and it was with Acuity, but really not them but some wet behind the ears dipsydoodle female that took exception the the word "blades" in the name of my shop and refused to under write the policy ( which was more than ten years worth). Go Figure. I did not change the shop name, have different ins for shop now.

 

4' or 4" ??

 

4 foot or more, you could check national code on that ,but I think that is the minimum for most every type of flame type heating appliances in a shop type environment. Here they want them preferable hung from the ceiling- um not enough structural sport to hang a 400 # stove up there let alone feed it. The hot water heater( small ng unit) is on top of the bathroom ceiling next door. I have an overhead door and one truck is inside most of the time. Where as the previous shop did not and the 2 NG furnaces were sitting on the floor ( 1" 100 year old Oak) never a word said. course when I had a little snow blower in there for the walk out front they got all bent out shape, but if you didn't clear the walk a different department got all over your case. Got an electric one issue resolved.

 

I can get a policy from another company but the two I have been dealing with for the last 20 years or so are local companies with much cheaper rates than any of the big guys… and I like dealing with my local agents. Great service…

I'm not getting all bent outta shape about this… I have a gas fired radiant heater hanging from the ceiling and it heats better than the pellet stove. I just don't like having a gas bill to pay each month.

With pellets I can buy when I have the cash and not have to worry about missing a payment. Having been an independent trucker for the better part of the last 20 years my income varied wildly… a real feast or famine deal. It was nice to buy a ton or two when I had the $$$ and be able to coast along without any heating bills.

So I guess I'll keep the England stove going until it gets real cold then I'll fire up the NG heater but scale it back during the night. The last time I was home for an extended time I kept the t-stat on the gas heater at 74F… THAT was pricey!!! But it's been about $60/month when I scale it back to 50F or so at night and 65F when I'm out there working.

 

Might be worth the effort to change over to NG even though it sucks.

Insurance companies I have dealt with in the past will not insure if the stove is not in a living space.

Something happens , POOF there is their excuse to void the whole policy.

 

I have a NG radiant heater in the shop… but I don't like getting a bill every month.

 

Could you have a separate room in the garage, walled off to insurance companies specs, for a wood burning forced air unit. Then have the air sent into the shop via ductwork? As you probably know already, some of the pellet stoves can also have ductwork hooked to them.

 

Sounds like that's a no… from either my old or new company.

My shop is divided into two parts. One section has the lift in it and I use it when I'm doing suspension work, a few oil changes, brake work, etc. Mostly during the warm months. The other 2/3'rds is work space where I do steel fabrication, chassis work… stuff like that. It's divided by a 2X4 stud wall, covered with OSB, with an 11' wide sliding door. Maybe if I installed some sheetrock it may pass their own fire barrier standards… I don't know.

Several years ago my buddy wanted to heat his shop with a pellet stove. His insurance carrier company would't even allow it in the next room with ducting going into the shop.

I'm still OK using the stove until midnight tonite… my new policy starts at 12:01 AM.

 

I wonder what the insurance companies would say about a kerosene or propane torpedo heater in a garage. I guess if its not permanently installed then it's OK, right? I've heard of more people burning down their garages with those than wood or pellet stoves. Unfortunately insurance companies don't put much faith in common sense.

Sometimes you've got to pick your battles and appease the man. Last thing anyone needs is an excuse for an insurance company to deny a claim should something bad happen.