# Homeowners Insurance with a Wood Stove Question?



## papossefan (Oct 8, 2008)

I am in the process of purchasing my first home and have some questions about getting insurance with a wood stove in the basement. The wood stove in on its own flue, which had a stainless liner put in it a few years ago. However I have been told by a couple people that it is hard to get insurance these days if your stove isn't UL listed. Is this true??? If so, does anyone know if any of the older wood stoves like kodiak, Alaska, schrader, etc. are UL listed? Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give me.

Ryan


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## TechAlG (Oct 8, 2008)

The insurance company I work for doesn't ask about it being UL listed. In PA, just having a woodstove will not disqualify you either. I do think it will raise your rates, though.


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## papossefan (Oct 8, 2008)

Good to know, hopefully I don't have too much trouble. Thanks.


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## MNfarmer (Oct 9, 2008)

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!


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## avalancher (Oct 9, 2008)

I called my insurance company about my rates when I installed a woodstove, they said that as long as it is installed according to building code there would be no additional premiums on my bill. Dont know what building code they are talking about, we have NO building code here what so ever.The only thing that is inspected when you build a new house is the electrical. We dont even have to have a building permit to build ANYTHING, including a house.


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## Moss Man (Oct 9, 2008)

I had to have the local fire chief come over and inspect my installation before I could get insurance, he made me screw the stove pipes together but other than that eveything was A O.K.

Not sure about the premiums, I assume mine are higher from the wood stove.


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## sloth9669 (Oct 9, 2008)

*my stove*

in my town you need to get a permit and a ul stove. that is the town.....the insurance didnt care and it was 5% increase in rates for alt heating method.


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## Zodiac45 (Oct 9, 2008)

Just call it a stove and not a heater for one thing, and as long as it's not the primary source you'll be ok. My insurence didn't seem to care a bit about my cookstove even though it heats more than the oil burner.


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## bore_pig (Oct 9, 2008)

My insurance went up by $35 a year. Nobody even came to look at it. They just asked if there were any combustibles nearby.


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## avalancher (Oct 9, 2008)

bore_pig said:


> My insurance went up by $35 a year. Nobody even came to look at it. They just asked if there were any combustibles nearby.



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.


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## biggen0_8 (Oct 9, 2008)

When we bought our house it already had a woodstove in it. We checked with our homeowners insurance agent and he said as long as it had double wall flue from the ceiling through the roof, there was no increase. He never did come and look at it. Just had us email him pictures.


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## 23putts (Oct 9, 2008)

My insurance company "State Farm - Missouri" insists the furnace be UL listed or they would not carry my insurance. I would ask your agent, then get their regulations in writing before you install one.


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## Joshlaugh (Oct 9, 2008)

My insurance agent came out, took pictures, got serial numbers etc. There was a form to fill out(isn't there always) and my rate went up $50 or so.


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## woodfarmer (Oct 9, 2008)

avalancher said:


> 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.


so are you just being silly or do you not know everything you listed is combustible?
all non ul woodstoves should be 48" from combustibles, 60" top of stove to ceiling combustibles, certified stoves will have a plate usually on the back of the stove that list clearance to combustibles


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## mranum (Oct 9, 2008)

I have American Family here in Wis. and I was told it had to have a UL label, even an OWB had to have the UL label. I was told that they had a client who decided to put in a OWB without checking with them. He went and bought from someone who was custom making them, installed everything they way it should have been and then called the insurance company. He was told that either the OWB had to be replaced with a UL listed one or to find another carrier. Not sure which one happened.

I was also told that putting in a pellet stove or a free standing stove would raise the rates a bit. I put in a high efficiency fireplace and was told that those were exempted from any additional fee increases, must have been true as my rates never went up.


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## ssupercoolss (Oct 10, 2008)

i was at my insurance agent office and i asked them if they had any problems with me installing a wood boiler in my basement. they said "no problem" i said, wanna come look at it after its in? they said "no". must just be easier to write a new policy, than come ispect my stuff.......i did get a permit from the township so it will get inspected by some type of official.


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## Mike PA (Oct 10, 2008)

When I first installed my stove, the fire chief came out and inspected. My stove is for supplemental heat, officially. Rates did not change because of stove.

When I changed insurance companies, new company wanted pictures and to come inspect. I sent them pics, they never came to inspect. Again listed as supplemental heat.

I have electric baseboard as my official primary heat source. I look at the stove as being supplemental to solar heat and never turn on the baseboard (you could use the meter as a fan when the baseboard heat is on). Any additional warming that I need on top of heating from the sun is supplemental and provided by my stove.


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## fbh31118 (Oct 10, 2008)

*Wood Heat Friendly Insurance Thread?*

I wonder if it would be a benifit to start a thread of insurance companies and agents that are wood heat friendly, so that we would have less hassle as a group. What do you think, any mods what to comment on this? Just any idea.


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## Coldfront (Sep 7, 2011)

fbh31118 said:


> I wonder if it would be a benifit to start a thread of insurance companies and agents that are wood heat friendly, so that we would have less hassle as a group. What do you think, any mods what to comment on this? Just any idea.


 
What ever became of this idea? I just got a letter from my insurance Co. saying they were canceling my HO policy in Nov. Not sure why I think they have a dispute with my Farmers Agent?


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## Henry and Wanda (Sep 7, 2011)

Hello,
I just recently changed my home insurance to State Farm. My agent took some pictures and some measurements. He said it would cost me $40 a year more to have the wood stove. I just moved to this new house at the end of last October and have not yet had time to build my separate woodworking shop. I asked the agent about the insurance that I would have on the shop and he asked what kind of heat it will have. I said that I would heat it with a wood stove and he said that State Farm would not insure an out building with a woodstove in it !!!! I said that I guess then it won't be insured !!!!!!




Henry and Wanda


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## Coldfront (Sep 7, 2011)

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.


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## alleyyooper (Sep 8, 2011)

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


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## avalancher (Sep 8, 2011)

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.


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## Dalmatian90 (Sep 8, 2011)

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.


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## camr (Sep 8, 2011)

MNfarmer said:


> 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.


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## logbutcher (Sep 8, 2011)

avalancher said:


> 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:


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## moose5180 (Sep 8, 2011)

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.


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## Rio_Grande (Sep 8, 2011)

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.


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## Fyrebug (Sep 9, 2011)

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.


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