Inspection process

[Zamfir]

Thanks to this site, and especially to begreen, I am a newbie that is just about ready to order my stove and chimney from lowes. My installation is a pretty straight forward, basement install, straight out and up 23ft.
I am filled with anxiety about calling the inspector. I have a few questions. I know things work differently depending on what state you live in so if anyone has experience with Michigan and specifically, Alger County, I would like to hear about your experiences. My understanding is that I should call them and inform them of my intentions, before I actually buy anything. And I do not understand how the inspection unfolds, will my insurance company use the inspectors report or will they send there own inspector.
Also ,what does switching to wood burning typically do to the insurance bill.I'm afraid that my rates will go up which will eat up the money that I thought I would save from not using my propane furnace, which would defeat the whole purpose of a burner. I was told by a local that I should tell them that it is intended for supplemental heat and NOT intended for primary heat.
Does anyone know if that should be a concern, or if you have any info about this scary part of the process to prepare me.I can't help but feel that an inspectors main purpose is to suck every penny out of me that they can. Thank you, and if there is an old thread I should read on this topic, please let me know.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Hard to say what to do about your insurance. Some companies dont seem to care ,some charge more.some will drop you if they find you have a wood stove. You could say nothing ,not sure if they could disallow a claim though because you didnt disclose. Best to find a wood burner in your area that deals with your Ins co. to get some perspective. Iv known people who after installing the hardware took it back out because of insurance problems. As for me i dont disclose ,insurance companies around here are always looking for any reason to cancel you ,hard to get fire insurance at all here.

 

[Wickets]

not MI specific, but: 1. installing a wood burning stove didnt effect rates at all (travelers home ins). 2. property taxes went up $40/yr! 3. As a way to diminish propane use, and if like NJ its about 2.30+/gallon, you're on the *very* right track

 

[EatenByLimestone]

In NY. Insurance rates weren't affected. In my cabin, which is rural, the inspector wanted to come out once, after I was done installing everything. In my old house, in the city, the inspector wanted to come out at each step. I'd call them and find out what they want you to do. I'd also call the insurance Co and tell them you are thinking of installing a stove. Will it change my rates?

 

[Zamfir]

Thank you all, eatenbylimestone, that is probably the best plan, I will call the insurance company and present it as a hypothetical situation instead of an imminent one, once I see what their attitude is going to be,then I will decide how to proceed. Thanks again

 

[HisTreeNut]

I will double check with the wifey, but our insurance was not affected. I think our insurance has actually gone down since we have moved in.
We also called the town to ask about an installation, they asked who our installer was, and said it shouldn't be an issue to have a stove installed. They said they would come by at some point to look...again, will have to check with the wifey because I really do not know when they did.
That being said, it is always good to check regardless.

 

[Woody5506]

I was in your position last year. My insurance was not affected and I asked my agent straight up if a permit would be required for it to be covered by insurance. His immediate answer, surprisingly, was no. No permit required to be covered. Just have a certified installation.

I'm not saying to go the route I did, but as far as im concerned my town doesn't need to know what I put in my house. All they would want to do is tax me more anyway. In fact there's other towns around here that require residents to get permits before taking trees down. The process is a bit out of control if you ask me.

 

[Dobish]

my insurance agent asked me if it looked like a professional install. i said yes. that was it. No further action needed. no inspection needed. Granted, I had a wood stove already in the house when I bought it. I did not tell them that I moved it to a new location, and actually installed it properly (it was def. not safe!)

At this point, I think there have been 7 different stoves in different locations over the course of the last century in my house

 

[Squirrely]

As for me i dont disclose ,insurance companies around here are always looking for any reason to cancel you ,hard to get fire insurance at all here.

Same here... because there's no insurance company to disclose to.
After observing the insurance and debt conundrums of others over the years, we decided not to be held hostage to either by assuming our own risks. We also chose to live in an unincorporated area where there is no local city government.

Greg

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Same here... because there's no insurance company to disclose to.
After observing the insurance and debt conundrums of others over the years, we decided not to be held hostage to either by assuming our own risks. We also chose to live in an unincorporated area where there is no local city government.

Greg

Insurance has not been a bad investment. After 20 years insuring 16 plus properties iv had 2 fires which pretty much paid all the premiums for those 20 years. The catastrophic part is what im worried about where 1 fire can destroy about a lifetimes worth of equity.

 

[Squirrely]

Insurance has not been a bad investment. After 20 years insuring 16 plus properties iv had 2 fires which pretty much paid all the premiums for those 20 years. The catastrophic part is what im worried about where 1 fire can destroy about a lifetimes worth of equity.

I understand catastrophic risks and you did what's right for your situation. There are many ways to mitigate catastrophic risks, so instead of paying fire insurance premiums for the rest of our lives, we paid the one time cost of building fire insurance into our house. A wildfire can burn straight through here and it'll be fine. When a house is bought, it's difficult to implement those measures. We had an alternative opportunity to be free of entanglements with insurance and mortgage corporations and took it.

Greg

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I remember the insurance company asking distance to the nearest fire hydrant and closest fire station for the city house, And the same plus nearest body of water they could pump from for the rural place.

 

[moresnow]

I was told by a local that I should tell them that it is intended for supplemental heat and NOT intended for primary heat.

I believe this statement to be true as well.

For a couple years my home insurer did not care about the stove at all. Out of the blue last summer the company decided it needed all insured homes with wood heat to be inspected. The guy they sent to inspect knew little to nothing about safe installations! I almost felt bad for the guy. By the time he left he must have felt like he had been in class