Owning a Home with a Wood Stove
Does your home have the comforts of a wood stove? The wood heat is nice to have, especially during the winter, however; the unit first needs to be approved by the insurance company before it can be used. If the insurance company is not aware of the wood stove or the unit is not approved, there is no policy coverage for claims resulting from its use.
When discussing your wood stove unit with your broker, there is some information that they are going to require. You will need to complete a questionnaire and provide photos of the unit for review.
Some of the information that will be required includes:
- What year was the stove installed?
- Who did the installation – previous owner or a heating contractor?
- Has a W.E.T.T. inspection been completed and when?
- Is there a clearance label on the back of the stove?
- When was the chimney last cleaned / inspected?
- What type of stove pipe does it have? Typically, a double wall is required to be approved.
The main causes of fire with a wood stove include: inadequate clearance to combustibles (walls, furniture, flooring), creosote buildup in the chimney, poorly or improperly installed chimneys and stoves. It is for this reason that the additional information is required in order for the insurance company to assess the risk of having the wood stove approved on the policy. Once approved and application surcharge has been applied to your insurance policy, you will be covered for its use.
If you are not interested in using your wood stove or paying the policy surcharge, you do have the option of removing it entirely or rendering it inoperable (depending on the insurance company). If you choose to go this path, you would not be covered for its use, but would also not be paying a surcharge.
Discuss your options and the impacts a wood stove has on your insurance policy with your Swift Digital broker today! Contact us at 1-833-277-9438 or by email at hello@csinsure.ca