Print

[Divernut]

Question:  What is required for installing our OWF inside our pole barn?

We purchased an NCB250 last November of 2012, used it all last season with no issues.  We are very happy with our purchase.  It was outside, about 125' from the home and another 30' from the propane tank.  This past summer, we decided to put up a 30x45 pole barn, building it over the furnace.  We put it on a concrete pad inside the barn and have a stone floor.  The chimney pipe is double walled and extends through the roof as high as the gable.

State Farm will not insure our barn or its contents due to the outdoor wood furnace located inside our barn siting policy.  They do not have any requirements, and just give a no answer.  Our township fire marshall gives an okay and the township has no requirements.  All looks good.  We eventually plan to put a metal sided room around it inside the barn as another safety precaution.  I plan to store about a weeks worth of wood in that room so it stays dry and I am not carrying in 2-3 arm loads of wood 2x a day.  The rest of the wood is all outside.

Has anyone else installed their OWF in an outbuilding? And, what did you do to make sure you were "insurance compliant"?  Anyone else have problems with their homeowners insurance wherever they installed their furnace?  Your inputs and opinions are appreciated.

[Scott7m]

Hardly any of these boilers are designed for indoor installation.  The NBC-250 is one that's not and I would never do an install where a customer wanted that done.

These furnaces were designed and tested for "outdoor" wood furnaces....  I'm not sure there is really anything you can do about it.

[ecc_33]

I am building a house and played hell getting insurance because of my OUTSIDE wood boiler. My agent was very clear of what it was and agreed it was very stupid that most insurance companies wouldn't insure me because of it. I ended up paying twice as much for my insurance on my construction loan. I want to build a pole barn and put my boiler at the end under a lean to on the side. I never gave it much thought of not insureing me or dropping me.

[MattyNH]

Where the heck do you guys live?? What a dictation by the insurance company's! I have no such problem here in New Hampshire, with a wood stove in house and or a  outdoor wood boiler....I know a few people that that have there boilers in a pole shed/barn..Now the pole shed is just the poles and a roof..The firewood makes up the walls..I recently put up pics of my pole shed under a different topic..My buddy has the exact pole shed as me and he has his boiler under the pole shed in the middle section

[Divernut]

We live in northwest Ohio and in the country.  I honestly believe the construction of these furnaces are just as safe or safer than what the indoor furnaces are.  Both my wife and I grew up burning wood inside the home.  We had a furnace in the basement, fireplaces in the living rooms, and also a wood burner in the den of our cabin.  Not all at once, but in different homes we've lived in over the years.  I don't recall too many years we didn't cut wood either for ourselves or other family/friends.  It's just what we did.  Now, years later, the wife and I wanted to save on propane and start burning wood again but having bugs and bark inside our home wasn't an option.  We chose the outdoor model to keep that stuff outside.  I honestly don't see how it is any "more" unsafe to have these inside a pole barn, outbuilding, or some sort of leanto.  There are just as many concerns with chimney fires whether it's an indoor model or outdoor model.  The smoke, bugs, soot, and wood debris is kept outdoors.  Heck, we should get a discount on our insurance!

I've seen many posts on here and heard many people installing these under roof of some sort.  Thanks for posting.  I'm still planning to leave mine in my barn.  One of the best investments I've every made.  All comments are appreciated.

[chillyhiker]

I will be installing mine in a 32x24 pole garage,concrete floor. only because zonimg says i dont have enough land to put it out side. ...its replacing a conventional wood burner I had in there. I havent aid anything to the inurance co. but like you they should be happy because it will also eliminate the wood stove in the house that ive been heating my home with for the last 4 years. Now when I did install the wood burner in the house the insurance guy drove by and saw the new tripple wall chimney  and came out and took pics of it, inside and out, but my insurance rates didnt go up. I think they just wanted to make sure it was installed properly.

[sabercat]

I just built a 3 sided building around my stove, big enough to store some wood too.

[dolphin13]

I have a 30x32 shop w a lean to the entire length that houses my heatmor wood stove.Erie insurance had no issues and didn't even want pics 

[Scott7m]

It all depends on the insurance company and who the agent is mostly......

[Michael]

Insurance is the reason I got mind. My business insurance covers my building trucks and liability. They canceled until I took out the wood stove in the building last year. My house insurance charges $20 per year extra for wood stove.

[MiHawkeye]

We were told by State Farm here in Michigan that a wood burner in the main house is fine, but might have a little higher monthly premiums.  We could not have a wood stove inside ANY other buildings on the property.  Not in the pole barn, shed, workshop, anywhere other than the house.  The agent's reasoning behind that was in the house it is likely to be watched closer, they don't like having it in out buildings because they might be untended and that is what they had issues with.

[slimjim]

First of all I will again agree with Scott and never suggest in fact always discourage the installation of an OWB inside any wooden structure, another thing that would bother me is the fact that you installed it only 30 feet from the propane tank and I'm really surprised that they did not pick up on that, although most states will not allow any open flame within 25 feet of a propane tank it is widely accepted that there should be no open fire or sparks within 50 feet of a propane tank. I would be willing to bet that your propane company will no longer fill that tank and I would not blame them if they refused, You sir are playing with a very dangerous fire and should be very careful. One gallon of liquid propane properly dispersed (leak) and ignited by your boiler will level your home.

[chillyhiker]

But yet I can run a torpedo heater in the garage...Talk about open flame!!...but not a wood stove???..
doesnt make sense. chilly

[cantoo]

You might want to ask your agent about that torpedo. I'll bet he has a differing opinion on using one. I keep stuff like that hidden and only use one if absolutely no other choice, I haven't used mine in at least 4 years. I have one of the furnace type portable ones now.

[slimjim]

Laws are not designed to make sense, only to give some people an advantage over others, why else would corporate America have all those high priced lobbiests in Washington and your state capital controlling the votes of your elected officials, wow something stinks here.