Garage wood burner

Thinking of installing a wood burner in garage,been looking at menards.Any tips or recommendations,it’s a 27×27 two stall,insulated and propane ceiling heater,want to cut down propane usage.thx

Step 1: Consult your insurance plan/agent.

buckybadger wrote:

Step 1: Consult your insurance plan/agent.

x2
I had one in my attached garage when I bought my house and removed it because of the extra insurance issue. I might not have had the same problem if the area was not attach to the house.

I have one and love it. But mine is more of an outbuilding where I don’t park vehicles very often. Would suggest having ceiling fan someway to move the air.

Have on in my shop and it’s great to warm it up quickly. State farm would not insure so switched companies.
Wood heat has a great feel.

Install it up to code/insurance company requirements and you should be fine on the insurance end.

Before buying, do the math. How long would it take to pay for the woodstove when you consider the increase in your insurance? And depending where you live, if you burn wood, it can cost almost as much as LP…….and you’ll still need a place to store it out of the weather.

buckybadger wrote:

Step 1: Consult your insurance plan/agent.

when i lived in Mn, couldnt get ins. Ins. is a joke up there

buckybadger wrote:

Step 1: Consult your insurance plan/agent.

X3 I have farmers insurance. Put one in an out building not a garage. No increase to premium as long as installed per manufacturer. “Garage” “shop” no go no matter what.

If insurance is a problem may want to look at wood burners that actually sit outside and piped into the garage, nice thing about this it keeps any smoke outside. I have seen this type for sale every once in a while on Marketplace.

Tom P. wrote:

If insurance is a problem may want to look at wood burners that actually sit outside and piped into the garage, nice thing about this it keeps any smoke outside. I have seen this type for sale every once in a while on Marketplace.

These kind are nice, but they also come with a substantially “nicer” price tag.

I would not do a thing until I had documented costs related to insurance with specifics laid out. If it is attached to your home or near your home as a stick built structure, you will really struggle to find a viable insurer. I know for a fact State Farm will want nothing to do with it.

I’m curious – does this insurance problem apply to in house fireplaces and stoves ? Or is it because a garage stores with gasoline and other combustibles they have issues ? I’ve looked at several house with wood fireplaces.

isu22andy wrote:

I’m curious – does this insurance problem apply to in house fireplaces and stoves ? Or is it because a garage stores with gasoline and other combustibles they have issues ? I’ve looked at several house with wood fireplaces.

In my case it was strictly garage space, vehicles and gasoline. I have wood fireplace in and house and wood stove in another building. No problems.

isu22andy wrote:

I’m curious – does this insurance problem apply to in house fireplaces and stoves ? Or is it because a garage stores with gasoline and other combustibles they have issues ? I’ve looked at several house with wood fireplaces.

I have a gas fireplace in the main house and fire pit outside that was not a problem. The wood burning one in the attach garage was a no go for most insurance companies when I was shopping around. I didn’t ask why.

I have forced air. My carrier would only insure me if I had separate flues, and if the stove was ducted, used separate ductwork. Even then, it was at a 50% premium increase.
What about a pellet stove?

buckybadger wrote:

I know for a fact State Farm will want nothing to do with it.

I wrote dozens of homes with wood stoves in them when I worked for State Farm. It takes some more work, a form and some pictures, but it is not an issue or a huge premium bump as long as it meets their requirements. A lot of agents/team members either don’t want to jump thru the extra hoops, or don’t know what you are talking about when you mention it, so they just say it’s ineligible. And some are ineligible if it’s not a certain setback from the walls or have the correct fire resistant materials underneath and around it. At least that was the case with State Farm as of last August, and the preceding 12 years, it may have changed now.

I’m no insurance agent, I’m solely going by what we were told on our home when we built from the Fall of 2021 through the Summer of 2022. Different agents may not want to mess with it I’m assuming?

Insurance companies worry about chemicals (gas, brake cleaner, wd40, propane, etc) in a garage with an open flame heat source nearby.