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rocket mass heaters

Information for insurers

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posted 1 year ago

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Hi I was wondering if anybody has a link to some concise information about rocket mass heaters? I am planning to build one in my home in South west France this spring but first my insurers would like to know what exactly it is they are dealing with. There is very little information available in the French language that I could find but any links I can translate for them. Also if there are any people out there who have had one passed by their insurers or building inspectors I would be interested to hear their experiences.
Many thanks in advance!

Anne Miller

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posted 1 year ago

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Ask your insurer if they will insure a `masonry heaters`.

You might find this thread of some interest:

https://permies.com/wiki/210613/Types-Heat-Insurance

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thomas rubino

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posted 1 year ago

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Hi Mike;
Tell them you want to build a masonry heater.
See what the rules are about them.
Most insurance people have never heard of A Rocket (scary) Mass Heater.
It takes a very progressive insurance man to learn all about them...
They really are a masonry heater and there are rules about masonry construction that vary from state to state and by country.

For all your Montana Masonry Heater parts (also known as) Rocket Mass heater parts.
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Mike Schofield

Posts: 56

posted 1 year ago

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Thanks for quick replies!
Yes I did mention it was a masonry heater (also not too well known here). With somewhat of a language barrier and the unknown nature of the rhm we agreed the best thing to do would be to email some details so they can get a grip of what I'm planning.. even if it is just to say they won't insure it and have an exemption on the policy to say everything but the rmh is covered..

Anne Miller

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posted 1 year ago

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I don`t know what part of the world you are in though in some countries people have been building masonry heaters for 100s of years.

They probably have some traditional name rather than `masonry`.

This website might help you find the name of the traditional heater for your country:

http://www.stovemason.com/types-of-masonry-heaters/

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Anne Miller

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posted 1 year ago

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What bothers me about this thread is that we are trying to get insurance companies to insure RMH heaters not decline them.

It seems that furnishing them with information to give them to decline the RMH is not something we want to be doing as a whole.

Why not show the information on the Liberator that is UL-certified and holds more safety certifications than any other heater on the market.

Is what you are building a similar heater?

This thread was posted today that might be of interest to some folks:

https://permies.com/t/237541/Liberator-stove-installed-home-working

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

John F Dean

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posted 1 year ago

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I suspect that many of the pictures posted on Permies of RMH could be classified as fireplaces. I fail to see the difference, in appearance, between a fireplace with a large glass door and a RMH with a large glass door. If the term masonry heater is not a familiar term, then certainly fireplace would be.

My own house has two fireplaces. I have checked with my agent about making them safer by adding more masonry and Improving the draft, and he was fully supportive. Of course, I did not use the term RMH.

This approach is much more digestible than saying I want to build an experimental heater out of clay and grass that produces temps of thousands of degrees that burns wood like a rocket.

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Joe Hallmark

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posted 1 year ago

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I was reluctant to post but that’s exactly what I was thinking. Why not just call it a wood stove

Mike Schofield

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I wouldn't want to call it anything other than what it is. If I have an electrical fire or a burst pipe I don't want my insurance company coming around and voiding a claim because of the rhm..
In any case I've spoken with them and provided some links for them to check out. They seem unfazed which is encouraging. I plan to build it this spring or early summer time and will provide any updates regarding the insurance situation that may be of use or interest to anybody.

John F Dean

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Hi Mike,

Certainly one should be honest. I know of no universally recognized definition by the insurance industry as to what a RMH is….which seems to be much of the problem with dealing with insurance. I do know what a fireplace is. I feel that if I do improve my fireplace, it will still be a fireplace with improved combustion properties. I fully agree with you. One should not lie to their insurance representatives.

To be is to do …Kant
To do is to be ..Nietzsche
Do be do be do…Sinatra
Scooby dooby do …St. Thomas

Joe Hallmark

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Location: Central Texas

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If that makes you feel better then that’s all that matters. I certainly consider what I said to not be a lie. Good luck with your build.

Thomas Tipton

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I went about exploring this subject some time ago. After providing my insurer with some information about the nature of the "Solid Fuel Furnace" I was told that as long as my local code enforcement people were OK with it, then the insurer was also OK with it. I then contacted my local code people and spoke to a fellow about my plans. To my chagrin, no matter what I tried to call it or describe it as, he always came back to it as "your fireplace". Which told me he really wasn't interested in the details and that as long as I built it along the masonry heater guidelines, he would approve it.

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