Wisconsin homeowner insurance/questions about basement unit.

Looking for some help with the following.

1. Request

Situation: Requesting help with insuring a rocket mass heater in Wisconsin.

Background: I believe in the efficiencies of a rocket mass heater and would like to build one myself. However, I also recognize that my home represents a significant investment. I hold the title free and clear to my home so getting the bank to approve is not an issue.

Request: I am questioning if anyone has successfully insured their home with a RMH in the state of Wisconsin or elsewhere? If so, could you please give me your agents contact information? I would also be interested to know if there are any home insurance agents on here that could help me in my endeavor?

2. Question

Situation: Basement RMH question/concerns.

Background: It has been a while since I have been on permies and remember there being some discussion about problems with placing a RMH in ones basement. I would like to place the unit in my basement. The Chimney is roughly 25ft from ground level with a short horizontal (10 ft or less) basement run and the floor to ceiling it is roughly 8 ft distance in the basement. I currently have a wood stove installed and an air intake from outdoors a couple feet from the stove(and vertically about 7 ft high).

Request: What concerns/problems would I encounter with a basement RMH setup and what are the solutions?

Welcome Cody
Sorry, no help with question #1 but have read a bit here and there on #2 from others experiences...some from the book The Rocket Mass Heater Builder Guide Definitely worth its weight in wood!
Locating a RMH in a basement: They are the type of stove that requires attention and are generally put in a central location within a home or building, so unless you spend a fair amount of time in your basement, you will  :)  
Also, any radiant or conductive heat that comes from the stove will not really be utilized much upstairs, only convective heat will percolate upstairs.
Starting a cold RMH in a basement has been said to be finicky to get going as the house itself acts like a chimney and competes with the real chimney especially if it is not exiting above the roof ridge.

Thanks Gerry,

I do end up spending quite a bit of time in the basement as the bedrooms and my hobby workshop are down there. I am looking at a rocket mass heater to reduce but not eliminate my need for propane(would love to eventually devise a net zero smaller home but am some time away from that goal and still have plenty of junk to re-home). Luckily the chimney is above the ridge line of the home. The home is fairly tight with an air exchange unit in the next room (could that be a potential competing chimney in my situation? Gerry, glad to hear that basement RMH isn't a deal breaker, but rather something that can be overcome with some thought.
Gerry, Thanks for taking the time to lend me a hand.

Additional question for anyone with a larger home. I live in a 2600 sq ft home with vaulted ceilings(1300 of that upstairs). I anticipate using about 725 gallons of propane this year. How big a RMH do you have? How big a house do you have?  What reduction have you seen in your use other fuel sources since installing your RMH?

Hi Cody,   I have a 6" J tube RMH in a 400 ft2 workshop so not much help with your question however, I would say an 8" J or batch box is going to be your way to go.

"The home is fairly tight with an air exchange unit in the next room (could that be a potential competing chimney in my situation?"
With a cold start, if your air exchange is on, you may experience drafting problems so it may need to be turned off during these times.
Once your stove is up and running though, it should draw and stay drawing assuming you have built a stove with good flow and not too many (if any) modifications.
Each scenario is a little different so only through experimentation will you truely know for sure.