[xmptsunami]

I figured this could use it's own thread.

I'm not gonna do a poll because I would rather give people the freedom to just say what's on their mind.


So, do you weld at home, for yourself as a hobby or for profit?

If so, does your insurance company know about it?

Do you live in the bush away from other homes or in town near other homes?

Did you know that even having welding equipment on your property could/will make your insurance company drop you? I'm not just talking about oxy/acetylene bottles but electric welders as well. Maybe even angle grinders.

If you do weld at home and your insurance company knows, which company are you insured with?

Is this just a Canadian thing? Do you American's have the same issue?

My insurance company, and all others that I have contacted, have stated that they will not insure a property with welding equipment on site.

I have read my homeowners policy and they don't state anything about welding equipment or wood stoves in garages or that matter.

Looks like my options are to either not tell them or not have insurance. The only loophole seems to be farming.

I know that I cannot have animals in town, but maybe I could call my 3/4 acres of land a mushroom farm.....?


So, whatcha got?

 

[rocket flier]

You'd be amazed at what grinder sparks will start on fire,...

 

[MrClemons]

You'd be amazed at what grinder sparks will start on fire,...

started more stuff on fire grinding then when welding. sparks fly alot further when grinding.

 

[xmptsunami]

You'd be amazed at what grinder sparks will start on fire,...

Well, yeah, obviously. But I was expecting more of a

"If you do this and this and this and have it inspected, we'll triple your premium and you're good to go"

Instead of:

"No fucking way are we insuring you no matter what"

 

[D60]

It's not only country but varies by state here. As long as it was truly hobby and not business State Farm didn't care what I did with a shop or in a shop. I asked 'em.

Now that it's business they just don't cover the entire shop or anything related to the business.

 

[Todd W]

It's not only country but varies by state here. As long as it was truly hobby and not business State Farm didn't care what I did with a shop or in a shop. I asked 'em.

Now that it's business they just don't cover the entire shop or anything related to the business.

AAA told me anything "hobby" was covered, anything business was not.

I don't "fab" for business only a hobby.

The problem with AAA is their "MAX" for additional coverage isn't that much so I have to be careful if I add any expensive tools down the road.


I've caught more old sweatshirts on fire from grinding and only a few holes from welding :laughing:

 

[xmptsunami]

Can't find AAA in Canada, but I did find state farm.

They only have brokers in toronto and ottawa. The broker said that since I'm so far away that I would have better luck calling after hours so we'll see where that takes me.

She did say that I can have my own tools, including a welder, so we're getting somewhere!!!

 

[bgredjeep]

I do some welding and simple fab in my 1car garage. Insurance company has never asked anything about welding and I never had a reason to just come out and tell them I have a welder.

Was this something they asked about in relation to your policy or did you ask them about covering your tools?

I have USAA btw which I'm pretty sure you can't get in Canada. Lol

 

[xmptsunami]

Was this something they asked about in relation to your policy or did you ask them about covering your tools?

I called for a quote on the new building as it's a common thing to hear that insurance companies have problems with living space over a garage. Turns out that's not a problem.

The insurance guy said to me "it's not like you'll be arc welding in there or something."

So I asked about it.

He told me that under no circumstances will they insure me with welding equipment on the property.

I asked him if they ask all their customers that and he said he's never before asked if someone had a welder. The other brokers I spoke with from other companies also told me they've never asked that question before.

It's also not mentioned in my homeowners policy, which is something I have yet to ask about.

 

[bgredjeep]

I would say you'll be fine with don't ask don't tell on this. If you end up burning your house down they might choose to drop you (after they pay the claim), but if there is nothing in the policy stating they won't cover you when welding equipment is used or on premise you should be covered.

Probably just a company policy they enforce for writing new policies. They won't knowingly write a policy where they know there is welding equipment on site. Same as some insurance companies choosing not to insure homes in Florida any more.

The next time they say:

it's not like you'll be arc welding in there or something

just laugh along with him. I would probably avoid saying NO just in case they are recording and dig that up in teh future when they try to deny a fire claim (god forbid that ever happen).

 

[fj40guy]

Along the same lines is "what type of dog do you own?" A lot of Insurance company's will deny coverage if you have a Rottweiler.

Since I have a Norwegian Shepard, it never seemed to be an issue, and even my Vet agreed that a Norwegian Shepard is early mistaken for a Rotty, but a very sweet and kind dog so not an issue.

Odd, I've never been asked about welding equipment.

 

[euroford]

no problem here. we use geico.