Insurance?

[Ordenrahl]

Aloha,

I've been driving out an hour or so to use a community forge but I'd like to get something setup in my garage for hobby use. Any experience with insurance coverage? My girlfriend is certain that I will burn the house down. If a disaster were to happen, would I typically be covered under average home owners insurance? Does the fact that it's a specialist tool in the home happen to matter?

Any insight from personal experiences would be great.

John.

 

[viral]

While we are on the insurance issue, can someone also weigh in how it works if your shop tools get stolen? Mind you, mine is entirely a hobby and the shop is housed on my property. I'm just curious how that works out. Thank you.

 

[Ken H>]

Those questions are really something for your insurance agent to respond to. So much depends on how YOUR actual policy is written.

Ken H>

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Talk to your agent. Tell him this is your hobby, and not a business. To make your girl friend happier, get the needed fire extinguishers. Also, mount the forge on a cart and roll it out to the driveway of back yard when forging. Tell everyone concerned that the propane tank will be used and stored outdoors.

 

[i4Marc]

I have my forge in my detached garage. The floor is concrete so no worries there. I have plenty of fire extinguishers handy as well as buckets of water (by the grinder). The forge is on a rolling metal cart. The forge is attached by a braided steel covered flex line to an overhead hard line which runs through the cinder block wall outside to my 100# tank. The hard line has a ball valve where it connects to the flex line so I can turn the propane off at the tank and right overhead where I'm working. Never any complaints from my neighbors. My girlfriends have never cared one way or the other. I haven't broached the subject with my insurance agent yet. I don't think I'm doing anything illegal nor particularly dangerous. I take every reasonable precaution to maintain safe working habits and frankly, the less people that know about it the better for a variety of reasons. But if anyone would have the answers you seek it would be your insurance agent.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The biggest legal and insurance liability concern is having a propane tank larger that one pound inside a building. In most every city in the USA, that is illegal by code. Many municipalities do not allow their use or storage within 20 feet of an occupied building.