Club 80-90 Forums

Hi there. I haven't managed to find insurance that will cover having a woodburner (not really a surprise though eh?). I just wondered what other poeple have done who have put them in. Do you make them removable so if you have an accident the burner can be taken out before anyone checks? how likely is it that anyone will check and find out?

do the police ever describe the vehicle on the site of an accident and would they mention/note down the woodburner? do insurance companies ever get called out straight away?

Any experience is greatly appreciated. Thank you. haven't got one yet but would like to if its not too much bother.

Cheers Raphaela

Personally I think a T25 is too small for a woodburner.

I had one in an old Bedford 53 seater coach in the eighties ( ) and it was good for that, and also had one in a small caravan I lived in for a while on the North Yorkshire Moors - caravan was about 10 foot square and it was a small stove made from an old gas bottle, very efficient, there was never any snow within a 20 foot radius (doesn't say much for the caravan's insulation though).

If the worst happened & your van caught fire from a woodburner the insurance company didn't know about, you'd be looking at no payout I would guess, and it's not going to take a genius to work out the cause of a fire like that - the fact there's a hole in the roof for a stove pipe will give the game away...
The heat generated all round will pose problems in such a small van, by the time you've got it far enough away from the walls and got your baffling in place around it you won't have much living space, and again, even if the stove is removable, the fittings will be there for all to see.

You could get round it by having an old school canvas bender rather than an awning, put the stove in there and vent it out. Nice and cosy, and then you would have no fittings in your van, just a freestanding burner you are transporting with you - there's no law against just having one in the van. Just ensure it's strapped down securely, you wouldn't want it sliding around in the case of an accident!
Comfy living in the bender and then just sleep in the van?

Following an accident, if the vehicle is taken away you may find it hard to get everything stripped out before an insurance assessor arrives, the police would take note of the type of vehicle, but unlikely to note its exact contents. If you can drive it home, you would have to work fast, but truthfully you would be unlikely to pull the wool over an assessor's eyes. They've seen it all before and are masters of the get out clause.

Hope this helps a bit
Andi