What are safe temps for an insert?

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stek

New Member
Sep 17, 2010
51
Western WA
We are getting a new Avalon Rainier insert installed today in the masonry fireplace in our rental house (along with appropriate new flue liner etc). Previous tenants overfired/had a chimney fire in the old 70s or 80s era stove that came with the house, rendering the stove warped and unsafe, hence the replacement.

I looked through the owners manual and didn't find a suggested temp range for operating the stove, just a general warning about overfiring - if it glows it's too hot. Our freestanding cast-iron stove says to keep it in the 4-600° range but I'm not sure if steel inserts are different?

What is a safe temperature range for this kind of setup to prevent overfiring?

Thanks!
 
I would say 400-600 is fine with the Rainier, good stove by the way. Avalon, like Lopi, make really good stoves. My insert is the big Quadra-fire 5100 and I keep it around 475-500 most of the time. The pipes stay clean with good wood and I only clean it once a year (inspect it more though) :)

On a different note, my father in law has the Avalon Olympic insert, about 12 years old, and keeps his around 600-700F. That may seem high temps to many but he has his professionally inspected and cleaned every year by a respectable company in the area and has never had a problem. That stove with his setup has the nicest looking flames and burns the cleanest I have seen.......wish I could afford his house :cheese:
 
Stek, I agree with JFK except that I don't think 700 would be too hot. I'd start getting nervous at that temperature though. Most stoves like the 400-600 or 700 range for giving good heat but you won't get really good heat until you are over 500 degrees for sure.

Although the previous tenants had a chimney fire it was not necessarily caused by overheating the stove. The chimney fire was probably caused from a buildup of creosote and that is what folks get when they burn wood that is not dry enough. Most first year burners have the problem with unseasoned wood even if they buy from a dealer. The dealers just say it is seasoned but either don't know what true seasoning is or else they just want to pull the wool over your eyes in order to make a sale.

To keep you from having that problem I will highly suggest you check your chimney monthly for the first 2 years of burning. Clean as necessary. Don't clean and have another chimney fire.
 
I hear you Savage, I'm sure the chimney fire was caused by crud in the chimney, I think the tenants were burning garbage etc in there too, they were not the sort that should have been trusted with a book of matches let alone a woodstove. For all I know the overfire was a chronic occurrence as well, our chimney guy pointed out how warped the stove was and prompted us to replace the whole setup. Luckily the new tenants are much more conscientious.

With regard to inspecting the chimney, what is the best way to do that? And do you know of any pics on the forum or elsewhere that show what it should and shouldn't look like? In the past we've always just had the chimney done annually but I'd like to be more proactive in the future.
 
The best way I know of to check a chimney is to get up on top, remove the cap, shine a bright light down there and visually check. Most of the crud will be on the very top portion of the chimney and the cap itself. Many times people can get by with just brushing the top 4-6 feet and cleaning the cap but I say while doing that much, do the whole thing. To do that, we like to run the brush up (if cleaning from the bottom) or down and back. Then do it again with a little scrubbing motion. It really is a quick and easy job once you have the tools and they are not expensive. Way less than $100 for sure. You can get all you need at a local hardware. Of course you may want a good ladder too depending upon your situation.

Annually is good once good burning habits are acquired and good fuel is burned. Good luck.
 
According to Lopi about my Republic, 350-600 is the ideal zone for good heat and clean burning (I tend to think 500-600 is really the optimal temp). 700-750 is safe, but running it at that temp constantly would shorten the life of the stove (again, this is for my Lopi stove in particular...won't comment on yours).

Honestly, I find that getting it to cruise at 450-600 is relatively easy - the problem lies in getting it to 700 and being comfortable at that temp. Around 700 stovetop is where I find that the fire is SUCKING air in like crazy as well as burning extremely clean - which means it's combusting smoke at higher rates.

What does all that mean? It means that around 700 degrees stove top, the fire can easily start to take on a life of it's own and keep going despite best efforts to calm it down. A few times now, I've had fires get up to 700 and I "choke them" only to see them continue up to 725-750. The saving grace is that Lopi puts one bad-arse fan on this puppy and when I turn it on high it will SUCK the heat off the stove.
 
I have an Avalon 1190 insert. In the manual, it says:

"Over-firing may lead to damage of plated surfaces. If you are uncertain of over-firing conditions, we
suggest placing a stove thermometer (e.g. Rutland® Model 710) directly over the door on the stove top -
temperatures exceeding 800° are generally considered over-firing and will void the warranty."

Robert
 
Thanks! Good to know. I think getting a thermometer for the tenants will help, then they will have a clear guide. The new stove we have is the first time I've used a thermometer and it's really helped with the learning curve of getting to know how the system likes to operate.
 
Is the wood stove the only source of heat in the rental? As for the temps I would have to agree with everyone else, 4 to 600.
 
Nope, the house has baseboard heat throughout too, the stove is just a nice cozy side benefit .. makes it more rentable too.
 
I'm sure it makes it easier to rent, I jus dont know if I would want someone running my ( guess ) 2000 dollar stove. Your a good hearted person
 
It it were my stove and tenants, I'd print off a copy of the owner's manual and give it to them. Assuming they're interested in taking care of your place, they'll probably find time to read the important parts.
 
Yup I left the owner's manual with them and gave detailed instructions and tips too. These are good tenants and I feel sure they will take care of the stove like it was their own.

The tenants have a winter's worth of wood laid in already and were very excited about being able to heat with wood as they have in the past, for us it's mostly about living up to the terms of what was offered to them. The house was rented with a woodstove, so when the old stove turned up not safe to use we felt it was our duty to replace it. We had a couple loser tenants before these guys so want to keep them happy and renting with us for as long as possible =)
 
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