Newbie with a big shopping list. Pics added

[Andie]

So your group title says there are people that love to answer chimney questions and I'm hoping its true

I've been searching for hours and can't get good info- so....here I am, with the pros.

Problem. 2 story house. Top story 1000sf bottom story 500 sf
Up and downstairs brick traditional, open (no fireplace cover) fireplaces.
Neither really work well at all.
New tenants, wanting to use bottom fireplace.
Current heating system is OLD wall heaters on both floors. Heat is REALLY expensive.

What are my options? While I may be in socal it is COLD in the mountains where our cabin is.

Can I do a stove downstairs without doing one upstairs?
Do I need to Line the inside of the chimney for both of them, or can they be joined together.

I've seen good reviews on the clydsdale- is that too much for 500sf?

Blower? no Blower?

And.......the dagger in my heart, how much is this whole deal.

My problem is there is ONE heating company where I live, and one about an hour away. Not much "shopping around".

Thank you SO much!!

I want to make this purchase once, even it means taking out a heloc to do it.

I forgot I have a website with pics on it (we were advertising)
http://tinyurl.com/2dtjge
Sroll down and you'll see the 2 fireplaces.

Andie

 

[begreen]

Where in so cal? What are the typical temps at night in January? From what I see posted, the Clydesdale seems like it would be too big for this setup. Would a pellet stove be an option?

If wood stove insert is desired for installation in the lower fireplace, is there an open passage for the heat to get upstairs?

There are many inserts but we need the fireplace dimensions (H, W, D top and bottom) in order to know what will fit.

 

[Andie]

Thanks BeGreen- I'll see if my tenant can take the measurements for me on both.

Firewood is super cheap so not really looking at the pellets.

Average winter lows are in the 20s with moderate snow.
Day time temps average 50s.

I'll bump my post when I have the measurements.

 

[SlyFerret]

You should be able to do a stove in the downstairs only. Even though it looks like a single chimney, there should be two flues, one for each. The liner that gets installed for the insert would go from the stove all the way up that flue. The other fireplace would not be affected.

-SF

 

[tkirk22]

I remember reading here that insurance companies may not like the idea of a tenant running a wood stove. Either way, you should think about the liability and change the lease to suit. For example, require the tenant to have the flue inspected and cleaned on a regular basis. Require him to follow the manufacturer's manual for burning and require dry seasoned wood. That means real seasoned wood, not the 'seasoned wood' that most people sell.

Make darn sure that the install is done to the letter of the code and go the extra mile to make it as safe and bullet proof as possible. Full insulated liner, block off plate, top cap, extra floor protection, etc.

Spend the money doing a proper install. Save some bucks by buying an EPA approved value stove. Englander, Drolet, etc

In addition, I don't know if I would trust a tenant with a pellet stove. They seem too finicky to me at this point in their development. You're not going to want to get a 'broken stove call' because the tenant bought wet pellets at a blue light special. I have never run one though so I could be wrong. If the tenant owned the pellet stove, that would be different.

 

[Andie]

Thank you kirk22
Do you think a wood insert is that difficult to run? (honest question- no sarcasm intended- i've never used on, only seen it at my dads)

Is there a difference between the ones that fit inside, versus the ones that stick out?

Here are pictures- scroll down in the link- I'm going to get dimensions today.
http://tinyurl.com/2dtjge

If I don't do the wood stove, then I'll need to retrofit the whole thing since the basement fills with smoke when you light a fire down there.

I only want to spend money once and make the right choice the first time.

I'm loving looking back at past posts. Thank you

 

[begreen]

Thanks Andie, the photos help. Problem number one is the exterior chimney. That explains part of the poor drafting. Hard to tell for sure from the photos, but it looks like a short stack as well. An insulated liner will probably help, but I suspect that there still may be some smoke spillage.

An insert is not really harder to burn a fire in than a log fire in a fireplace, but with the same issues. An insert can get much hotter, so there are specific safety concerns there. The risk is whether the tenant has real experience with safe burning. Are you going to be there watching over them? Unlikely, so how does one know that they have been overfiring the stove or burning green wood, smoking up the place until you get the call to fix things?

Also compounding the issue are the competing appliances in the basement. It looks like there are gas wall furnaces, bathroom fan(s)?, kitchen exhaust fan?, clothes dryer, hw heater? down there. All of them are pulling air from the space. That creates a negative pressure zone. With all of them running, a fire doesn't have a chance unless it has it's own fresh air supply.

 

[tkirk22]

Thank you kirk22
Do you think a wood insert is that difficult to run? (honest question- no sarcasm intended- i've never used on, only seen it at my dads)

Is there a difference between the ones that fit inside, versus the ones that stick out?

Here are pictures- scroll down in the link- I'm going to get dimensions today.
http://tinyurl.com/2dtjge

If I don't do the wood stove, then I'll need to retrofit the whole thing since the basement fills with smoke when you light a fire down there.

I only want to spend money once and make the right choice the first time.

I'm loving looking back at past posts. Thank you

No not difficult to run, just different than a fireplace. I would say they are probably safer especially when installed with a full insulated liner, but I have no data to back that up.

My concern was that if you have an existing tenant and install an insert for him and he does everything wrong (like load it up with xmas wrapping paper after smoldering wet wood in it for months) and the house burns down, it'll come back to haunt you. I've seen some pretty stupid tenants so I guess I'm a little paranoid in that regard. People don't appreciate things they get for free as much as they would if they had to do the research and pay the price. Like what you are doing right now.

I've gone though a similar thought process with the insert I just installed. I'm away half the time and the rest of the time the stove could be lit by my father in law. He's old school and use to the 70s stoves. His dog is named Pyro if that gives you a hint ;-)

The new stoves are different enough that he needs to be reeducated. I've needed to explain things like you don't use wet wood because it burns longer and no burning trash. I've done everything I could so that it should be virtually impossible to hurt the house or the occupants. He could break the stove I suppose but I bought a non-cat steel plate stove for that reason.

I would consider a fireplace a fiery decoration not a heater. I wouldn't waste money trying to make a regular fireplace not smoke the house up.

PS Don't forget about CO detectors, smoke alarms, and extinguishers.