Wood Stove for a Rental House

[n-xplorer]

This is a 1650 square ft. rental house that currently has an older Blaze King wood burning stove that is not working properly. Looking at replacing this with something efficient (possibly used?). Here's a few answers to questions I saw on another post...

How tall is your chimney? Stove pipe from wood stove to chimney is about 4 ft high. It's an older chimney (without a liner) and is about 10 feet high from where the stove pipe enters. Stove pipe + chimney = 14 ft high

How well insulated is your home? This rental house was built in the late 50's with low 7'- 8' ceilings. Insulation is very poor with some original single pane windows.

Since this is a rental house I'd like a wood stove very easy to clean with low maintenance. Currently I'm in Canada but this rental house is located in the Columbia River Gorge area near Stevenson, Wa. Plenty of dry wood available near the house thanks to a hot & dry summer. I could purchase the stove here in Canada and bring it down if it's a better deal, thoughts on this? Thanks.

 

[begreen]

In WA state it will have to be an EPA stove. There are many good ones that will do the job. Look for stoves around 2.5 cu ft, non-cat and preferably with a sturdy baffle. The stove could be made by Drolet, Osburn, Pacific Energy, Enviro, Regency, Quadrafire, Lopi, Englander, etc.

 

[n-xplorer]

In WA state it will have to be an EPA stove. There are many good ones that will do the job. Look for stoves around 2.5 cu ft, non-cat and preferably with a sturdy baffle. The stove could be made by Drolet, Osburn, Pacific Energy, Enviro, Regency, Quadrafire, Lopi, Englander, etc.

Thanks so much. The people who are renting the house found a used Lopi stove for sale in Oregon from a gas stove installer. Here's the info...

It's a Lopi Endeavor. It is the cooktop version with
a glass door displaying an etching of an elk. Retail it
is $3800-$4000, This is used unit, however-- nearly new and $1200.
I confirmed this with a fireplace store, Lisac's. They said $1000 - $1200
was very fair.


Is this a good deal?

 

[begreen]

The Endeavor is a good stove for this application. It's built well. The price will depend on the age and condition. What year is this one? Did they mean the step top version?

The flue system is dubious for a modern stove. Will that be improved with a stainless liner in the chimney?

 

[begreen]

What is the renter's experience with burning wood? How much do they already have split and stacked, ready for winter? Is this the sole source of heat in the house?

 

[n-xplorer]

What is the renter's experience with burning wood? How much do they already have split and stacked, ready for winter? Is this the sole source of heat in the house?

I'm assuming this wood stove is probably made in the last couple years (??) see pic. I'll learn more soon.



Renters are familiar with wood burning stoves. There's a local supplier of seasoned firewood nearby and the dude is a kiteboarder / outdoor enthusiast (nut), so yeppers, he's fully equipped to chop firewood.

 

[n-xplorer]

I'm assuming this wood stove is probably made in the last couple years (??) see pic. I'll learn more soon.

View attachment 282030

Renters are familiar with wood burning stoves. There's a local supplier of seasoned firewood nearby and the dude is a kiteboarder / outdoor enthusiast (nut), so yeppers, he's fully equipped to chop firewood.

This house also has electric floor board heating, not really great.

 

[begreen]

If it is within the past 5 yrs and looks as good inside as out, then $1200 is a fair price. $1000 is even better!

The firewood should already be chopped and split. It doesn't start drying in the core grain until it's split. The reason I ask is that the chimney might have worked for an old smoke dragon. They usually are not too fussy about draft. But modern stoves need stronger draft in order to pull air through the secondary manifold and out the tubes. Poor draft will make this stove underperform. That's not the stove's fault but a lot of people blame the stove instead of fixing the root cause of their issue, the chimney system. Add, poorly seasoned wood and you have a lousy fire and probably a fair amount of creosote forming in the chimney.

 

[n-xplorer]

If it is within the past 5 yrs and looks as good inside as out, then $1200 is a fair price. $1000 is even better!

The firewood should already be chopped and split. It doesn't start drying in the core grain until it's split. The reason I ask is that the chimney might have worked for an old smoke dragon. They usually are not too fussy about draft. But modern stoves need stronger draft in order to pull air through the secondary manifold and out the tubes. Poor draft will make this stove underperform. That's not the stove's fault but a lot of people blame the stove instead of fixing the root cause of their issue, the chimney system. Add, poorly seasoned wood and you have a lousy fire and probably a fair amount of creosote forming in the chimney.

She says they bought seasoned firewood during the summer and it's all split. Not sure on the year of that stove but it doesn't sound like the guy wants to budge on the price. Hood River is not a good place to buy anything... prices are always way higher for everything. Chimney could be an issue, I'll try and find someone to look at that. They would like to use this wood stove as a primary heating source.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[stoveliker]

Bought seasoned wood almost always is not sufficiently seasoned to avoid performance issues and creosote.

Tell them to get a moisture meter, and to measure on a freshly split face.

 

[begreen]

Bought seasoned wood almost always is not sufficiently seasoned to avoid performance issues and creosote.

Tell them to get a moisture meter, and to measure on a freshly split face.

If the wood is doug fir or alder, it's probably ok. It dries quickly and this has been an extraordinarily dry summer in WA state.

 

[begreen]

She says they bought seasoned firewood during the summer and it's all split. Not sure on the year of that stove but it doesn't sound like the guy wants to budge on the price. Hood River is not a good place to buy anything... prices are always way higher for everything. Chimney could be an issue, I'll try and find someone to look at that. They would like to use this wood stove as a primary heating source.

Thanks for all your help!

As a landlord, I would want things to be perfect for a renter with a woodstove to keep liability at a minimum and insurance satisfied. The stove looks good, but the chimney can be the weak point. In the least, have it cleaned and inspected for safety by a reputable sweep. Is it clay tile lined? If so, what is the ID of the tile? Is the thimble going through the wall, properly and safely done? Often they do not have the proper clearances. Or is the chimney inside the building envelope?

 

[stoveliker]

Bought seasoned wood almost always is not sufficiently seasoned to avoid performance issues and creosote.

Tell them to get a moisture meter, and to measure on a freshly split face.

Yes, but "probably" vs. "want to be in perfect order"...

 

[n-xplorer]

As a landlord, I would want things to be perfect for a renter with a woodstove to keep liability at a minimum and insurance satisfied. The stove looks good, but the chimney can be the weak point. In the least, have it cleaned and inspected for safety by a reputable sweep. Is it clay tile lined? If so, what is the ID of the tile? Is the thimble going through the wall, properly and safely done? Often they do not have the proper clearances. Or is the chimney inside the building envelope?

Here's a pic from inside...



Clay bricks inside, cinder blocks on the outside. I'd like to know more information on what's required for adequate draft for the newer wood stoves. Is there a web site with diagrams that shows measurements and draft suggestions for the chimney?

 

[begreen]

That looks like an old Earth Stove with an 8" stove pipe. My guess is that the liner may be an 8"x8" tile, but that's just a guess. The two 90º turns will weaken the draft, making this a rough equivalent of a 10' flue system.

The Endeavor manual has said 15' minimum flue height for years. A friend had one in their house on a similar height and design flue system as in your rental. The chimney flue there is 8x8. It burned ok but not great. Then he moved it out to his shop on a 6" straight-up 16' flue system and it made a very big difference. Now it burns like a champ with good secondary combustion. They replaced the Endeavor in the house with the more forgiving PE Summit which burns better on their shorter chimney.

 

[n-xplorer]

That looks like an old Earth Stove with an 8" stove pipe. My guess is that the liner may be an 8"x8" tile, but that's just a guess. The two 90º turns will weaken the draft, making this a rough equivalent of a 10' flue system.

The Endeavor manual has said 15' minimum flue height for years. A friend had one in their house on a similar height and design flue system as in your rental. The chimney flue there is 8x8. It burned ok but not great. Then he moved it out to his shop on a 6" straight-up 16' flue system and it made a very big difference. Now it burns like a champ with good secondary combustion. They replaced the Endeavor in the house with the more forgiving PE Summit which burns better on their shorter chimney.

Shopping around here in Canada, I found this wood stove for $1338 USD on Amazon Canada, your thoughts?

 

[begreen]

The HT-2000 is an excellent stove and not as draft fussy. It has a big firebox that can load N/S or E/W. However, it is not allowed to be sold in the US. The HT-3000 is the EPA 2020 tested version. The Amazon ad has a lot of incorrect info too. Skip that seller.

The HT-2000 or HT-3000 would be oversized for this application. What does that mean? If loaded full during our normal 35-45º weather it may overheat the place unless it is run with partial loads of wood. That's fine if the renters like running around naked, but it may mean melted candle drippings when they depart.

See if you can find a True North TN-20 for sale.
The Iron Strike (Country) Performer is a good fit too.
(broken link removed to https://www.northlineexpress.com/performer-wood-stove-arch-door.html)