What type of stove for rental property

[NortheastAl]

It's not likely that any stove would be a good choice, unless you are using an outdoor boiler. And even then, the wisdom of this is suspect.

It would be better to install a propane or NG stove. At its worst, you could install electric baseboard to save some money. It is better to sacrifice some of the rental income for a tenants higher cost of heating than to have your building burned to the ground. The tenant is paying the heat bill, in most cases, and it will be their obligation as to whether or not to rent under the circumstances of higher energy costs. Just my thoughts.

 

[Foragefarmer]

I agree, I dont know how I would feel about renters and a wood stove but I think its the main source of heat

If there isn't another source of heat, even electric baseboard you will not be able to insure the property.

I have a rental on my farm that has a wood stove. The cottage is 150 yards from my house on the other side of a hedge, so I am around all the time. I provide them with all the ancillary equipment, all the wood so I know it is seasoned, and I pay a sweep to clean the chimney. That way I have a written record for the insurance company if there is a problem.

I also go through how to work the stove hands on, clearances, what to do with the ash.

Even doing all that my current tenants didn't tell me the door gasket was coming off and they over fired the stove. I check the stove when the sweep cleans the chimney to keep up with it but that doesn't mean things can't happen in the mean time.

That being said; if he has to buy a stove, buy a really basic strongly built one that is hard to mess up, and make sure the install is proper in all respects.

Unseasoned wood is going to be the problem if your FIL doesn't provide wood.

I am renting a cute cottage on a large farm so I can pick and choose my renters. If 6 people look at the place 5 will want to rent it. I still have problems just like every landlord. I have another rental that I bought with a stove. I pulled the stove out since the house is a distance from me and I couldn't track what was going on, and the sweep didn't like the look of the chimney.

 

[Ehouse]

If the previous owner had a home built stove of questionable merit, I'd make damn sure the chimney was spot on code (class A, properly installed etc.) as well as the hearth. Electric baseboard with gas backup I'd say.

 

[jharkin]

Besides all the way renters could burn the place down, consider what happens if they go away for a week in the winter and all your pipes freeze. Lots of things that could go wrong here.....

 

[Ehouse]

Had that exact experience.

 

[firecracker_77]

If there isn't another source of heat, even electric baseboard you will not be able to insure the property.

I have a rental on my farm that has a wood stove. The cottage is 150 yards from my house on the other side of a hedge, so I am around all the time. I provide them with all the ancillary equipment, all the wood so I know it is seasoned, and I pay a sweep to clean the chimney. That way I have a written record for the insurance company if there is a problem.

I also go through how to work the stove hands on, clearances, what to do with the ash.

Even doing all that my current tenants didn't tell me the door gasket was coming off and they over fired the stove. I check the stove when the sweep cleans the chimney to keep up with it but that doesn't mean things can't happen in the mean time.

That being said; if he has to buy a stove, buy a really basic strongly built one that is hard to mess up, and make sure the install is proper in all respects.

Unseasoned wood is going to be the problem if your FIL doesn't provide wood.

I am renting a cute cottage on a large farm so I can pick and choose my renters. If 6 people look at the place 5 will want to rent it. I still have problems just like every landlord. I have another rental that I bought with a stove. I pulled the stove out since the house is a distance from me and I couldn't track what was going on, and the sweep didn't like the look of the chimney.

I like that cottage you have going there. If I had a landlord that would provide me with seasoned wood and a stove, I'd never move out!

 

[Wood Duck]

I would choose an Englander of the right size, perhaps the NC 30 you suggested. Englander stoves are solid but inexpensive, and the non-cat stoves are simpler to use if you are inexperienced with no cat to ruin. I have a Lopi which was in about the same price range and very similar in design to an englander NC13, so maybe look at Lopi too. One nice thing about my Lopi is that is doesn't cause the floor or walls nearby to heat up, so combustibles placed near the stove seem unlikely to start a fire, not that I have tried storing stuff near the stove to find out.

 

[Trilifter7]

I noticed the OP is from BC Canada around the Canadian Rockies. Could it be possible that this rental is in an area where wood is the only reliable source of consistent heat? My thinking also is that wood burning is far more comin in areas like that and anyone in that area interested in renting is probably familiar with wood heat. Not sure if insurance policies are different in Canada but I guess they could be. My recommendation for a situation like this is to find an older pre EPA stove. The older stoves burn less than dry wood much easier with less damage to the stove plus the ability to completely shut the air down in the case of an accidental over fire. Maybe not the best advice but that's my .02

 

[Ashful]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/re-i-was-waiting-to-see-one-of-these-types-of-fires.105408/

 

[ColdNH]

another vote for NOT a wood stove. If any stove either propane or gas.