New wood stove help

[KYTIM]

Hello everyone. I am going to install a wood stove in my home. I purchased one a couple of years ago, and when I pushed it away from the wall I noticed the tag on the back said made in China. Needless to say I sold that POS. Anyway turns out it was to big for my space regardless by the time I met minimum clearances. That being the case the hunt was on for a smaller stove that would handle a little wood. I figured out that a VC Intrepid or Resolute would be almost perfect for my application, however the used ones I have found turned out to be a bust. Is there a new one made here in USA or even Canada would be ok, that you all might suggest that is similar in size to the VC's I have mentioned. Obviously budget is a concern or I could by a new VC.
Thanks everyone.

 

[nathon918]

VC is not what they use to be.

agreed!

look for any older VC,
or an 80's- early 90's dutchwest (made by VC), stay away from the new(er) ones theyre garbage
or a jotul is also a quality stove
also some stoves have optional heat shields so you can achieve a smaller clearance...

i have a early 90's dutchwest made in usa, its theyre smallest one (takes 20" wood) it has a blower on it that can be used to warm things up a bit quicker, i normally dont use it much though... i point a box fan at it when burning, just to get the air moving throught the house, and it does a damn good job heating my 2000 sq.ft. house, i also have a Allnighter in my living room which is a 16x20 addition, but i never use it as it cooks us right out of the room, the box fan i mentioned just gets put in the doorway to the living room sucking the cool air out near the floor and the hot air is forced back in near the celing... it keeps the living room within 3-4 degrees of the "main" house

 

[shelbythedog]

My Vermont Castings Intrepid II was purchased off of CL for $300. That was the entire setup from stove to chimney cap, straight out of the guys living room. His new wife was scared their soon to be born child would get burned if they continued to use it. The stove burns clean and puts off a decent amount of heat for its size, but it needs a lot of attention to keep running. The firebox is just plain tiny and takes constant refilling. If you are looking at stoves similar in size to this, I sure hope it is for weekend and night time burning to supplement another form of heat. IMHO you'd struggle to heat an entire home with a stove of this size, unless the home is about 600 sq. ft., lol.

 

[stihly dan]

Woodstock makes a great line of stoves. Made in the USA. I believe all the materials are also US made.

 

[apn73]

I'm with everyone else above, although my sister has an older VC and it seems to treat them well, operative word is "older." If you're going to stick with cast iron then I would go with Jotul, excellent stoves. Another Vermont made stove that is good is Hearthstone, but they're made of soap stone and not for everyone. My avatar is what I heat with, a Hearthstone Heritage, 55,000 BTU. How big is the space that you're trying to heat? Single story and multi-story? Open concept floor plan or closed up? Have all this information ready, maybe include a sketch of your floor plan, and a good stove shop will point you in the right direction.

 

[apn73]

Woodstock makes a great line of stoves. Made in the USA. I believe all the materials are also US made.

Lebanon, NH actually, right in our home State.

 

[stihly dan]

Lebanon, NH actually, right in our home State.

Yup! Didn't want to sound like a homer though. They really are a well made, efficient stove.