Talk me out of a Vermont Castings Stove

[CaseyForrest]

I keep waffling back and forth. I FINALLY have the wife on board with replacing the aging Resolute Acclaim. She has 1 criteria that I MUST accommodate. Whatever it gets replaced with must be as "interesting" and aesthetically pleasing as the current stove. No plain black box that burns wood.

My criteria.. catalytic, bigger fire box, longer burn times.

Here is the current stove...

Her criteria rules out Blaze King.

Jotul has some very nice looking stoves, but no cat. Unless I missed one.

Quadra Fire has some nice stoves, but I'm not sold on burn tubes. I hear good and bad, would rather have a cat.

I REALLY like the aspect of Woodstock stoves, but nothing really tickles either of our fancies there.

Here are the VC that we both agree we really like, just a matter of picking a size...

Encore

Defiant

Are the ANY other options in a cat stove that look as nice as the VC stoves?

 

[TMFARM 2009]

 

[Idahonative]

Her criteria rules out Blaze King.

Her criteria rules out the Ashford 30? Great Blaze King burn times (thermostatically controlled) with more of a classic look available in three colors: Metallic black paint, midnight satin enamel and chestnut high gloss enamel.

http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-ashford30.html

 

[CaseyForrest]

I'm off the computer for the nite. Indulge me, is that a catalytic stove?

I did look at the hearthstone site but didn't dig deep.


Sent from a field

 

[TMFARM 2009]

 

[CaseyForrest]

Her criteria rules out the Ashford 30? Great Blaze King burn times (thermostatically controlled) with more of a classic look available in three colors: Metallic black paint, midnight satin enamel and chestnut high gloss enamel.

http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-ashford30.html

Yes, and sadly for only one reason. She wants the sunburst gothic whatever on the glass.


Sent from a field

 

[TMFARM 2009]

whoops, no it isn't.

but the second one is catalytic

 

[CaseyForrest]

whoops, no it isn't.

but the second one is catalytic

I like the Woodstock stoves, but none of them really speak to both of us.


Sent from a field

 

[TMFARM 2009]

i am not seeing much of anything else thats not just a square.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

why are you getting rid of the one you currently have again?

 

[CaseyForrest]

I can't run the stove below 450 degrees without building creosote. Where it's located in the house necessitates the ability to run the stove low sometimes.

We can not get overnite burns and I don't have enough time in the mornings to properly stoke a new fire. Getting it up and running to operate properly without overfiring it is time consuming.

These are all secondary because they are not really detrimental to the operation of the stove, but it's not tight anymore. The previous owner used it as a blast furnace. The top is warped. The back is warped. I've done my best to seal it up with new gaskets and such, but it's just tired. It's been abused.


Sent from a field

 

[CaseyForrest]

And we want to put our own touches in the house.


Sent from a field

 

[Whitespider]

Well heck Casey, I can save ya' a pile of cash.
I've got one I'm no longer using, and don't see that I'll ever have use for it again.
I'll give it to ya'... you just need to come pick it up.
PM me if'n ya' need directions to find my place



Seriously though... sounds like you've pretty much made up your mind.
Just do it...
*

 

[CaseyForrest]

I could put that in the garage. I'm on my way.

You're right, I have made up my mind. But in order to maintain some marital bliss I must concede to what I feel is an inferior stove. I have heard far to much bad press about Vermont Castings since they were bought out.

If the Blaze King Ashland just had something interesting on the door, I could swing her over.

I find many of the stoves in the market today to be aesthetically pleasing... As does she. Jotul makes a beautiful stove and my Saw dealer sells them. I would love to buy a stove from him but he doesn't sell any catalytic stoves. I really feel that in order to run a stove the way we would run it, Ive got to be able to burn smoke. Last year we were quite comfortable in the house letting the current stove smolder overnight. The house is well insulated. But that smoldering with no way to burn the smoke created so much creosote in the chimney it was insane.

Were taking a day off from cleaning out her Moms house and we are going to put our hands on some stoves. A soapstone stove would be cool which is why I showed her the Woodstock stoves... Several I liked but they weren't the same ones she liked. That and I know Id have to brace the floor with that much weight. Fortunately its just a crawl space under the addition.

The ONLY thing holding ME back from another Vermont Castings stove is it isn't the same company that built our current one that's been in service since 1990 and will still run with no visible smoke coming out the chimney. Maybe putting a pool in next to the stove so when it gets hot...

 

[Sandhill Crane]

We bought a new VC Defiant fall of 2014, so one season on it. Love it! We experienced the smoke puffs a few times until we got used to using it. A bit more air flow seems to be the trick. (Seems odd a stove would puff. What happens is the top load lid has no latch like any other stove door would. When the gases ignite on low burn, the lid occasionally puffs smoke.)

 

[olympyk_999]

I really feel that in order to run a stove the way we would run it, Ive got to be able to burn smoke. Last year we were quite comfortable in the house letting the current stove smolder overnight. The house is well insulated. But that smoldering with no way to burn the smoke created so much creosote in the chimney it was insane

most cats aren't active until temp is up around 600+...you wanting to run it with a "cold" fire will leave you with the same issues you already have...either run a hot fire or clean your chimney more often
also stay away from VC...unless its an old one

 

[CaseyForrest]

most cats aren't active until temp is up around 600+...you wanting to run it with a "cold" fire will leave you with the same issues you already have...either run a hot fire or clean your chimney more often
also stay away from VC...unless its an old one

It's my understanding that once the cat fires it will somewhat run itself from the heat it is generating allowing one to turn the air down to the fire. Yes I doubt I would be able to choke off all the air, but I wouldn't do that anyway.

The only way you can physically get a 30-40 burn from a load of wood is to cut the air and let the load smolder. I wonder how those chimneys look..... Be interesting to see if the cat stayed in the active zone during those long burns.


Sent from a field

 

[olympyk_999]

It's my understanding that once the cat fires it will somewhat run itself from the heat it is generating allowing one to turn the air down to the fire

yes...kind of
it burns the smoke coming off the cold fire....but that smoke burns at a much higher temp than the wood...
you basically have 2 separate fires in one stove...one "cold" and one very hot (600-1400) making the stove hot which makes the room hot

any stove choked down to run cold will burn dirty

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Our Defiant stove burns dry oak with little or no flame once to temperature. The flame seems to be the gases burning, the oak glows coal red. Our chimney is triple wall, on the interior of the house. I run a brush down it twice a season and it has always been very clean. If anything needs cleaning it is mostly the cap screen. (What is a 30-40 burn?)

 

[olympyk_999]

What is a 30-40 burn

hours