Talk me out of a Vermont Castings Stove

[sunfish]

Get the VC, you and your wife are already sold on it.

We replaced a Resolute Acclaim with a Jotul 118cb. I didn't want a cat and don't need overnight burns. I have plenty of time in the morning to re-stoke the fire. The Jotul is much easier to run and not near as finicky and no back puffs.

 

[sunfish]

That's a good lookin stove!

 

[gary courtney]

do not get a vermont castings stove! There!

 

[olympyk_999]

do not get a vermont castings stove! There!

solid argument...very convincing

 

[Marshy]

Before you decide on the VC, take a look at Dutch West stoves. They might have something you like.
http://majesticproducts.com/family/Stoves/Catalytic/DutchWest/

 

[olympyk_999]

Before you decide on the VC, take a look at Dutch West stoves. They might have something you like.
http://majesticproducts.com/family/Stoves/Catalytic/DutchWest/

Dutchwest is VC...I have an early Dutchwest 2460 (late 80's) from just after VC bought out federal airtight...its a good stove made in USA
the new ones though...not so much

 

[Marshy]

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

I asked the BKVP specifically how the advertised 40 hr burn time on their stove was measured and he told me it was based on the cat staying active which is no lower than 500 F.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Wife really likes the soapstone. I'll have to look through the Woodstock stoves again.

Heading the my local saw shop to look at the jotuls.


Sent from a field

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Check out grassrootsenergy.com. Wauconda, IL. The owner is a brother of a friend. Lots of information and choices, good people, really nice store. They had many brands, and dozens of models to see on the show room floor. It was a hundred mile trip one way for us, but many of the mom and pop stove shops here have closed up. Went to another local one thirty miles away to order some gasket material and a stove part. They had game tables, patio furniture, pool tables, hot tubs I think, and did not know crap about stoves, just what the owners manual says. They had three on the floor, but I dought the salesman ever used a wood stove. Mark is the owner at Grass Roots Energy.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Well, we have decided to install an insert into the fireplace rather than update the stove. Then we can heat primarily with the insert and use the stove as a fill in.

So we have switched directions. We liked a Jotul we looked at but I need to do some research. This should still drastically reduce our wood usage.

 

[TonyK]

Seriously look at the Woodstock Hybrid. My brother has one and it is a very nice stove. The VC stoves just aren't the same stoves or company they once were. Also look at the Jotul CB. Not cat but a great heater.

 

[reddogrunner]

H200 By Hampton by Regency. http://www.regency-fire.com/Product...t-Iron-Stoves,-Fireplaces---Inserts/H200.aspx

Heats our house, looks great and is very, very efficient.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Seriously look at the Woodstock Hybrid. My brother has one and it is a very nice stove. The VC stoves just aren't the same stoves or company they once were. Also look at the Jotul CB. Not cat but a great heater.

I did. The wife did. She doesn't like it.

It makes more sense to go the insert direction anyway. We do use the fireplace and while it does have a manufactured firebox, it's still wholly inefficient. It's large enough we can put a large size insert in and heat the entire house.

Sent from a field

 

[CaseyForrest]

This is the Quadra we are considering...

http://www.quadrafire.com/Products/Voyageur-Grand-Wood-Insert.aspx

And the Jotuls....

http://jotul.com/us/products/fireplace-inserts/jotul-c-450-kennebec

http://jotul.com/us/products/fireplace-inserts/jotul-c-550-rockland-cb

This one is in contention, but its not a product my saw guy sells so that alone may push it out. Would rather support him...

http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/store/wood-products/wood-inserts/clydesdale-wood-insert

 

[mesupra]

I really like our quadrafire cumberland gap. Can't say enough good about it we got ours used for 1200 only used for 1 season.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Ive driven through the Cumberland Gap many times.

 

[milkman]

I'd have a hard time buying a new stove these days, so many good looking ones out there. The ash removal would be a deal breaker on so many of them. I've had both, one with firebrick and one with a grate and ash pan, I'll never go back to letting the fire go down and dip out the ashes, or rake them through a hole in the bottom, lose a lot of heat and can't keep ashes from going all over and that don't make the wife happy.

 

[CrufflerJJ]

We're enjoying our QuadraFire 2700i.

 

[Csailors]

ill save you alot of money and headache. Coming from someone who bought one brand new and burnt it for 3 years and its now scrap iron. buy any other brand than VC. There quality has went down hill tremendously since they have changed hands so much.

After 3 years the stove is total junk. It has 2 warped cast iron plates. at $500+ to replace. it pulls air in everywhere it shouldn't which cause the issues in the first place. Even after checking all door gaskets and replacing/adjusting them. Worst of all the "customer service" or "warranty" is void if there is any scorching on the glass at all, that is if you can even get in touch with anyone.

The damper/reburn plate on the top of the stove which sends it through the reburn chamber warped at some poin which looked to be casued by a defective casting or material. not being able to see this it had more draft than needed which caused an over burn and in turn warped the rear firebox plate. Basically meaning a full tear down and rebuild. Which Neither should have ever happened. But it did and Im out a good chunk of change.

I burn only good 2 year seasoned hard woods. have a great drafting chimney. all the things people will say I did wrong but ive been doing this a while and never had issues with anything but VC. I have a dutchwest by VC non cat and it is terrible.

Jotul or blaze king is the only stove I would buy again.

If you have any other questions I would be more than happy to share more info.

 

[reddogrunner]

The stove link I gave you earlier sits on our hearth in front of our prefab fireplace. It does a GREAT job transferring heat. We never turn the blower on and it heats our ranch home very well.