I'm torn...looking for your experiences

[tifferstwo]

Another question, so the dealer I talked to at the show room for Quadrafire today said that for AK we should take what the heating recommendations for square footage are and reduce it down by 40-50% because those are tested in warmer climates and in AK we obviously get colder winters(well sometimes, apparently not this year, or last, although our cold compared to some of your cold might be different). Is this true?

 

[tifferstwo]

And anyone have feedback on the white enamel or porcelain? They run about $500 or more for each brand, does the finish eventually come off, crack, peel, etc?

 

[Ashful]

Ashful, I love your hearth. I'm trying to go with the farm house look/style, although yours is probably a bit more authentic! Would love to see the rest of your house!

Thank you. The hearth shown in my avatar is the cooking fireplace in the old summer kitchen, which were common in pre-Revolutionary houses around here, although mine are unusually narrow and deep for cooking fireplaces. There is one in the summer kitchen (avatar), and another in the kitchen in the main house.

Are you going to do a stone hearth? What's it look like right now?

 

[bcrtops]

Another question, so the dealer I talked to at the show room for Quadrafire today said that for AK we should take what the heating recommendations for square footage are and reduce it down by 40-50% because those are tested in warmer climates and in AK we obviously get colder winters(well sometimes, apparently not this year, or last, although our cold compared to some of your cold might be different). Is this true?

Yes, the square footage estimates are real relative (& always come with a disclaimer).
There is an article in the wiki that discusses this:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/understanding-stove-ratings/

 

[Ashful]

And anyone have feedback on the white enamel or porcelain? They run about $500 or more for each brand, does the finish eventually come off, crack, peel, etc?

I had a 30 year old Jotul Firelight 12 in white enamel. I got it used, from the same person who originally owned my blue/black enamel Firelight 12. It looked great, other than one very nasty mess on the lid. I suspect the lid was something inflicted by the prior owner, and I saw no other signs of the finish failing.

I posted a photo of it in the "hearth from your view" thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/your-hearth-from-where-you-sit.156916/page-3#post-2116588

 

[tifferstwo]

Thank you. The hearth shown in my avatar is the cooking fireplace in the old summer kitchen, which were common in pre-Revolutionary houses around here, although mine are unusually narrow and deep for cooking fireplaces. There is one in the summer kitchen (avatar), and another in the kitchen in the main house.

Are you going to do a stone hearth? What's it look like right now?

if you scroll up I posted a pic of it earlier...but it will be changing...can't decide between stone or brick though. It will depend on what stove I get, if I get a white one probably going with brick, but not the bright red brick, if I can find the brick that looks weathered thats what I want, if we go with black not sure....I would like something like these...but it will also depend on what happens when we pull everything out and down of the existing fireplace. The 4th pic we wouldn't be able to do as large, the 5th is a fireplace obviously but like the look of the mantel and stove and shiplap on top.

 

[countrychick]

Yeah we got it down to these two we are looking at. I don't like the look of the BK's, just me. And have not heard good things about the company...long story. If I buy from a dealer I have a local dealer that I want to use (honest people, and not in it for just the money). They only sell certain brands so that helped with dwindling down our options. Which actually was a good thing. lol. The place that sells quadrafires I would not buy from. So anyway we got it down to just a few brands and then dwindled down from there.

So that might help you if you choose a dealer you really like better than the others......some are more honest than others. We also met with installers and found our installer who we felt was more honest than some of the others. Cost was a factor too in finding a installer. Some dealers use their own installers. The dealer we are using we would need to get our own installer.

I know at one point I was over thinking my decision.....someone even mentioned that in my thread. lol. Boy did he get that right! lol.

Glad to have made our decision. Going to sleep on it.

 

[countrychick]

Also about the enamel stuff you mentioned above in a question.....I've heard they can chip. I have seen it in a dealer's showroom. I would not get one.

The Lopi Cape Cod I had my heart set on but then found out you cannot cook on top because it is a convection stove and doesn't get that hot on top. So I started over after that dissapointment! lol

 

[tifferstwo]

Also about the enamel stuff you mentioned above in a question.....I've heard they can chip. I have seen it in a dealer's showroom. I would not get one.

The Lopi Cape Cod I had my heart set on but then found out you cannot cook on top because it is a convection stove and doesn't get that hot on top. So I started over after that dissapointment! lol

I have 2 more places to check that are dealers for different brands, can't say that I have any connections to the 2 I have seen and talked with. 1 is all about BK, the other the Quadrafire, there are I guess actually 3 more stores, 1 does Quadrafire and something else but going out of business, another one carried the Jotul, and another I'm not sure what they have but he is selling his business? I want to good stove, but I would also like a good price and have to factor that in. And I'm thinking I will have to give up on my white, because the one I can get is the BK Ashford 30 and it almost 4K, and the rest have to be ordered and just cost more. So i just need to give up on white and find a black that will make me happy too. Just so many decisions.

 

[Ashful]

Also about the enamel stuff you mentioned above in a question.....I've heard they can chip. I have seen it in a dealer's showroom. I would not get one.

I've owned two enamel stoves, and one was used in this house for more than 22 years. It had no chips, other than one very small (like pencil point) where I banged the ash lip real hard with a poker, once. That enamel is damn tough stuff. I won't say you can't chip it, but good enamel won't chip easily. Those stoves were both Jotul, and they're known to have very high quality enamel finishes.

And I'm thinking I will have to give up on my white, because the one I can get is the BK Ashford 30 and it almost 4K, and the rest have to be ordered and just cost more. So i just need to give up on white and find a black that will make me happy too. Just so many decisions.

I can't comment on BK enamel. I ordered two Ashford's in a black enamel, but they had production problems with that particular color, so they had to call me back and change my order to black paint. I'd have liked the enamel, but they look great in black paint, too.

 

[tifferstwo]

Yes, the square footage estimates are real relative (& always come with a disclaimer).
There is an article in the wiki that discusses this:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/understanding-stove-ratings/

Thank you for the link, it was very useful!

 

[firefighterjake]

RE: Stove ratings. Yeah, you've got to take those ratings (and the burn times for that matter) with a grain of salt. There are just a handful of folks who have bought a larger stove than they needed according to the ratings and report back that the stove was too large and they were too hot . . . there are far more folks who buy a stove who find out it is under-sized. One really needs to look at their own climate, home size, insulation, etc. to determine what size best suits their needs.

RE: Look of the stove. Blaze Kings are ugly in my opinion . . . but the Ashford looks quite a bit nicer. If you really like the looks of the Vermont Castings, take a gander at the Jotul and Pacific Energy lines -- they offer some nice looking and well performing stoves.

Incidentally, my sister posted a pic yesterday of her ride to the Knik Glacier with her husband and my brother who is out there visiting them for Thanksgiving. You're not kidding about the cold -- zero degrees she says.

 

[tifferstwo]

RE: Look of the stove. Blaze Kings are ugly in my opinion . . . but the Ashford looks quite a bit nicer. If you really like the looks of the Vermont Castings, take a gander at the Jotul and Pacific Energy lines -- they offer some nice looking and well performing stoves.

How do you like your Oslo? I came across another thread talking about the Jotul and PE and even Hearthstone Hybrids, although with those it looks like there is only one that would be an option based on size for our house. But I like the look of the Oslo even the F55 and Firelight are nice so I'm going to go visit the dealer and take a look at them. I truly want to explore all of my options.

Incidentally, my sister posted a pic yesterday of her ride to the Knik Glacier with her husband and my brother who is out there visiting them for Thanksgiving. You're not kidding about the cold -- zero degrees she says.

It is quite cold right now, and I'm sure colder up at the glacier. We need snow, I don't like the cold snaps, I prefer a ton of snow over being really cold, it's hard to get the kiddos outside in the cold with no snow to play in.

 

[JA600L]

I never ran a Blaze King. I do have a Quadra Fire 4300 ACT. The Quad's 4 point burn is pretty nice to look at. They really make an intense fire. I know the BK's run pretty much a black firebox on the low end and flames on the high end. However, the secondary flames on that Quadra-Fire will be much more enjoyable. If I knew I was going to have to run the stove hard all the time I personally would get the Quad. The real advantage of the Blaze King is their low end extended burn times. At that point you are staring at a black box with no flames and minimal amount of heat.

 

[firefighterjake]

How do you like your Oslo? I came across another thread talking about the Jotul and PE and even Hearthstone Hybrids, although with those it looks like there is only one that would be an option based on size for our house. But I like the look of the Oslo even the F55 and Firelight are nice so I'm going to go visit the dealer and take a look at them. I truly want to explore all of my options.

I love my Oslo . . . it does not get the longer burn times like a Blaze King or Woodstock admittedly, but I can load the stove at night in the winter (9-10 p.m.) and still have coals in the morning to easily relight the fire and the heat in the home has not dropped below 60 degrees (the point where I set the thermostats to kick on the oil boiler -- although this last fact may be due to the caulking and insulation we've put into the home). I have seen a few stoves over the years that I really liked . . . but every time I keep coming back to the fact that this stove has been near bulletproof with the only two things I have purchased (not that long ago) being a new insulation blanket above the baffle and some new gaskets. My only regret -- minor regret -- is that I didn't splurge and get the blue black enamel finish. The fact is the Oslo has heated my home for many years and done a great job doing it . . . I cannot complain. That said, there are many other stoves that could do the same thing . . .



It is quite cold right now, and I'm sure colder up at the glacier. We need snow, I don't like the cold snaps, I prefer a ton of snow over being really cold, it's hard to get the kiddos outside in the cold with no snow to play in.

I heard last year's winter was a lot like our winter -- not a lot of snow. The odd thing is in most years if you guys get a lot of snow we get very little . . . and vice versa. I figure if it's going to be freezing out it's nice to have the snow to play in -- well ride on . . . as I am an avid sledder or as you folks like to say, snowmachiner.

 

[countrychick]

Tifferstwo: We made our decision today.....bought the Jotul F55 Carabassett today. Will be delivered within a couple wks. So excited! I know about the grief you are going through with the decision making process. Yes sooooo many choices and dealers to choose from. It is crazy! But it helps to get the decision down to a couple stoves. That is what we did....helped tremendously! We decided against the Woodstock Progress Hybrid. Great stove. Beautiful stove. But for a few reasons decided against it. We really love the Jotul line.....I love how they look.

I went to one of the dealers who carries Jotul in town. They were burning in the Jotul F55.....really nice stove.

Ashful: It is good to know about the enamel stoves and chipping....that you don't have that problem. Good to know! Thanks for sharing that! I figured if the one at the dealer had chips that it was probably a problem. But it is good to know it isn't! =) Love the look of them! I think someone at the dealer told me though you can't cook on top of a enamel Jotul....is that true?

 

[Ashful]

If you frequently cook on enamel, it may mess it up, just from the metal on metal crime of the pan on the stove. I did keep a cast iron steamer pot on top of one of my enameled Jotuls, and it didn't chip the finish at all, but that area did get just a touch duller, almost like it had been scrubbed a little with cleanser. This was from lifting the steamer pot full of water on and off three times every day, as that stove was a top-loader.

My guess, occasional cooking on an enamel stove will do no harm, if you're careful, but if it's something you do daily... another story.

All these comments also apply to painted stoves, which are more fragile than enamel, but more easily repainted.

 

[countrychick]

So that even happens to black stoves? Like the F55 Jotul?

 

[tifferstwo]

I'm kinda of now torn between the Quadra Fire Explorer 3 and the Jodul either the Oslo or the F55 or even the Rangley(my husband likes the grill option). A couple of things that make me lean towards the Jodul...liked the dealer, have the option to do a no interested finance for a few month allowing us to buy now and pay off with tax return, they have a coupon, and a little less expensive over all. So if anyone wants to give their 2 cents on those 2, I'm all ears!

 

[firefighterjake]

I think either Quadrafire or Jotul (or Jodul at this Alaskan dealership ) would serve you well.

I cannot speak personally to the Quadrafire and hopefully folks that have them will . . . but the Oslo has been a fantastic stove. I don't tend to cook on it, but I have cooked up some rib eyes/chuck eyes in a cast iron pan on hot coals before and they were rather tasty.

 

[countrychick]

My aunt and uncle live in ak and have a quadrafire explorer 3. She said they have to open windows and doors it puts out so much heat. Lol. I went to look at them at my local dealer. We thought the ash system was weird. It had a box thingy at the bottom. So it wasn't the grate system. Reminded me of the pacific energy ash systems. We thought it was strange and wouldn't be as easy to use as a grate ash system. So we didn't consider it. The store also didn't have the quadrafire 2 which is the stove we thought that would have been the size we would have bought. So that was off our list at that point. The dealer wasn't someone I'd want to buy from either.

Yes the rangley would be a good option for the grill. And it has ash system and side door. It heats less sq footage I think if I recall as does the Oslo. I've forgotten the sq ftage your needing to heat. I think the quad expl 3 would heat most of your choices, then the F55, rangley and the Oslo according to what I recall and have read about them.

Hope this helps a bit. Just my thoughts on those stoves. Hopefully others will chime in.

 

[Ashful]

My aunt and uncle live in ak and have a quadrafire explorer 3. She said they have to open windows and doors it puts out so much heat.

Translation: "Our stove is not very controllable. It will not do a long slow burn, when that's what we really need." This is a problem common to many stoves, most especially non-cats.

So that even happens to black stoves? Like the F55 Jotul?

Yes, the enamel is definitely more durable (by many times) than black paint. However, being glossy, you may notice a blemish more on enamel, whereas on a dull black paint stove they may blend in more. If you're going Jotul, do some searching here on "blue/black enamel". You'll find Jotul owners are simply in love with that finish, which is quite beautiful and durable. I had three Jotuls, one in blue/black enamel, one in white enamel, and one in black paint. I would always go enamel over black paint, if buying Jotul, as their enamel quality is superb.

 

[begreen]

All these comments also apply to painted stoves, which are more fragile than enamel, but more easily repainted.

Can't say that's been my experience. Had both. Yes, if you spill something on one and don't wipe it up immediately then you will get a stain or rusting. Whereas a spill of cold water on a hot enamel can cause it to crack or craze pretty easily, especially white porcelain. That can be impossible to touch up. A painted surface is easy touched up usually. Maybe fragile is not the right word. Here is our 9 yr old painted stove. Looks almost new.

cc - your stove will be cast iron jacketed with a cook top. With just a light dusting the paint should look great for years. That is unless you cook with something that spatters. Then you may have a mess. I wouldn't fry bacon or chops on a stove top. That goes for enameled or painted stoves.

As for overheating, that can also be from improper loading or operation for the weather conditions. Or the stove could be in a closed off area that makes it difficult for the heat to circulate. 21 yrs of heating with wood in a non-cat in this house and it has never been overheated.

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

I suggest that he drolet . Escape or austral would be a great choice. These are well built Canadian made stoves that are easy to run and require very little maintenance

 

[tifferstwo]

I think either Quadrafire or Jotul (or Jodul at this Alaskan dealership ) would serve you well.

I cannot speak personally to the Quadrafire and hopefully folks that have them will . . . but the Oslo has been a fantastic stove. I don't tend to cook on it, but I have cooked up some rib eyes/chuck eyes in a cast iron pan on hot coals before and they were rather tasty.

haha...well because its pronounced yodel I kept picturing the d as I was typing instead of t I guess, lol.