Intrepid model 1302 from 1982 noncat

[piglet]

Hi! Someone just gave me for free a VT. castings Intrepid from 1982, model 1302, non catalytic.

I live in a small cabin, 12x17 feet.

Can anyone tell me if this is a decent woodstove to use? i am in no position to buy something brand new and this stove is in mint condition.

I also have a vt. castings Intrepid II model 1308, catalytic.
After all i am hearing about what an expensive hassle the catalytics are, I am wondering, should i use the older stove instead?

After i bought the cat model someone gave me the non cat model for free!

thanks for your help!

 

[bmwloco]

Fire up that free Intrepid. I bet it'll work for you just fine. Providing, of course, you have the proper chimney and good insulation.

Happy wood stoving!

 

[piglet]

thanks. i do have an excellent chimney, straight shot out the back of the stove up through the roof, all insulated Selkirk. good draft too.

we are going to take apart the 1308 intrepid II catalytic (cream enamel) tomorrow and see what it looks like/what it needs.
But we both like the older non cat 1302 (black) better but want whichever one keeps my dog warmer, longer!
firebricks, or catalytic?
so hard to really decide until you run them, but i don't want to run one, and then swap and run the other, just to decide! what a pain.

 

[bmwloco]

If you have good hardwood, run a good hot stove, a non-cat stove will serve you very well.

Think about ash removal. If you are going to run it 24/7, all wood turns to ash... and you have to dispose of it somehow!

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

Heck yeah, its a good little stove.
Mint condition for free, and non cat.... you won the daily lotto.

My mom has a old non cat intrepid, it heats her house great.

Sell the cat model, keep the old non cat.

 

[piglet]

Well we made it through our first winter with the catalytic VC intrepid 2. We love the stove, it definitely takes a bit of babysitting though. Also, at time,s, if the wood is too dry, the temperature will SAIL up to 700 in the blink of an eye and can take a while to get the temp back down. We have had to mix the seasoned wood with some semi-seasoned and that works well.
Once you get used to it it is a GREAT stove.

But, since we have the Intrepid 1302 non cat on standby, we decided to install it and see how it runs through the fall.
So far so good, it actually seems that the temperature is much easier to regulate...
The only thing is that the glass seems to get much dirtier like instantly than with the non cat. maybe cuz it hasn't been used in like ten years???

The other question i have is what is the other damper for on the non cat? it has a secondary chamber, like the cat, buut no cat, just firebricks. Is this supposed to burn the smoke, similar to the way the cat does? i can't figure it out.
If anyone has advice on how to use that second damper (porcelain handle on left of stove as you are looking at it, not the main damper) or any info on this old 1302 i would love to hear it. I can't seem to find anything online anywhere about this stove.

THANKS

 

[begreen]

Here's a link to the manual. That should help. The stove has a bypass damper, somewhat similar in operation to the cat stove. Engage it once the fire is hot to reroute the wood gas for more complete combustion and better heat output.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Vermont_Castings_Older_Stove_Models/

 

[marreque]

same non cat intrepid was my first stove. it is a great stove and should serve you well.

 

[piglet]

Be Green - Thaanks for the link but for some reason the manual for the Intrepid is the only one on the page that isn't appearing... damnit! i would love a copy of the manual.

and yes! that pic^^ above is our exact stove. seems to run great so far, of course we haven't had many cold nights yet but it should have no trouble heating our tiny 12ft.x17 ft. cabin.

 

[marreque]

i was using that stove to heat my 1350 sqft house, with 2 floors. it did well overall except on colder nights (25f and below) wind was a factor also. when the wind was calm and temps bout 30-35f my 2nd floor would reach 75-80f.

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

the 1308 and the 1302 have slightly different air channels inside.

The 1302 (non cat) air enters from the bottom of the door (inside)
The 1308's air washes down from the top of the door.

From using both at the same time, the 1308's glass says cleaner. But if you burn it right both don't get to badly smoked that you cant see the fire & wood inside.

If you have a lot of black gunky smoke coating the glass with soot and creosote, you are burning both of them wrong or, you're using wood that needs cured better.

 

[defiant3]

+1 for the older stove!!