Looking for a new stove, help me spend money!

[begreen]

That's a tough call, especially if the 205 is older. They used to be around the price of an Ideal Steel a decade ago, so $1K for a stove needing major work is not a bargain. As you may have noticed, this is not a great time to be shopping for bargains on stoves.

 

[NHbeechfired]

this is not a great time to be shopping for bargains on stoves.

You are correct, Im starting to think just biting the bullet and forking over the 4400 on a progress hybrid and living with our old stove until they build one for us is going to be easier than sorting through all the used, stoves on the second hand market.

There is a rather nice looking F600 that i like to looks of , whats the general opinion of those and are they still supported by Jotul?

 

[begreen]

The F600 was a good big heater and only discontinued in the US in 2020. It is a right side loader, the opposite of the F500, so keep this in mind. The same caveat applies, look for cracks all over but especially in the base and overfiring.

 

[NHbeechfired]

this one has issues with the damper control, apparently it won't close down all the way. The seller says the folks who installed the replacement stove said this one had "air leaks" I'm not sure if there were any know problems with that model that could be the source of these issues?

 

[begreen]

It's possible. There are potential places for air leaks, like the ash pan gasket.

 

[NHbeechfired]

was the f 600 a catalyst stove or a secondary air tube design?

 

[begreen]

tube

 

[rijim]

Best to wait and get the stove you want; did you look at the Pacific Energy T5 or T6?

 

[EbS-P]

There is a rather nice looking F600 that i like to looks of , whats the general opinion of those and are they still supported by Jotul?

Do you want a project? Would they have still been running it if it was in new working order? If they said it’s got an air leak they are being honest it needs work. New gasket or full rebuild? Worst case it needs new base, baffle and gaskets tubes???. 600$ or close in parts and a weekend or two. Plus another weekend to figure out how exactly it as comes apart and goes back together. It’s a big stove.

 

[NHbeechfired]

We did some shopping today, we went and looked at three local shops and saw hearthstones, Jotul, pacific energy, vermont castings, Lopi locally and then after lunch we hopped in the car and rode over to see the Woodstock stoves at their factory showroom in west Lebanon. We put a deposit on a fireview that we will allegedly be able to pick up in January. I liked the alderlea T5 , that impressed me as a very well constructed stove but the missus wasnt crazy about the style and it doesn’t qualify for the 26% tax credit. The Vermont castings looked a little flimsy inside , the hearthstones were very nice. In the end we both were drawn to the style of the fireview, it’s going to fit in very nicely in our kitchen, right side loading door is a big plus. I was strongly tempted to go with the progress hybrid but the sales guy felt it was going to be too much and would drive us out of the room which is something we were concerned with from the beginning So we opted for the smaller stove.

 

[kennyp2339]

I was strongly tempted to go with the progress hybrid but the sales guy felt it was going to be too much and would drive us out of the room

The progress hybrid is on my bucket list of stoves I want to try one day, idk I'm so attracted to them, the looks, hybrid tech, new air system for low and slow burns, legendary ash system w/ grate & pan and the supposed "this will heat you out of the house return w/ no questions within one year warrantee buy back offer."

 

[NHbeechfired]

The progress hybrid is on my bucket list of stoves I want to try one day, idk I'm so attracted to them, the looks, hybrid tech, new air system for low and slow burns, legendary ash system w/ grate & pan and the supposed "this will heat you out of the house return w/ no questions within one year warrantee buy back offer."

We did discuss the return it within 6 months if you’re not satisfied. I asked if it applied to getting too much heat and the guy said yes! I was strongly tempted….the latch on the ash pan is a fabulous mechanism! The whole thing is impressive to say the least.

 

[rijim]

We did some shopping today, we went and looked at three local shops and saw hearthstones, Jotul, pacific energy, vermont castings, Lopi locally and then after lunch we hopped in the car and rode over to see the Woodstock stoves at their factory showroom in west Lebanon. We put a deposit on a fireview that we will allegedly be able to pick up in January. I liked the alderlea T5 , that impressed me as a very well constructed stove but the missus wasnt crazy about the style and it doesn’t qualify for the 26% tax credit. The Vermont castings looked a little flimsy inside , the hearthstones were very nice. In the end we both were drawn to the style of the fireview, it’s going to fit in very nicely in our kitchen, right side loading door is a big plus. I was strongly tempted to go with the progress hybrid but the sales guy felt it was going to be too much and would drive us out of the room which is something we were concerned with from the beginning So we opted for the smaller stove.

Congrats, you have all that time to plan your rigging to get it into place.

 

[NHbeechfired]

Congrats, you have all that time to plan your rigging to get it into place.

I have a set of forks on the tractor to get it to the kitchen door. I’m thinking a furniture dolly on the inside of the door, two sons and a son in law and some well timed cursing should get it onto the hearth !

 

[NHbeechfired]

I think i may be obsessing with the upcoming winter and the projection for heating oil to get really expensive. As we have to wait until January for out woodstock stove to come through Im still looking for a stove for the first half of winter, the idea being that when the fireview gets picked up i'll shift whatever i come up with to the shop to replace this dinosaur https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/older-steel-stove-identification-help.188607/#post-2536378

I came across a reasonably priced Alderlea T5 on craigslist this morning. I came away very impressed with that model when i checked them out at a local stove shop.Is there anything particular to be looking for when i go to look at it? This stove comes with 15 feet of duratech pipe that i wouldn't need as the shop has its own masonry chimney. Im assuming i could just flip the pipe and keep the stove. I dont see any listed near me. Is there no resale market on this kind of pipe or is there just none available near me right now? whats this stuff go for used? theres also 8 feet of double wall interior pipe and a cap for the exterior pipe.

 

[NHbeechfired]

I thought I’d post the final disposition in my saga. I bought the T5 with the notion of running that stove in the kitchen until the fireview was delivered and then it would move to the shop to replace an older stove I have out there. I got the T5 home; but before I could get the T5 installed a really nice fireview popped up on marketplace. We ended up buying the fireview the following weekend and I got to play Tetris with 500# wood stoves . The fireview is just wonderful, we replaced the catalyst and I’m amazed at the heat this stove will throw out. I’m pleased to find that by running the ceiling fans in the rooms on the ground floor I get plenty of heat to the second floor. The T5 is quickly becoming an all star too, it does a good job of heating my 1400ish sq. foot shop. All in all we are very happy with both of these stoves. I cancelled the order on the new fireview and the folks at Woodstock were very gracious, they applied the deposit we had put down towards parts for the used stove and refunded the balance, I can’t say enough about how great they are to deal with.

 

[moresnow]

Cool story! Now you own 2 fine stoves. Cheers to staying warm...

 

[NHbeechfired]

Thanks, I love getting up in the morning and feeling the heat in the hallway outside our bedroom and knowing the Stove is still throwing heat 10 hours after it was last loaded.

 

[ralph_deadmoon]

I can't recommend the F500v3 right now. We need to see if Jotul has a good fix for the catalyst issue. The F55 is a castiron jacketed, non-cat. The VC stoves are good looking but they will be higher maintenance over the years.

Also true for forced air systems where the thermostat never calls for heat and the basement gets below freezing near the perimeter sill. When it's very cold it's a good idea to cycle the central heat once in a while. A remote thermometer with an alarm set to 35º is also a good idea.

Hey, begreen. Say, can you speak to the higher maintenance associated with VC stoves please? I've heard that said and am curious what folks are referring to. My gf and I are looking at a VC Defiant (may order very soon in fact) but are nervous about the very thing you just mentioned.. seems a lotta folks steer clear of VC due to maintenance costs. What should we expect from owning a VC stove? Thanks for your time.. eager to hear your thoughts.

 

[begreen]

Look at the internal design of the stove. It is not simple. With the bypass closed, the hot wood gases go down and to the back into a combustion chamber that is made of refractory material. The refractory package is made of multiple pieces. Over time this material breaks down and has to be replaced. How long this will be depends on the stove usage. It's a beautiful stove, but one of the more complicated designs on the market.