Lopi Cape Cod
- Thread starter HappyHodag
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When the Rockport was released at the trade show I asked the Travis Rep if it had a steel firebox. He said no, "it's a traditional cast iron stove". It took only a few seconds to see that he was wrong! The steel flue collar was a dead give away! Even factory employees don't know the product at times.
I have often found sales people know little about their stoves. Many go by scripted talking points alone.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
... and the following evening... and the following morning. Those 40 hour burn times, based on western softwoods, might be 48+ on oak. At least that's my relative experience, with 36 hour burn times on my much smaller Ashford 30's.
I may only use the stove at those super-low burn rates on the beginning and ending quarters of the burn season, but in total, that makes half of my burning season. If I ran any other stove, I'd have to reduce the length of my burn season to truly cold weather.
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We had our last fire in mid-June and out first fire this week. Up here we have burn season and July!
Hi Happy- you're refering to their 2100 model- its a carryover of an older design, it is a nice heater, but rumor has it it will be discontinued at some point and the new design (hopefully based on the 1700 designed burn engine, just a bigger firebox) would probably eventually be offered in a jacketed cast design. The 2100 has a single secondary burn tube down the top center of the stove, a la their original "seefire" stove designed back in the late 80's. The Kodiak series (1200/1700) uses the now standard ceramic baffle/secondary air tube setup. I too wished they would get a 3 cuft cast burner. My fear would then still be their cost..... Anyway, good luck with your search
BeachBumm
Member
What is the advantage of having a cast over sheet metal stove? It's been a long time since I bought a stove, but back in the day, sheet metal stoves were though to warp easily so cast was the choice when possible. Today there are even more sheet metal stoves on the market including those with cast.
Are the cast jackets pretty much for aesthetics vs hot heat? A friend has a gas stove, and the cast jacket doesn't seem to get all that hot. Not hot enough to cook on during a power outage. Is that the same with wood 'jacketed' stoves?
Steel stoves have been around for a long time. It's pretty rare to hear of one warping unless abused. The cast or steel jacket on stoves that have them often does not cover the stove top, or is removable, or swings away, to exposed the stove top for direct cooking.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
The most durable, by far, is the welded steel stove. The trouble is, they're ugly as sin, and usually favor a convective jacket to provide even (not searing) heat. Enter the cast jacket, which adds beauty, while providing the desired convection jacket. It's the ideal marriage of form and function.
BeachBumm
Member
I was in a showroom today and asked the salesman (owner) if the Rockport was a steel stove with cast iron cladding - he replied no also.
Aside from this point, is the Rockford a quality stove? Does Lopi stand behind their products or is everything left up to a sales store which is 'on to the next customer'?
I feel like the Rockport is a quality stove. I'll add that I also think the hybrid design they use will fail prematurely.. I am an installer for a hearth store that sold a large volume of Lopi products, I couldn't get any help from Lopi when I had issues with my cape cod. I took a shot on a new product and got screwed! They offered no assistance at all. Only blamed me for the issues I was experiencing! Your only chance of assistance will be through your dealer, and he better be a damn good dealer that will stand behind the product he sells even if the manufacturer will not. Needless to say, this issue has taken a toll on our relationship with Lopi, after more than 30 years.
Hi BeachBumm - I'm not as knowledgeable as many on this site, and people should correct me where I'm wrong, but I'll give you my take on why I've decided on a cast over steel design.
I have a Vermont Castings Defiant cast iron stove which is 17 years old. It came with the house I bought 7 years ago so I don't know how it was used the first 10. I use it as a 24/7 primary heater for my home. It has slowly become more difficult to control the burn in the stove. I work with a great stove shop who has provided professional repairs. The cast parts are cemented together, with time the cement slowly fails producing small air leaks. Get enough of them and you can no longer reduce the burn rate. Last winter this led to an over fire and further damage to the interior components of the stove while the air intake was fully closed down. Long story short, the stove needs to be completely disassembled, parts replaced and rebuilt and re-cemented. Total cost of the repair is greater than 50% of a new stove, so I'm getting a new one.
Steel boxes are fully welded, not cemented, which eliminates the problems I've had. My understanding is that the fire boxes are very robust and will not need much maintenance unless abused. So the steel makes sense for the box. That said, I like certain performance elements of the cast. In my opinion, it evens out the heat. It doesn't swing widely with the swings in fire temperature. It also retains heat for a long time which provides residual heat after the fire goes out. I especially like this in the shoulder seasons, I can get the stove hot to warm the room, let the fire go out and have residual heat to keep things comfortable for a while. Having the cast over steel also provides convective action to heat the air and help move the heat through the home. Add in that, in my opinion, cast looks way nicer than steel and you get the best of both worlds!
That's how I've come to my conclusion, others may have different opinions or value different performance characteristics which lead them to other designs. Now if I could just decide if I'd prefer a cat or secondary combustion stove I could pull the trigger on one!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Good post, but I assume that at the top you meant to say you chose a cast over steel design?
Also, the cast iron of the stove really doesn't hold all that much heat, after the fire has gone out. Not more than a steel stove of equivalent mass, anyway, and far less than the mass of your house surrounding it. The stove will still be warm, yes, but the energy contained within that mass at that temperature is not sufficient to provide any significant heating.
The cast jacket does help to even out the heat, in the face of short spikes in temperature, if compared to a single-wall steel box. Moreover, the convection jacket (whether pretty cast iron or ugly steel) goes a long way to reduce the searing radiant heat that comes off a single-wall firebox at the peak of a burn cycle.
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BeachBumm
Member
So what are the top cast iron jacketed steel stoves? For looks, yes - but for long term ease of use. It gets confusing when talking salespeople who just want to sell a stove. It's a lot like looking at used cars!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Cat stoves: BK Ashford 20 and Ashford 30
Non-cat: PE Alderlea (T4/T5/T6) and Jotul F50/55
BeachBumm
Member
I am working to get my chimney rebuilt to 13', maybe 14'. I realize the Hearthstone Shelburne wants a 13' chimney, but is that about the sweet spot for all the companies (min)? I'll be well above the 2' to 10' equation.
Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a stove. I ordered a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 today. I was close to ordering the cape cod before I joined hearth.com. I knew I wanted cast over steel and was told by a dealer that the cape cod was constructed that way. Thanks for setting me straight!
After a bit more research I had it narrowed down to the Alderlea and the BK Ashford 30. In the end, I realized both were good stoves and there wasn't a bad choice in there. What pushed me to the PE was the dealer. It is a company I've had great experiences with and who I know will be there if I need them down the line. That and the fire show...I do love me some fire!
The stove comes in a couple weeks. I'll let you all know how I like it once I get it fired up a few times. Thanks again for all your help, especially begreen for pointing me toward the Alderlea!
After a bit more research I had it narrowed down to the Alderlea and the BK Ashford 30. In the end, I realized both were good stoves and there wasn't a bad choice in there. What pushed me to the PE was the dealer. It is a company I've had great experiences with and who I know will be there if I need them down the line. That and the fire show...I do love me some fire!
The stove comes in a couple weeks. I'll let you all know how I like it once I get it fired up a few times. Thanks again for all your help, especially begreen for pointing me toward the Alderlea!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
From all reports here, you couldn't go wrong either way, with those two final choices. Dealer support can make a big difference.
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