Older Vermont Castings Intrepid for cabin?

[Bigg_Redd]

Pacific Energy Vista

The End

Are you going to help them pay for it? A new vista seems to run $1400-$1800. The tax break is great, but they still need to fork over the money now for it.

$950 OTD at my dealer.

I paid $1800 for my Spectrum Classic.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Pacific Energy Vista

The End

Are you going to help them pay for it? A new vista seems to run $1400-$1800. The tax break is great, but they still need to fork over the money now for it.

$950 OTD at my dealer.

I paid $1800 for my Spectrum Classic.

That is still more than it seems this couple can afford, though.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Pacific Energy Vista

The End

Are you going to help them pay for it? A new vista seems to run $1400-$1800. The tax break is great, but they still need to fork over the money now for it.

$950 OTD at my dealer.

I paid $1800 for my Spectrum Classic.

That is still more than it seems this couple can afford, though.

Maybe.

But is $350 the last money that will be spent on a janky old VC? I doubt it. And hopefully replacement parts are still available. They could easily dump a couple hundred more into that VC and still not have a properly functioning stove.

Or spend a couple hundred extra on a PE and know that's that on that.

Someone mentioned the 13-NC. Those are going for $700+ around here. Not to mention it will absolutely blow them out of a 400 sq ft cabin.

JMHO

 

[piglet]

well, since we already bought the Intrepid II for 350.00, we decided to try it out. We are using the non-cat intrepid as a table at the moment, in case the catalytic model does not work out.
So far it is working well.
we took apart the stove completely and the cat still looks good (shocking after all i've read here).
It does seem to take a bit of work to get it hot enough to engage the cat, but once we do it runs very well.

I will know more when i return home tonight - if my doggie is not a popsicle i will be very pleased.
If anything goes wrong, i've got the non cat model as a backup.

I WISH i had come here BEFORE we bought the stove though! so much is said here on Englander's, I would have tried to find a used one.
Our budget is tapped out but at least the catalytic is functioning well and we have a backup stove.
THANKS for all your knowledge and experience, it is much appreciated. It gets COLD up here.
we'll see how it goes...

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

The non cat intrepid, is it a pre 88 1302, with the brick baffle in the back as a secondary combustion chamber or a newer non cat model 1640 with no griddle, and gas burner tubes in the top?

VC made several different non cat intrepids. Pre 88's have a 3 brick secondary combustion chamber, when ya close the damper the smoke runs thru it and burns.

The 1640 had no griddle, and gas burner tubes in the top and more complex air/smoke system.

Then there is the cat models which are pretty much the same, griddle, damper, cat assembly.

any of them work fine but the 1302's are put together much more simply, the internal parts just interlock together and they are easy to clean and maintain.

The cat models have all those internal plates bolted and calked into place and taking one apart is not fun.

The 1640's with the gas tube assembly is no picnic either.

if you have a 1302 in really good shape, be nice to it, it should last a long long time.

You can totally strip a 1302 down inside and reassemble it in no time, and all the seams can be checked and recalked from the inside easy.

 

[piglet]

The non cat intrepid, is it a pre 88 1302, with the brick baffle in the back as a secondary combustion chamber or a newer non cat model 1640 with no griddle, and gas burner tubes in the top?

VC made several different non cat intrepids. Pre 88’s have a 3 brick secondary combustion chamber, when ya close the damper the smoke runs thru it and burns.

The 1640 had no griddle, and gas burner tubes in the top and more complex air/smoke system.

Then there is the cat models which are pretty much the same, griddle, damper, cat assembly.

any of them work fine but the 1302’s are put together much more simply, the internal parts just interlock together and they are easy to clean and maintain.

The cat models have all those internal plates bolted and calked into place and taking one apart is not fun.

The 1640’s with the gas tube assembly is no picnic either.

if you have a 1302 in really good shape, be nice to it, it should last a long long time.

You can totally strip a 1302 down inside and reassemble it in no time, and all the seams can be checked and recalked from the inside easy.

We have the 1302, in really good shape, non cat, no gas. It has a griddle and three fire bricks inside. It looks really nice. the woman gave it to us for free. She bought it new in 1987, used it like three years, and never used it again. ! She thought no one would want it!

So we thought we'd try the cat first, to see if it is worth the hassle. So far so good, but who knows.
The non cat is so pretty (black) in great shape, so we're using it as a table, just ten feet from the one that is hooked up. We can easily swap em out if the cat decides to give us trouble.

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

I think you'll end up liking the 1302 more. The Intrepid 2 needs to be watched and the temp monitored to keep the cat working right.

the older 1302 is easier to set and regulate.

I replaced a cracked brick in the back of my moms the other day, I'm still impressed on how easy that old model is to maintain and how well its put together.

whatever ya do this year dont sell either till you have tried both.

halfway through winter swap them and use the 1302 for a few months while its cold.

some folks really like the cat. I think its an over-designed pain. LOL

yer lucky you get to try out both.