The "cat cage" does get in the way of getting a full load of wood. I load the big ends first on the bottom sticks and the small end first on the upper pieces. This seems to help get a little more wood in.
That weird looking cage is actually a baffle! We should all be glad we have such a strong one in our stoves. Too many people around here have a tough time with flimsy baffles and having to replace them time and time again. But, I agree, it takes some space away from the firebox. I still get long hours out of a proper load of hard woods, though. I load the big splits at the bottom, like you do. The XL Dutchwest should give owners a little more room in the firebox for added burn times and throwing in big splits. It too has the baffle on top, which to me is an advantage. Today I loaded the stove at 11:45am, not even all the way, turned the air downand it's cruising for an 8 hour daytime low burn. Nice secondary ghost flames on the top of the firebox right now and a glowing cat to go with it. Temperature in the hallway is 72. It was 66, by the time I started the stove, after having the frond door open for the boys to go out to the bus, the temp fell from 71 at 7am to 66 at 11:45am. I loaded the stove last night at 12am and still had coals to start a fire at 11:45am. This is almost 12 hours between reloads. No match restart. I love this stove.Pine Knot said:The "cat cage" does get in the way of getting a full load of wood. I load the big ends first on the bottom sticks and the small end first on the upper pieces. This seems to help get a little more wood in.
VCBurner said:Here are some pictures I took today of the Dutchwest hard at work! After a long hiatus, it once again gets a chance at making us happy and warm. I bought a Defiant Encore 2190 and was going to put it in place of the DW, but upon inspection of the cat in it decided to re-install the old beast (I'm going to keep both and put one downstairs and one upstairs.) We are glad to have it back in after a long needed overhaul of the chimney set up and clean up. This chimney had not been cleaned since we moved in (2007) but had not been used for wood stoves before 2009. It always looked clean but I found some gnarly stuff behind the old fireplace damper! There are pictures of the dirty fireplace, new pipe extension, new pipe whole on the block off plate and explanation of the overhaul in the venting set up in my other thread:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/68912/
Now here are some pictures of the DW in action today!
VCBurner said:I knew you'd like the pics Ray! I was on cloud nine last night after a week without a stove burning in the house. That fire was the first one after a much needed upgrade and clean up. The cat continues to provide easy operation and burns up all the smoke on low choked down fires (unlike the one in the pictures! ;-) .) Actually I loaded the firebox after taking the pictures and didn't need to reload until almost noon the next day! (today) I cut some big uglies out in the left over pile, some oak v's that were impossible to split but were pretty dry and had been cut since 08/09 winter. They were under the tarp and were really tough to chain saw into manageable pieces. One of them was a v shaped fork with two 20" trunks that had been cut close to the crotch. It was a groan to cut, but burned really nice on low all night! I still have a 30" but about 36" long from the same tree. It has to be cut into manageable pieces too! I'll have to sharpen the chain before attempting to destroy that thing into burnable chunks. I'm glad I have the 2255 turbo, it would not have been possible in the same amount of time with a lesser saw! A piece of that oak tree is simmering in the fire right now! The air is shut almost all the way and small lazy flames emanating from it on top of a lightly glowing bed of coals, life is good!
raybonz said:I saw all those pics of the work you did and it looks like it should help make the stove run better.. Just imagine the difference a full insulated liner will make! I am a big fan of the 2461 as you know so yeah I smiled at those pics.. I too had some gnarly oak crotches which I chain sawed as splitting was impossible for me but worth the effort! BTW what the heck is 2255 turbo? My stove is purring away here as I type this message and it has been running very nicely this year and I am keeping an eye on a good deal for a 2461 as I feel they can go the distance like this stove.. As much as I like the looks of your new VC I would rather have a cast iron interior.. Hopefully you'll be OK with the new stove but personally I would locate the DW where the critical heat requirement is needed most.. This way your main house will be kept warm reliably in the event there is an issue with the VC you'll still be warm..
Ray
wood-fan-atic said:Hey y'all. I have this stove sitting and awaiting a rebuild. If anyone knows of a place that can completely rebuild my large VC Ductchwest 2461cat - please let me know. Thanks!
VCBurner said:I thought I should say goodbye to the DW officially on this thread. It felt like a long journey, though it was brief. These past two seasons have been a joy with this stove. It kept us warm and me entertained for many Winter nights (caveman TV.) To all of you who contributed to my learning curve, a big thank you!! This also is a farewell to wood burning. We had to move out of the old house and rented a new house which has no chimney. So the only solution is to go to pellets. Wood burning will always be in my heart and mind. I sold the Dutchwest about three weeks ago, it was hard to see it go. A great deal to the buyer, the $400 dollars came in handy during the move. I could have tried for $600 but it would have taken a lot lon ger to sell and we just didn't have the time. I listed it one evening and the next morning it was sold by 9am. The buyer also got the new blower and SS cat I put in late last season. IMO, there was not another stove for $400 out there, that was as good as that one. Someday, when we own our own house, maybe I'll go the wood way again! The Dutchwest will remain a highly recommended stove as far as I'm concearned, even with all its flaws and quirks. Lots of those flaws I found to be operator, wood or chimney related. It is an old EPA rated system by today's standards but that is what makes this stove so good. It has withstood the test of time, evolving slightly from the old federal airtights in the by CDW in the 70's to the new Dutchwest by Vermont Castings of today. Their price remains one of the lowest on the market for a cast iron EPA rated catalytic stove. Their efficiency and EPA rating remain among the best in the market.
I will be glad to answer any DW related questions even though I no longer own the stove. I'm still hopefull that this thread will help other DW owners master their stove.
I will miss watching the flames through the arched windows shining through the Maggie Simpson andirons. :lol: Trying to stuff the firebox just right for a good overnight burn and splitting wood in the dead of winter!
I'd consider the DW an old friend, it will be missed!
VCBurner said:Thanks for the post Ray. You were instrumental in my decision to buy the DW. Now we both get to start a season with different stoves! It should be a good learning experience. I'll make sure to post some pics of the new stove on this thread when I get it installed. Come visit the pellet mill sometime! I'll be hanging there and here this coming season.
VCBurner said:Before you read on please beware that this is a very long thread. I intended to keep this as diary as stated in the title. This will help me to realize its recorded history and to learn from it. Also, I hope it'll serve others who are also learning to burn this stove or similar stoves. Thank you for reading and adding to this thread! Edited on 2/21/11.
I guess I finally get to live up to my VC name.
Only a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this site, while researching on stoves I was looking at. I had given a deposite on a reconditioned "Large Cat." This thing was taken appart completely, then put back together with new gaskets and cement as well as some brand new parts. It was a roller coaster of decision making. But after a long time I decided to stay with my original choice. The price was really good and the stove is only 5-6 years old. I was really glad to get it home tonight! It may not be a BK, Woodstock or Jotul, but I trust this stove will serve me very well for as long as I own it. I'm also proud of joinning the DUTCHWEST LARGE CAT family!!
So, thanks to all the people who helped me with this decision, wether you like or dislike the Dutchwest stoves. I've learned so much from the members on this site, in so little time. So much so, that I feel I can make more educated decisions about stoves on my own.
I'm laid off so the research on this site has kept me sane. I feel like I'm part of the Hearth.com family! I've learned a lot from all of you, and laughed with you too. This is a good place on the web!!
I'm going to break in the new seams tomorrow then will fire it up to see how well it works. I know it'll take a while to learn the new stove. But I'm really glad to trade up to an EPA rated stove. I'll post back with the results and some pics after it's installed. Take care fellow burners and burn on!
Yes, Dutchwest stoves have been made by VC since the eighties. They will continue to be made the same exact way at the same exact plant, by the same people. Monessen owns Vermont Castings. The only change is they will not have the name Vermont Castings in the back of the stove. They will now have the name Monessen as the brand. Same manufactureres, same stove since about 1993 as pertains to the 2460, 2461 and 2462 models. Other models like the non cat I don't know much about.neumsky said:Geez...now I'm confused...I was told 2 weeks ago that Dutchwest WAS being built by the Vermont Casting company! I've got a brochure that has Monssen Hearth Systems on it and than underneath it it has www.vermontcastings.com.
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