The Affordable Cat Stove....Does it Exist?

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BurnIt13

Minister of Fire
Jun 10, 2010
636
Central MA
I'm daydreaming a little bit but here goes....

I bought and installed an Englander 30 in 2010 to try to beat the heating bill. I am happy to say it has saved us a lot of money on heating costs. The problem, if you can even call it that, is that my house gets TOO HOT!!!!

I think our 115 year old 1600sqft house is tighter than I originally thought. The 30NC does not like to run low and slow so even when its pumping out 550 degrees during the coldest winter night our house gets a little too warm.

I need a low and slow stove that won't be a pollution factory like when a secondary stove is turned down too low. What I want is a cat stove. Low heat when needed and 12-24hr burn times.

I would love a Blaze King Princess or Chinook 30 but those are way over our price range. Is there an affordable cat stove out there that is actually a good stove?

The Englander 30 is the industry standard of affordable secondary stoves that actually perform well. Is there a Catalytic equivalent?

Thanks!
 
I don't know of any that are priced similar to your NC-30 but maybe keep an eye out for something used. Is the Woodstock Fireview too much $? They have a 10 day inventory sale coming up on the 27th.
 
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Well I don't know of another stove getting consistent 24 hour burns other than a blaze king. But not really sure if there's a cheap cat stove. It's worth it to save your money even if it takes a little longer to purchase.
 
Given that you are in MA, I'd watch for either a good used Fireview or check out the refurbished inventory from Woodstock when they make them available. I don't know as you can find a BK refurb deal and I really haven't seen them in the used market around here.

What exactly is your budget range though? There are bound to be others like myself selling their FV to upgrade to the PH somewhere around here - I know the friend who bought my stove got a good deal.
 
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Don't forget Woodstock is coming out with a new stove this December time frame. Perhaps it might be lower cost, steel plate cat stove?
 
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Don't forget Woodstock is coming out with a new stove this December time frame. Perhaps it might be lower cost, steel plate cat stove?

I'm still waiting for the PH to be offered naked without the stone!
 
Keep your eyes open for a used cat stove. I found mine for 1/3 of retail around here, it was a new never burned in floor model. The hearth shop was remodeling and wanted to make room for a different stove.
 
Turn that wood around E/W, cut the two inch trough front to back in the coal bed and burn that 30 low, slow and clean.
 
Different stove but i burn a small hot fire When i just want to take the chill off and i don't reload after that.

It works well for me cause my house is insulated well might not work for everyone.
 
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Good find.

+1. Unless it's completely trashed, $900 is a decent November price on a Fireview 205, the current model. A factory refurb, if you could get one anytime soon, runs about 2x that. If it is completely trashed, maybe offer significantly less than the asking price and rebuild it. A few members who have rebuilt them report that the job isn't that bad. . .difficulty is probably relative to what you are comfortable with though.

OTOH, if BB says that you can tame the 30 with burning technique, that may be worth a try before going through the hassle of swapping stoves.
Turn that wood around E/W, cut the two inch trough front to back in the coal bed and burn that 30 low, slow and clean.
 
Given that you are in MA, I'd watch for either a good used Fireview or check out the refurbished inventory from Woodstock when they make them available. I don't know as you can find a BK refurb deal and I really haven't seen them in the used market around here.

What exactly is your budget range though? There are bound to be others like myself selling their FV to upgrade to the PH somewhere around here - I know the friend who bought my stove got a good deal.

I'd jump at the Fireview ( and the 205 ) but thier required installation clearances are a bit too large for my installation. I have a corner installation on a raised hearth, I can only move it around so much.

As for my budget.....only time will tell but for now I'd say $1,500. That includes selling my 30NC for a few bucks.

Anyone have any details on Woodstocks new stove?
 
BrotherBart has some posts in a thread last year about how he burns that I really learned from. It was about his burning technique (he calls it a sliver burn or something like that), I tend to burn my stove 550 now instead of 650. Maybe you can burn yours at 450 cleanly?
 
I'll start another thread about burning the 30 low and slow. I'm sure it can be done, but the lowest I can burn N/S is about 550F. Below that and there is visible smoke coming out the chimney.

Even if I can't afford it at the moment....what is the cheapest cat stove out there?
 
Even if I can't afford it at the moment....what is the cheapest cat stove out there?
Umm. . .Buck Model 20, maybe?
. . .probably about the same $ as the Keystone.
Who knows what you might find an off-season deal on. . .

Anyone have any details on Woodstock's new stove?
All I recall hearing is that it's boxwood style.

I'm sensing a steel box like the PH. . .maybe make stone panels optional to get the $ down.
 
I don't think that Woodstock's new stove will be available this December. It sounded to me on reading their blog post that they intend to have it ready for sale next Nov when the contest they are entering it in will be judged. See their blog at http://woodstocksoapstoneco.blogspot.com/
 
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I see a few options:

1. A smaller non-cat. As has been pointed out in another recent thread, a smaller stove running at the same surface temperature will put a lot less heat into the room. Your penalty for the smaller stove is shorter burn times, which may or may not be an issue.

2. Less expensive cat stoves: Buck, Appalacian, High Sierra.

3. Used cat stoves: Jotul Firelight 12 (3.0 cu.ft.), Jotul Series 8 (2.5 cu.ft.?), Woodstock Fireview, just about any Blaze King. Do note that there are many different versions of the Series 8... you want the new design with the air control on the top left corner of the stove face. Also, the old BK's often don't have windows, if that matters to you.

Both of my stoves were obtained second-hand, one purchased with the house, and the other separately. In my case, cost was not the issue, but the availability of a new cat stove that would fit my space was nil.
 
Dutchwest makes an attractive reasonably priced cat stove and they are pretty rugged with no refractory materials in the firebox. The cats are 6"x2" which are inexpensive as well. You won't find a cast iron cat stove for less as far as I know..

Ray
 
I had an awful tough time finding positive comments or reviews on the Dutchwest stoves, when I was shopping for a new cast iron cat stove. Not saying they're bad (I wouldn't know), but they sort of get lumped in with VC's poor customer service and quality issues, in many reviews. Due to the lack of other options, I was still willing to try them, if not for that uselessly small front load door. Side loading was not an option for me.
 
Might want to go with a 2 CUft non cat stove. You can burn it a bit hotter while not cooking yourself out. They are also more in your price range.
 
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I had an awful tough time finding positive comments or reviews on the Dutchwest stoves, when I was shopping for a new cast iron cat stove. Not saying they're bad (I wouldn't know), but they sort of get lumped in with VC's poor customer service and quality issues, in many reviews. Due to the lack of other options, I was still willing to try them, if not for that uselessly small front load door. Side loading was not an option for me.
Side loading is the only way to go on the Dutchwest stoves.. They are much more rugged than the VC stoves if you get the catalytic version. Don't confuse these with the old CDW which I owned for over 20 years these are made in USA ..

Ray
 
Look used. I paid $900 for my high valley cat stove from my stove dealer. It came with a new trim package, cats, and a 1 year warrenty. The way my stove sits i could of bought one just like it new on their floor for $2500. If i am burning low, like this time of year i can run 20+ hours and heat 1600ish SQft. In the dead of winter i heat close to 2000-2500sqft off it and will basically load the 3.5cuft box 2x a day. Not quite BK performance but its also not as big a stove and my house may not be as tight as some of these BK owners?
 
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