Woodstock Fireview 201 Questions

leeave96 said:

Anyone using a Fireview 201? What are your thoughts on this stove? One of the things I want in a woodstove is a glass front with a lively flame to watch. How bad does the 201's glass get dirty when burning? How does it compare to the 205?

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We have used both a 201 and a 205. They were both purchased used, so new might be a little different. The 205 was actually in worse shape than the 201, but we kept the 205 and one of the reasons was because of the fire viewing. I always had trouble keeping the glass clean on the 201. The 205 stays pretty clean with only needing a minimum of cleaning. Sometimes the 201 would soot up with the first fire after cleaning the glass. >:-( The difference in fire viewing was like night and day for our stoves. We had them both hooked up and running at the same time in identical chimneys so had a chance to compare them. Also, the 205 seemed to give off more heat as well. The 201 was in almost mint condition, but because we needed to do something different for heat in the part of the house where the 201 was hooked up we ended up selling that one and keeping the 205. That has been our experience with them, hope it helps a little. They are both great stoves. Out of all the different types of stoves we've had the soapstone has been our favorite.

Shelly

leeave96 said:

I am thinking the Fireview 201 (or a new 205) is a bit big for my little house

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I will disagree with that. The Fireview is not a huge stove (but it isn't small either). Even if you were under 1000 sq ft, you would be able to manage just fine with the Fireview. My neighbor has a non-cat Fireview that he purchased in the early 90's. The air controls on the stove work quite well without having creosote build up.

It's always better to have a stove that is too large than it is having a stove that is too small.

leeave96 said:

I found a used Fireview 201 that is about 15 yrs old. Appears to be in good shape, needing a new cat.

I called Woodstock and they said it was very similar to the Classic model.

Reading some posts here, it sounds like it IS the Classic - just with glass on the front.

I also read some posts that it doesn't have an air wash system like the Fireview 205.

Anyone using a Fireview 201? What are your thoughts on this stove? One of the things I want in a woodstove is a glass front with a lively flame to watch. How bad does the 201's glass get dirty when burning? How does it compare to the 205?

I am thinking the Fireview 201 (or a new 205) is a bit big for my little house, but for $300 for the 201, I am considering giving it a try.

FWIW, if I were buying new, I would consider the Woodstock Keystone. I like the vertical flue ability and ash pan vs the Fireview.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Bill

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Bill, one problem with the Keystone is the firebox is a bit smaller which means a shorter burn time (about 2 hours shorter than the Fireview). I'd hate to have a firebox smaller than the Fireview! It just is not that big. Also, it calls for a 7" flue vs the 6" of the Fireview.

The ash pan is a non-issue. You've probably seen my post stating the Fireview is our first stove w/o an ash pan or grates and we were also concerned. It proved us wrong as it is a non-issue and very easy to take care of.

Good luck.

Our Fireview is the 201. We purchased it new in 1991 and had our first fire in it a couple of days before Christmas. We use it to heat our "apartment", the second storey of our home. It's probably over kill for the space ( built in 1991) which is well insulated. We have replaced the catalytic combustor 2 or 3 times (I can't recall) and just recemented the joints last fall. I've painted the castings once and it's due for a touch up.

If you burn this stove hot (according to the manual's directions) and use clean, seasoned firewood you wil have no issues with a sooty window. It's a breeze to operate. I also have a Classic in my workroom and that's a beauty, too.

This is a question for BrowningBAR, and maybe this is an old thread and you'll never see it, but I'm very curious about the old non-cat Fireview, and wondered if you could shed some light on how it's configured (top loading? firebox size? smoke exit path? primary air orientation?)
Thanks for any help I can get, and I'll keep looking.
Adam

pickaname said:

This is a question for BrowningBAR, and maybe this is an old thread and you'll never see it, but I'm very curious about the old non-cat Fireview, and wondered if you could shed some light on how it's configured (top loading? firebox size? smoke exit path? primary air orientation?)
Thanks for any help I can get, and I'll keep looking.
Adam

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Best bet would be to send a PM........

Right. Browning has not been posting much lately.

I don't think BB is here any more? He got into it with a mod and I haven't seen him here for a month.

Thanks for the advice to send a PM. I hadn't actually been aware of that feature before, but I sent it and he replied right away. He didn't know much, but he said he might find out more later.

If he gets back to you ask him to snap some pictures for us.