Survey.............Jotul Castine

dorkweed said:

Thanks everyone for the replies.....................now y'all have me considering the T5 and the Rangeley for crazy close clearances! Thanks a lot!!?? Damn if this doesn't get confusing!!

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I think the T5 would be a good choice. Longer burns than the Castine and T4. Not ridiculously over-sized. Plenty of firepower for those exceptionally cold nights.

I have never used a Rangeley, but with the small, non-open layout, it might be too much for you. Your insulation and draftiness would be the final factor.

We love our Castine. I think I might love the Oslo a bit more if I had one, but the grass is always greener...

Haven't had any problems with our stove. It vents into the fireplace in our circa 1910 colonial and keeps the downstairs at a toasty 68-72 [little lower on truly frigid days]. It's enough to keep most of our house warm, in fact. We do have a Jotul propane stove in the corner of our kitchen, but that's it. We turn the furnace on in the morning to warm the house up, and then we get a fire going and the furnace doesn't come on again the rest of the day.

Our Castine has a great draft and is easy to start a fire. It does require frequent reloading due to the narrow [front to back] firebox, but that's the trade-off for having such low clearances.

In terms of the glass getting dirty, I find that only happens if you let the temperature drop down below 450 or so. If you're running it hot, in the 500-600 range, it stays clean.

If I'm not mistaken, the Rangeley and the newer F55 have the same rear clearances as the Castine. I know the F50 uses the same flue outlet piece as the Castine and I presume the F55 does as well. That said, if I were shopping today, the F55 would be on my short list.

Frostbit said:

If I'm not mistaken, the Rangeley and the newer F55 have the same rear clearances as the Castine. I know the F50 uses the same flue outlet piece as the Castine and I presume the F55 does as well. That said, if I were shopping today, the F55 would be on my short list.

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I guess I should add that I have had my Castine for going on 4 years. Its a fine stove, beautiful in the home. It is very finicky with wood, it must be dry as others have stated. Yes, it spills smoke out into the room when reloading, which can be minimized by opening the air first before opening the door, but not eliminated. I burn spruce, which is all we have up here, consequently my burn times max out at 4-5 hours. An overnight burn stove, with the wood I have, it is not.

My biggest gripe is the fact it cannot accept normal splits north south. Yes, one can cut his wood 8 or 9 inches in length, or some of it anyway, but stacking and sorting would be a hassle.

I had to have a close clearance (rear only) stove in my home, so the Castine fit the bill. But since the F50 and F55 came out and the fact they can be loaded north/south as well as east/west, I am very interested. My hearth pad is big enough to take the F55, and the stack should be a direct fit. I also like that the F55 is a welded steel stove and has no leaking joints potential or inevitable rebuild needed, as the Castine does. I may just purchase one this summer to replace the F400. I don't want or need a top loader so the only one of the two would be the F55. Alas, the F55 is not a pretty stove; at least compared to the Castine. Mine is Blue Majolica and it is stunning in looks. It looks the same today as the day I put it in.

As Frostbit mentioned, opening the air before the door helps with smoke spillage. I also find that opening the door just a crack for a few seconds gets the draft going from the open door and no smoke will come out when you open it fully. Should be a non issue if you do one or the other, or both.

I have gotten in the habit of not touching the draft when i reload onto a good fire,there's no need but i do have to open the door slowly.If i'm starting from a cold start and open the door i get spillage before a draft is established.I do get some spillage from a small fire when the top is open but not on a roaring fire.I have never loaded from the top but i play around some.I leave my ashpan full and it's easier to shovel through the front.2 reasons i bought the stove and i don't use either.1 thing i like the top load for though is it helps so much when i'm cleaning.I vacuum out the whole top side and i can get right in and clean anything that falls in whereas it's a straight shot up through to cap.I wonder if this upper chamber doesn't help hold heat with all the extra steel and cast.It has to help.Also,yes we're getting the grill.