Need stove help...Please!

I have the NC30 in a basement install as the means of heating the whole house. I went to this stove as a replacement of the old VC Defiant. While the stove is well built and burns nice, there are limits you will have to deal with. The exact issues I am experiencing, you are lined up to deal with. First issue is wood length. The old stove took 24 inch logs. I broke my but to C/S/S over 30 cords at that length. The NC30 is really only taking 18-20" logs. You may get a 22 incher cross ways in there, but that is not how this stove burns. Logs need to go N/S and anything over 20 will hang over the lip. Second, and most important is the ability of the stove to heat that much space. I am heating a Cape with this stove. Last year was a mild winter, even so, I had issues with the stove keeping up. It was the first year using the stove, and I did learn things to assist with the burns, however I am seriously concerned what will happen when real winter arrives. The stove is just not big enough to do what I and you are trying to do. I have been looking at the 5700 Quadrafire and the F6 Jotul as options to replace this stove. Not at the point where I am going to buy a new one off the floor, but if given a good opportunity to get a used one or a heck of a deal on a new one, I would jump on it. Both of those stoves are rated for 24 inch logs. Your into the mid-upper 2k range with those units.

Given the options out there now, you may be well served to get the NC30 and do the extra work in cutting logs down to size. Just be prepared to suppliment the heat with that nasty black gold.

There is no substitute for having the stove IN the room that you want the warmest. Iv tried it. Unless your working with a hot water boiler it is really necessary to have
the stove on the floor you want to heat to the highest temp. My wood stove is in the basement so i only use it in the shoulder season. During the coldest part of the winter very little heat makes its way up 2 stories to the other end of the house.

No one mentioned BK yet? No personal experience with one, but what about a blaze king king? I don't know if I missed the flue size. For something that's going to be in a basement and is just a heater, I'd say that's a good option...

You can buy the Englander from a half dozen different national retailers under different names. Home Depot sells them, if I recall. One of the Englandar owners should chime in soon with the correct info on that.

I gave VC a long and thoughtful look when I was buying my second stove. The feedback I received over and over, from multiple VC owners, is that they're fragile and less than entirely reliable. I also read so many complaints about their customer service, I decided they just weren't worth consideration, even though I very much liked the look and spec's on their 2-in-1 stoves. That said, most of those complaints about stove design, quality, and customer service were based on stoves made and/or purchased prior to their most recent bankruptcy and buy-out. Maybe things are better under the new management?

Englander is available at Home Depot.....899.00 in PA.

You are correct, VC and DW are owned by Monessen. Their non-cats use 'Everburn' technology. You might want to do a search here first. Also search 'neverburn'. Really.

Englander's customer service is top notch, but I can appreciate supporting a local business. Choose that business carefully. I was at a 'mom & pop' stove shop the other day, and the stove they had burning in the showroom had a Magic Heat going on the pipe.

I would lean toward the F600. That is a solid manufacturer and a beautiful stove.

You are (hopefully) going to have the stove for a long time. Mom and Pop stores go out of business (retirement, illness, moves), I'm all for supporting local establishments, but I think your first consideration should be to get the very best stove you can for your situation, as long as the company itself provides good customer service, whether you end up dealing with them directly or through your original or a subsequent dealer.

My parents are a mom and pop shop. Your reasoning is quite admirable and I can appreciate that! My thinking when they bought there Englander was it was a cheap, large stove. There were not looking forward to spending the thousands on the major mfgs....Not the case, well built and can handle the heat.

Well, then of the three stoves you listed (VC, Jotul, Dutchwest), the Jotul 600 is the hands-down winner. Jotul's quality cannot be beat. One of my Jotul's will be celebrating its 20th birthday in a few months, and having just completed my first mini rebuild (new gaskets, refractory, and cat), I'm planning to run it another 20 years!

Jenn L said:

Jeff, I hear you on being sure of the quality of the business. This particular shop comes highly recommended by the mason who built both of our Rumford fireplaces. Whatever we decide to purchase will be professionally installed. I'd love to consider the Englander further but my husband will not purchase from a box DIY store

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Do you have a True Value near you? They are independantly owned and I think they sell Englander. Our local True Value is family owned and they are AWESOME. Usually they can order a lot more than what you see in the store.

Wishfull thinking. Monnasen (no doubt misspelled) has continued the practice of offering no contact info in order to discourage buyers from trying to contact the company direct if there are problems with the stove the dealer can't - or won't - fix, leaving owners completely at the mercy of the dealer's whim. And they are not only still charging the astronomical parts prices CMF (or whoever they were) instituted, but in many cases have actually raised them, to the point where many owners of older VC stoves are having to scrap them because it just isn't worth the money to rebuild them and there is no other source of parts.

Joful said:

That said, most of those complaints about stove design, quality, and customer service were based on stoves made and/or purchased prior to their most recent bankruptcy and buy-out. Maybe things are better under the new management?

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slindo said:

Wishfull thinking. Monnasen (no doubt misspelled) has continued the practice of offering no contact info in order to discourage buyers from trying to contact the company direct if there are problems with the stove the dealer can't - or won't - fix, leaving owners completely at the mercy of the dealer's whim.

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That's inexcusable, but at the same time, Jotul does a pretty good job at hiding their contact info, as well. If you get ahold of their telephone number, their operator will refuse to put you thru to their tech support, unless you convince them them that you're one of their dealers.

Joful said:

That's inexcusable, but at the same time, Jotul does a pretty good job at hiding their contact info, as well. If you get ahold of their telephone number, their operator will refuse to put you thru to their tech support, unless you convince them them that you're one of their dealers.

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Hearthstone does the same. In order to talk to a customer rep at the manufacturer you have to pretend you are a dealer.

Liking Woodstock and other approachable dealers more and more all the time. Had another great service experience with them this week. Called for a part and they had already sent it out....
Also called ICC about something last week and they were very helpful. Asked their engineering department my question....Always nice to do business with civilized people.

slindo said:

Wishfull thinking. Monnasen (no doubt misspelled) has continued the practice of offering no contact info in order to discourage buyers from trying to contact the company direct if there are problems with the stove the dealer can't - or won't - fix, leaving owners completely at the mercy of the dealer's whim. And they are not only still charging the astronomical parts prices CMF (or whoever they were) instituted, but in many cases have actually raised them, to the point where many owners of older VC stoves are having to scrap them because it just isn't worth the money to rebuild them and there is no other source of parts.

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Hate to say it but Lopi doesn't seem much better. I think for contact info/accessability Woodstock, BK and Englander seem tops.

eclecticcottage said:

Hate to say it but Lopi doesn't seem much better. I think for contact info/accessability Woodstock, BK and Englander seem tops.

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Even BK seems dodgy at times, if I recall.

I have called BK a handful of times, and I always got a friendly, helpful response. Their dealer network I'm not so sure about. It took a few tries to find a good one. Unfortunately, that dealer is about 1.5 hours away from me.

The Magnolia takes 22 inchers, big fire box, burns most of the night, always have red coals in the am.-sorry this took so long, I've been working alot of hours(hvac tech.)