jotul 3tdic-2??

For something that small have you looked at pellet stoves? Not as much for pipe and you can control them better.

You can find a used englander pellet stove, I saw some listed in your area on craigslist. To me it makes sense that you can fill the hopper and be set the temp so it doesn't run you out and it will come on and off when you need it for supplemental heat, if the power goes out you have your other stoves to heat with. Not to mention the savings of the pipe.

TCT1971 said:

The solarium is about 168 sq feet and the office is abt 144, but of course we'd lose a lot of the heat out of the glass walls.

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Small space with high heat loss... perfect recipe for a mid-sized catalytic stove.

TCT1971 said:

A 3tdic-2 catalytic popped up a few days ago with the attractive off-white enamel finish. But I'm a bit confused, as the sellers say they bought it brand new 5 years ago. But didn't they stop making these in the 1990s?

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I do not know the exact model history of the 3tdic-2, but Jotul sold catalytic stoves in the USA up thru at least 2001. I think Jotul still makes and sells catalytic stoves in other countries, but not the USA.

TCT1971 said:

I admit I'm a little nervous after reading a lot of negative feedback about catalytics in general.

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Actually, catalytic stoves are the higher performance option, with better efficiency and a wider range of burn rates, than can be achieved with a non-catalytic. The negative feedback you've read about catalytic stoves comes from "casual burners," who don't really understand the proper use or advantages of a catalytic stove. They're not for everyone, hence Jotul's reasoning for discontinuing catalytic stove sales in the USA, but for someone who's attentive enough to join a stove forum to ask questions before purchase... they're likely the better option.

TCT1971 said:

So, do you think the 3tdic-2 could be a good solution, even if it's not our ideal stove, or will it be more trouble than it's worth?

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I would not buy the 3TDIC-2, especially if this were my first stove. As begreen already stated, this was a retrofit of an earlier stove, as an effort to make an old design meet newer emissions standards. If you want a nice looking smaller catalytic stove at used prices, check out the last rendition of the Jotul 8, which was "one of the best stoves we ever made," according to Mark at Jotul's factory tech support. Do your research, though, as there were many versions of the Jotul 8, and only the final version was considered very good.

Better yet, I'd be looking at a smaller factory refurb from Woodstock. Maybe a Fireview? Lots of those are coming back to woodstock these days, as more serious burners are looking to upgrade to the Progress Hybrid. As stated, a small - medium catalytic stove would be ideal for your situation, as you can set it to burn very low and slow, for very long burns at low heat output for even all-day heating. In a non-cat stove, you cannot burn as low and slow as a catalytic, which is usually not that big a deal. Non-cat burners heat smaller spaces (or on less cold days) by burning a small hot fire (more quickly than a catalytic), which pumps some heat into the house, letting the house retain and radiate that heat. This works well in many cases, but is less than ideal in cases like yours, where the heat retention is very low / heat loss is very high.

Another option is any Blaze King 20 series... but those are a wee bit expensive new, and Blaze King has no factory refurb program, of which I'm aware. I'm recommending you stick with factory, rather than private, on the assumption this is your first EPA stove. If you're an experienced burner, then have at it with the used market.

Maybe I am overlooking something but even a small cat stove seems like it would be overkill for this space of 300 sq ft, yes you can turn them down but you can only dial them down so much, you gotta keep the cat fed with fuel. Then the budget issue comes up, running triple A costs an arm and a leg.

If you like woodstock's looks then I would get a gas stove from them, not a woodstove.

A mini-franklin might be the best bet.

I own the exact stove you are looking at. I got mine off Craigslist for 450.00 it had alot of nicks in the enamel, and needed a good cleaning and a door gasket. The cat was in good shape when i got the stove (last august) when you go to look at the stove, look straight down the hole where the chimney goes, and you will be able to see the top of the cat, that will give you a reference as to its condition. The stove is a great little stove and works very well for us. It heats the upstairs of my house quite nicely and is frugal on wood. Someday i might replace the cat, but for now it works well enough. The biggest part of the efficiency is to get that stove up to temp before engaging the cat fully. But even on moderate days, just to take the chill off, i seldom use the cat, i might close the damper 1/2 way and close the air alittle just to slow the burn, and the stove just cruises along. To deal with the chips i got the actual enamel paint straight from Jotul thru my local stove shop. ($20.00 per small bottle) but the bottle goes along way. The ONLY down size to this small stove is the size of the splits you can fit into it. Most of the time, i have to make sure i dont make the splits too long. If i get wood from my local recycling place, i mostly have to cut it up smaller because of this. Last year i burned questionable black locust and Biobricks, and when i checked the chimney this summer, it was clean, with very little soot and no creosote that was noticeable. And YES you can burn biobricks in a cat stove. (I had alot of questions about them). But they do burn hot, so dont load up this little stove or you might over heat it. I have the owners manual if you want a copy