Hello there! I have been to a showroom and read many a thread, and will soon pull the trigger (ill informed or not!), but i figured I should make a thread before I wave goodbye to 3000 washingtons.
I have a 6" stainless liner, in an original stone fireplace from the 1800s. My hearth is 33" deep (not including fireplace depth), and the fireplace is just shy of 31" height (30 5/8 - 307/8 - it varies, its natural stone and old). Tall chimney (20+). want a stove that will only require an ember protection mat so i can place the stove close to the edge of my hearth. Right now I have an older, mid size quadrafire insert, with ebay fans in there. Its not heating enough. 1500 sq foot house that leaks like a seive (siv? spaghetti strainer) (Lets disregard wood and insulation for now, as the insulation cannot be fixed in my particular case and my wood supply will improve over the years).
I want something bigger, hearth mounted, to get more of the heat in my room (or so i hear).
My considerations
1. Size
2. simple to operate
3. reliable / easy maintience
I place all 3 of those fairly evenly.
My closest dealer has jotul, hearthstone, lopi, and PE. Saleswoman pushed jotul the hardest (highest margins? who knows. But i have read many good reviews) But anyway, so far my options (all need to be rear exit to make it into the fireplace and into the existing liner (and the jotul are going to barely clear at 30"5/8 height according to schematics....)
1. jotul 500 - quoted 2550 - i like the looks. I like the front door. I dont like what i read about the sloping firebox giving it less usable space than reported.
2. jotul 600 - quoted 2950 - I like the looks, I like the size, but I dont really get the front door tool. Can you not leave the knob on? Me and the wife are going to loose something that comes off (by loose i mean my dog and cats will take it)
3. jotul f55 - no quote yet - I like the size, and prettty much all I read, but i havent found much in the way of reeviews. This is larger and cheaper than the 600 and 500 from what i have seen - is this only because of the looks? (I like them less, but if its a better functional unit Then i may just have to get this)
4. Hearthstone Manchester - I love the looks, but havent read much on it at all, besides that it likes to smoke when you open the door. Any newer reviews on this? Sales lady said hearthstone was good stoves but not as "bang for buck" as jotul...
5.jotul f50 rangley - no quote - same as the f55 but with the fancy top loading? I like it.
Am i missing anything? 3000 or less is my price range (3000 is my absolute max and is already pushing it)
And lastly - My plan was to have this professionally installed - and then pack roxul all in the fireplace, put up durarock (or suitable alternative) over the fireplace entrance and around the flue, and then tile over that to stop heatloss up chimney and give it a finished look. Will that be helpful? and even if not helpful, is that safe (I want it for looks regardless). Thanks for reading my disjointed essay.
I have a 6" stainless liner, in an original stone fireplace from the 1800s. My hearth is 33" deep (not including fireplace depth), and the fireplace is just shy of 31" height (30 5/8 - 307/8 - it varies, its natural stone and old). Tall chimney (20+). want a stove that will only require an ember protection mat so i can place the stove close to the edge of my hearth. Right now I have an older, mid size quadrafire insert, with ebay fans in there. Its not heating enough. 1500 sq foot house that leaks like a seive (siv? spaghetti strainer) (Lets disregard wood and insulation for now, as the insulation cannot be fixed in my particular case and my wood supply will improve over the years).
I want something bigger, hearth mounted, to get more of the heat in my room (or so i hear).
My considerations
1. Size
2. simple to operate
3. reliable / easy maintience
I place all 3 of those fairly evenly.
My closest dealer has jotul, hearthstone, lopi, and PE. Saleswoman pushed jotul the hardest (highest margins? who knows. But i have read many good reviews) But anyway, so far my options (all need to be rear exit to make it into the fireplace and into the existing liner (and the jotul are going to barely clear at 30"5/8 height according to schematics....)
1. jotul 500 - quoted 2550 - i like the looks. I like the front door. I dont like what i read about the sloping firebox giving it less usable space than reported.
2. jotul 600 - quoted 2950 - I like the looks, I like the size, but I dont really get the front door tool. Can you not leave the knob on? Me and the wife are going to loose something that comes off (by loose i mean my dog and cats will take it)
3. jotul f55 - no quote yet - I like the size, and prettty much all I read, but i havent found much in the way of reeviews. This is larger and cheaper than the 600 and 500 from what i have seen - is this only because of the looks? (I like them less, but if its a better functional unit Then i may just have to get this)
4. Hearthstone Manchester - I love the looks, but havent read much on it at all, besides that it likes to smoke when you open the door. Any newer reviews on this? Sales lady said hearthstone was good stoves but not as "bang for buck" as jotul...
5.jotul f50 rangley - no quote - same as the f55 but with the fancy top loading? I like it.
Am i missing anything? 3000 or less is my price range (3000 is my absolute max and is already pushing it)
And lastly - My plan was to have this professionally installed - and then pack roxul all in the fireplace, put up durarock (or suitable alternative) over the fireplace entrance and around the flue, and then tile over that to stop heatloss up chimney and give it a finished look. Will that be helpful? and even if not helpful, is that safe (I want it for looks regardless). Thanks for reading my disjointed essay.