Decision Time Jotul 400 vs 500

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kevinwburke

New Member
Nov 5, 2009
53
Central Mass
Ok so it is time to pull the trigger and I need to decide between a Jotul 500 or 400. I have received differing points from dealers on the size. Here are the particulars....

Live in Central ma. Downstairs is about 1700 square feet...upstairs smaller. (attached a very crude layout.)

I have a pellet stove in the middle of the downstairs but with the cost of pellets do not use it much...mostly at night to keep the boiler off.

Upstairs is electric but we don't use it very often. House is not very tight..older windows etc.

The room the stove will go in is on a slab...and there is a picture window, sliders and two other large windows...is it a pretty cold room.

Hope to heat as much as the downstairs and get as much heat upstairs as possible.

So am I better off going bigger? Price difference is only about $200 but dont want to blow myself out of the room...as that is where the BIG TV is....where I spend most of my time.

Your help and input is appreciated...as always.
 

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If the goal is to heat the most of the downstairs, the stove should be placed there. From the picture it looks like ideally that would be somewhere along the wing wall between the living room and the kitchen. I'm curious about the enclosed space behind that wall. Was there an old chimney in there?

Was the den at some point a porch that got enclosed? If so, it could be leaking heat badly and the slab can suck the warmth out of you. With all the glass in it, I can imagine this being a pretty cold space. It looks like a lot of heat will be lost and what gets into the house may be less than optimal. For those reasons, I'd go with the Oslo. Make sure there is room to cover its side clearance requirements. It needs extra on the left side for the door.
 
The "ideal space" is where the pellet stove is now...but it is just about cheaper to burn oil at this point. Hopefully the cost of pellets will come down

The area is not an old porch but an addition.
 
Gotcha. Pellet burning value varies with the region. If one lives close to sawmills the price and supply can be much better. But in other areas, this is not the case. We faced a similar situation, but pellets were consistent in price locally and much cheaper than propane costs. After a big remodel we now have a big stove, centrally located that handles the house easily and the pellet stove is long gone.

The choice depends on the lifestyle. If the den is an occasional space, then maybe move the pellet stove to there and locate the woodstove in the core of the house? If the den is the main hangout, then a woodstove will be much appreciated in there. It will contribute to the house heat, but will mostly heat the den.
 
I'll be surprised if you don't end up with a bunch of supporters each stove from both sides of the aisle. There appears to be legions of staunch advocates of each, and damn the other.

I can tell you I like my F400. I can also tell you that if I had to do it all over again, I would have bought the F500 only for two reasons. One is the side loading door, and the other is the larger firebox. That's just my opinion. Others will no doubt follow.
 
kevinwburke said:
I see you have a PE Aldera.....just got a really good price on the T5...any comments on that versus the Jotul 400?
Click to expand...

Our stove is the T6 and so far is proving to be a very nice stove. The ashpan system sucks, but other than that they're good heaters. Had the F400 before the Alderlea T6. The F400 has a smaller firebox (1.5 cu ft) than the Alderlea T5 (2 cu ft), so it isn't a direct comparison. A better comparison would be with the F500 Oslo. One stove is all cast iron, the other is a steel stove with a cast iron jacket. The F400 has a shallow firebox, loads East/West. The T5 has a more rectangular firebox and loads North/South. I've helped a couple friends locally get a T5 and they have been very happy with their stoves. Nice long burn time and a very gentle, soft convective heat comes off of them. With the trivet top, they are very handy to have close to the kitchen (hint, hint). However, the fit and finish of the Jotuls, especially with the ivory or blue-black enamel is excellent. They are very nice to look at and use, year round.
 
I would say the F400 will be too small for your place. You could get by with it, but you'll be a slave to it and you'll still come home or wake up to a cold stove. I'd go with a 2+ cu ft box.
 
Wet1 said:
I would say the F400 will be too small for your place. You could get by with it, but you'll be a slave to it and you'll still come home or wake up to a cold stove. I'd go with a 2+ cu ft box.
Click to expand...

I agree. My Vista has a 1.5 cu ft firebox but our downstairs is only 950 ft (upstairs is the same). If I were heating 1700 plus sq ft and hoping some of the heat went upstairs, I'd want at least a 2 cu ft firebox. Go for the T5 or the 500.
 
There's no doubt in my mind on this one.

1. The house is "not tight" . . . i.e. not as well insulated as it could be
2. The house has older windows
3. This home is in New England
4. This home's downstairs is 1,700 square feet

No doubt . . . go with the Oslo. My reasoning.

In my case . . .

1. My house is built in the 1970s . . . it is better insulated now, but I could use some more insulation in the basement and it's definitely not as well insulated as new homes
2. I have replaced several older windows or put storm windows on others . . . but I have 2-5 windows that I want to eventually replace with newer windows
3. My house is in New England with the typical New England winters
4. My home's downstairs is 1,200 square feet . . . another 800-1,000 square feet upstairs

We have a few similar features although my house is perhaps a bit smaller and the Oslo I went with heats my house fine . . . with your larger space and insulation/windows I think you would be happier with the Oslo. The Castine might work, but my feeling is you should go a bit larger due to the size and insulation/window situation. If you find things are too warm you can always open a window or not load up the woodstove to the proverbial gills . . . but if you get a smaller stove and find that it's still cold it's pretty darned hard to stuff more wood into the firebox when it's already completely full.

P.S. I suspect with a fan placed right you will not need to use your electric heat upstairs this winter . . . or next . . . depending on when you get the stove and wood.
 
So I finally pulled the trigger...just ordered the F500 in Blue-Black.....even though I have not seen the color....hear it is great looking....

Now just need to find someone to install the piping (dont trust myself) on the existing hearth.

Will post pics when done...thanks to all for your input.
 
Good choice, it's a beauty, especially in the bl/bl enamel. Be sure that the clearances are generous, this is a good heater. Also be sure the flue is tall enough to meet code and minimum height requirement as per the manual.
 
I think you made the right choice. I just bought an F 400 for my 1,100 sq. ft. For your 1,700 I think the F 500 will be perfect. Plus you have the added benefit of the side door.
 
Good choice! I have the 500 in a 1600 sq. ft. house, we don't get blown out if we adjust the air intake from the get go. My fire wood is less than perfect seasoned and it still does just fine. If I ever have to buy another stove, it will be Jotul..
 
Good pick on the make/model and color.
 
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