Jotul F-400 vs Pacific Energy Alderlea T4 vs Quad yosemite

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north71

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Nov 19, 2010
15
michigan
Good afternoon. As mentioned on a previous post we are looking to heat our house 24/7 during the cold months. The house is 820 sq. ft. Stoves that were recomended by members here were pacific energy alderlea T4 and quad yosemite. The stove we like is the jotul f-400 enamel finish. This is based on looks, finish, and craftsmanship and it seems head and shoulders above others mentioned. Does anyone have any experience with these stoves in a small house in regards to (#1) comfort of heat and ability to regulate heat via controls on stove, (#2) durability and maintanance, (#3) movement of heat in semi open layout, and (#4) fit and finish quality.Ceilings are 8 feet flue height roughly 15 feet.
Thank you, North71
 
All of these are great stoves. I too have a small house and considered both the Yosemite and T4. In the end, I would-up with a Woodstock Keystone woodstove and here are some reasons why - that relate to a smaller home:

1. Cat stove = the abiltiy to turn the stove down so as not to cook us out of the house (or open windows and doors), yet still get a very clean burn.

2. Soapstone = even heat vs high/low heat cycles on some steel and cast stoves. The ability to have even heat in a small house vs hot/cold temps over several hours of operation was important to me.

My house ain't much bigger than yours and the Keystone as I recall is good for 800-1300 sq ft. My house is especially drafty, but so far we have been able to have our living room temps hover around 78-80 degrees and we are not yet fully cranking the stove. My Wife, who is my reality check, was very skeptical of having a woodstove in the house, but she loves the soft warm heat of this woodstock AND the upper 70's to 80 degree temps ;) We get enough overnight burn to re-kindle the stove without lighting a match too. Lastly, the stove is easy on the eyes and the big window give a beautiful view of the fire - looks like a small fire place.

Woodstock also makes a similar stove to the Keystock called the Palladian that we came very close to buying too.

Don't forget the tax credit that expires at the end of the year.

Do a search on soapstone, Woodstock, Keystone as well as the Jotul, T4 and Quad as they are really nice stoves too.

Good luck,
Bill
 
north71 said:
Good afternoon. As mentioned on a previous post we are looking to heat our house 24/7 during the cold months. The house is 820 sq. ft. Stoves that were recomended by members here were pacific energy alderlea T4 and quad yosemite. The stove we like is the jotul f-400 enamel finish. This is based on looks, finish, and craftsmanship and it seems head and shoulders above others mentioned. Does anyone have any experience with these stoves in a small house in regards to (#1) comfort of heat and ability to regulate heat via controls on stove, (#2) durability and maintanance, (#3) movement of heat in semi open layout, and (#4) fit and finish quality.Ceilings are 8 feet flue height roughly 15 feet.
Thank you, North71
Click to expand...


Several members here have the T4 (or T5/T6) and the Jotul F400. If overnight burns and heat control is a top priority, you may also want to look at the Woodstock Fireview.

All three stoves you've listed are fine quality stoves and the Jotul F400 has a strong following.

Moving heat has less to do with the stove and more to do with your house/floor plan/air flow.
 
To Leeave96 and BrowningBAR Thank you for your responce I agree with you both. However we can not accomodate the clearance requirments of the soapstone.After my previous I was excited about the pacific energy T4. After some research I was concerned with quality and ability to transfer heat also having coals in the morning since every one that speaks of the T4 seems to recomend the T5.Hands down if I thought the jotul could be controled in this enviroment we would be done.My wife and I really like the look of the jotul.Does any one know of a dealer who has the pacific energy T4 on the floor? We are located in Grand Blanc, MI. We will travel within 50-75 miles. Thank You north71
 
What do you mean by 'if I thought the Jotul could be controlled'?

The F 400 would be a really good sized stove for 820 sq. ft.

I heat 1128 sq. ft. of my house with an F 400 easily in New England. Even on the coldest days the stove can keep the inside temps in the 68-72 range. The nice thing about the F 400 is that it is a medium sized stove. You can throw a couple of splits in there during shoulder season and you get the heat without getting blown out of the room. Also, Jotul build quality is top-shelf. It is one tough stove.

...and, not to be too biased, but all 3 of those stoves are pretty nice and all 3 companies build a quality product. I'd go with whichever one you like the most and whichever one fits your setup the best.
 
To north71, I'm not sure how far Hebron Indiana is for you, but there is a stove shop that carries the Pacific Energy your looking for. I was in there less than 4 months ago and he had the floor models up and running in store...The name of the place is A cozy fireplace. Phone # is 219-996-4031. Its where I got my PE super 27. Great guy to deal with too. His name is Steve. Good luck. P.S. really easy to find, right on RT 231 and RT 8 in town.
 
To Cycloxer-
I was unsure if the Jotul could be shut down enough when loaded to 75% capacity on a cold day without driving you out of the room. My dad has a quad 3100 9 foot walls 11 foot peak ceiling 20 foot X 40 foot room and the stove will not shut down. So we can't have a stove like that. Do you think that the Pacific Energy, being a convection stove, would heat the space more evenly than the Jotul? I have no experience with a convection stove other than my dad's but that doesn't help because it doesn't operate properly. I thank you for your thoughts and experience North 71
 
Sounds like you got three good models picked out, sorry I can't help narrow it down but wanted to subscribe to this thread. I'm in a similar situation but wanted a slightly larger stove... the F400 I am considering as the smallest as well as the QF Cumberland Gap (next step up from the Yosemite). You dont hear much talk about the Yosemite around here but for your smaller space it might be more appropriate. I was looking at the T4/T5 too but the local dealer I went to didnt have any Alderleas in stock anymore, only the steel PE's. They did have the full line of Jotul and QF though so got to see all of those.
 
PILE O' WOOD

A concern I had with the pacific energy T4 and the quad yosemite was premature failure where casting meets steel.

Also where are the castings for those two stoves made?

Any thoughts on burn time for these stoves [coals in the morning]
 
I gotta buck the trend - I recommend a T5 if it will fit. Two reasons. First, the extra firebox size makes a big difference in being able to accommodate longer burn times. Second, the convective stove can be much less intense, just leave the blower off and the heat goes straight up; it won't cook you out of the room. So despite the larger stove you can have more comfort in warmer or shoulder season days, with the ability to stuff it full, turn on the blower, and be as warm as you want when it gets cold out. Keep in mind warm is in the eye of the beverage-holder, so while cycloxer may prefer 68-72, we like to be able to keep our home (about your size) about 75-76 in the living room, cooler in the bedroom. We have the T6, and definitely don't feel it's too much with a small load and the blower off. The only difference is that we have 9' ceilings, so maybe more volume than you do. With the convective stoves, especially the Alderlea T4,5,6, there's such a heavy layer of cast iron in the shell that it's hard to overheat the place unless you really want too. Our stove dealer heats the 500 sq ft shop with a T5, and it's perfectly comfortable. Just use a little less wood and it still burns fine.
 
FYI, our huge stove is dead center of the house, facing us about 5' from where we sit to watch TV every night.
 
north71 said:
PILE O' WOOD

A concern I had with the pacific energy T4 and the quad yosemite was premature failure where casting meets steel.

Also where are the castings for those two stoves made?

Any thoughts on burn time for these stoves [coals in the morning]
Click to expand...

The casting and the steel inner box don't meet. The cast iron jacket is mounted with spacers. I suspect the opportunity for failure here is approaching zero. Not sure where the castings are made. This is not often provided by the maker. Quad had been using Dovre foundries in Europe. Not sure who PE has contracted. Interesting question. The PE castings are done well. I haven't found flaws in the Alderlea castings.
 
BeGreen said:
north71 said:
PILE O' WOOD

A concern I had with the pacific energy T4 and the quad yosemite was premature failure where casting meets steel.

Also where are the castings for those two stoves made?

Any thoughts on burn time for these stoves [coals in the morning]
Click to expand...

The casting and the steel inner box don't meet. The cast iron jacket is mounted with spacers. I suspect the opportunity for failure here is approaching zero. Not sure where the castings are made. This is not often provided by the maker. Quad had been using Dovre foundries in Europe. Not sure who PE has contracted. Interesting question. The PE castings are done well. I haven't found flaws in the Alderlea castings.
Click to expand...

No flaws here, fit and finish is excellent. The cast looks great, but does need more occasional dusting than a plain steel stove. About the only drawback, if you call it that.
 
moosetrek

Thank you for the responce

Any dislikes about your stove?

I have not seen this stove in person only pictures on this site and noticed some rust around the door hinge. Is this comon?

Have you used a solid cast stove in comparison?

I realy like the features of the alderlea line

BeGreen

As I stated above I have not seen this alderlea in person I asumed that with the door seal on the casting that the casting must be sealed to the steel.

Thank You for your responce.

North71
 
Rust on the hinge should be uncommon and unrelated to the brand of the stove. Any stove could have this happen if kept in a high humidity environment.

The door seal to the body is insulated by the stove gasket. This is pretty common in most steel stoves which often have a cast iron door.
 
BeGreen

Thank you for the info.

I should have stated just painted castings as the experience I have had is with an old enamel stove that looked the same over the years.

Thank You again

North71
 
Anyone else have an opinion about these two stoves jotul f-400 vs alderlea T4 in regards toradiante vs convection and heat getting to the other end of the house?

Still no responce on burn time [coals in morning] for either stove

Thanks Again North71
 
No dislikes, and I probably overthought this as I do most purchases. I had an Englander before that and it was also an excellent stove, but it was a lot of radiant heat and much too intense for our old 900-sq ft house. This fit the bill because it works well in the small house, and if/when I move or add on it will come with me and be enough for a larger place. Well, actually, I disliked moving it into place since it weighs about 550 lbs. It also took me a while to get used to the convective heat, after being used to the other stoves. I have been around plenty of cast stoves, and do enjoy them - but I think a smaller home the swings of unshielded steel or cast are much more noticeable; the Alderlea stoves seem more of a "talk softly but carry a big stick". I'm sure there are other brands out there equal in performance and quality, but the solid reputation, heavy construction, simple design and good price were the deciding factors for me. I just think it's a good performing stove that the company got right, I definitely encourage you to check out some different brands in person though. Many folks seem to enjoy the catalytic stoves, I just didn't want something more complicated than one lever... :)
 
i too thought about a T4 for my basement room area. The area sectioned off that I wanted to heat is around 600sq ft, with the entire basement being around 800sq ft. Doing a lot of reading on the forum and discussing things with BG at length, before my purchase, I decided to get the T5 and couldn't be happier with that decision.

I never had concerns with build quality, as every many members have talked about the PE stoves being tanks and relatively low maintenance. The only concern I had, not knowing from experience myself, was it being too big for the space. Not so, at all. Like others have said, this baby runs just as well on 3 splits, as it does on 6 or 7. I have yet to "need" the blower, although I have used it just to see how it would work when I did need it in these coming months. Like stated above, on not so cold nights you would use just a few splits and no blower and on cold ones, throw a few more in and fire the blower up to move the air. Even with my stove cranking and blower on, you could sit in my recliner comfortably, and that chair is within 5ft - 6ft of the front of the stove. Burn time is great, and I haven't even come close to master it yet (getting 8hrs max so far), but to me, coming from my old Jotul 602, that's an eternity!!

You seem to mention all quality stoves in your post, so you probably can't go wrong with any. Only concern I see, as BW states, get your wood now. I would think any fuel you get now would have to wait to burn for next winter. I know I just had a cord delivered to my house this past Saturday, grabbed a split, split it down the middle, and stuck my moisture meter in the center. Reading = 31-33%!!!!! :bug:
 
raiderfan said:
You seem to mention all quality stoves in your post, so you probably can't go wrong with any. Only concern I see, as BW states, get your wood now. I would think any fuel you get now would have to wait to burn for next winter. I know I just had a cord delivered to my house this past Saturday, grabbed a split, split it down the middle, and stuck my moisture meter in the center. Reading = 31-33%!!!!! :bug:
Click to expand...

I was pretty comfortable recommending the T5 for your situation because the basement is uninsulated and there was a good opportunity for heat to get upstairs. For this smaller house I am on the fence about going larger, unless this is a very open floorplan. If it isn't I think the smaller Alderlea or Woodstock stove will suffice.

Sorry to hear about the wood, was it being sold as seasoned and ready to burn? If yes, 30+% moisture is grounds for a refund in this state.
 
To moosetrek Raiderfan and BeGreen Thank You for the information


The alderlea T4 sounds like it's pulling ahead of the jotul in comfort

How about burn time on T4

I called one dealer near by who had a T6 burning on the floor for the past year; however, they don't have it anymore and no alderleas on the floor to look at.

This is slowing my hopes of getting a stove this week since I have nothing to look at.

Thank You Again North71
 
I agree with BG that the smaller one may suffice, but I think the "felt" difference of either one idling in the room would be almost negligible. However, the potential to get more heat is very different between the stoves; the OP is in Michigan and my understanding is that it gets pretty cold and snowy up there at times... it might be prudent to have unneeded stove "capacity" and not need it than to be occasionally disappointed with something you spend a lot of effort and money on. It sounds like I'm not the only one that feels the stoves are pretty unobtrusive (both thermally and physically) in any size, so if you can squeeze the T5 in, you would likely not regret it. The T4 may also do just fine; but ask yourself if you would ever look at it and say"I wish it was bigger"? I opted to buy only once, and never have to worry about "if it will be enough". Some people are fine with buying the smallest size that will work, and if it ever needs help just use the furnace. Some people will freeze to popsicles before they'll ever turn on the backup heat (me), you know best which one you are and how you define the role of wood heat in your home.
 
moosetrek said:
The T4 may also do just fine; but ask yourself if you would ever look at it and say"I wish it was bigger"? I opted to buy only once, and never have to worry about "if it will be enough".
Click to expand...


Exactly the reason why I decided to get the T5. Didn't even want to entertain the thought of, "hmm... wonder what it would be like if I went one size bigger?" And like you say, was only making one purchase.

I actually ordered the T4 and then called back to change it to a T5. Glad I did.
 
BeGreen said:
raiderfan said:
Sorry to hear about the wood, was it being sold as seasoned and ready to burn? If yes, 30+% moisture is grounds for a refund in this state.
Click to expand...


Nah, he didn't advertise it either way. I already have over a cord stacked from last winter, for this year. So I decided to just grab another cord now for next year, for the heck of it. I ordered last years in early February and stacked it then. (Content is now 15-17%, I was actually pleasantly surprised at that.) Decided to order next years now, instead of waiting another few months.

I was just interested to see what he delivered, as he said he had one more delivery after mine. So I figure somebody will be burning the stuff that he brings, this winter!!
Click to expand...
 
I've got a new F400 and I'm loving it. It has the navy blue enamel, which passed muster with my "design committee" (She who must be obeyed.) I use it for supplemental heat, and it has not yet gotten truly frigid here in the Heart of Dixie, but I think it would not be a problem for your sized living space. For whatever reason, it drafts like a jet airplane...leave the door ajar and you'd better stand next to it before it shoots up to 700 degrees! You can choke a hot fire down pretty quickly, and I've never had a need to open it up full throttle...it would probably run me out of the room. Secondary burn is pretty dramatic....like a row of cutting torches all going at once.

I should warn you that I initially had a problem with the damper. It just wasn't regulating, open or closed made not a bit of difference. So, I got on here and the problem was diagnosed very quickly. The internal damper slide had bounced off of the control lever, which I assume happened on the boat ride over, or somewhere in transit. Easy fix: Take off the restrictor plate and drop the slide back on the lever arm and good to go. If your Jotul's lever has no resistance, and you don't here that slide scrape when you move it, you've got the same problem.

You are also dead-on regarding the level of workmanship on a Jotul. My last stove was a DutchWest catalytic, which I understand is not the most admired of stoves, but the price was right. The Jotul approximates the efficiency of that stove, is more compact, is more massive and you don't have to futz with a catalytic element and an extra damper.

Hope this helps.
 
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