Considering buying a used jotul firelight (details and photo included)

[greenearth]

Hello! This forum has been so much help for me already. I was hoping for some help with picking a wood stove for our home. 1,600 sq ft ranch(3 bedrooms and bath on one end and kitchen on the other-the current fireplace is located in the center of the house). Our windows are ok(not great) and our home was insulated(walls, attic/basement) last year. The current fireplace is right across from the front entry door.

I found a used jotul firelight. Seller says it's about 6 years old and loads in front and on top, he says it's in excellent condition and only used it around the holidays when he had company over. Her claims there are no cracks or warping. He says he paid $1,700 and is asking $600.

The dimensions of my fireplace are 27" high and 34" wide. If the measurements on Jotul's site are the same for this model then it won't fit IN my fireplace but I was hoping my hubbie and I could build it a stone platform IN FRONT of current fireplace and seal it up. This will be our very first wood stove but my husband is quite handy and will do the install himself.

Questions: In your opinion is this stove a good deal?
Do you know what the model # is?
Is the 6 year old number pretty accurate?
Is this older stove efficient enough to work well for us?
How difficult is it to convert a existing fireplace to allow a free standing wood stove.
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[begreen]

Hopefully Summit will catch this post. I'm not sure what the last year was for the foot pedal model but it may be more than 6 years old. Is this the cat model? Look or ask for a clear photo of the UL label on the back of the stove. That should provide more info.

If the stove is in good condition, no cracks on inside plates, grate or inside base around the grate, then it looks like a nice deal. If cat, that should be checked, but not a show stopper.

 

[jotulguy]

That is the cat model. I am pretty sure it has been over 6 years since they have made it. I would guess its been closer to 10 years ago since it was in the line up.

 

[cptoneleg]

Nice looking sove.

 

[begreen]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. Do they date them on the UL tag?

GE, check the cat. If it is shot (honeycomb crumbling) then you may have a little negotiation room. A new cat will cost about $200. If the stove has the original cat, maybe ask for $100 off to defray the cost of a new one.

 

[maxed_out]

are the new ones (fireview) cat also? how much does a fresh one run? I guess we are also right up against the tax credit deadline if you go that way.

 

[BrowningBAR]

are the new ones (fireview) cat also? how much does a fresh one run? I guess we are also right up against the tax credit deadline if you go that way.

I think you meant Firelight, not Fireview. But no, the F600 is not a cat stove.

The Woodstock Fireview is, though.

 

[greenearth]

Thanks so much for all the comments so far.
I really love the look of this stove. It's just beautiful.
But, considering the age of this stove would my money be better spent getting a new stove at lowes or home depot before the 31st to get the tax credit.



By the way, is cat or non-cat better? "Better" to me means easier to use and/ or more efficient.

 

[maxed_out]

Thanks BrowningBAR...mea culpa.

 

[begreen]

Can you go and check the stove out in person? If it's been well cared for, this could be a good deal. But if you feel better about getting a new, Englander TimberRidge 30NC and take the tax credit, then I understand.

 

[Fsappo]

Thats a cat stove thats about 10 years old probably. We used to use one in our showroom. Great stove with long burn times. Worth every bit of $600 if theres nothing wrong with it. As suggested, check the plates for cracking, signs of overheating, warping and also the cat.

 

[greenearth]

Anyone happen know how many sq ft it heats. It's not listed in the manual online that I found.

 

[begreen]

Roughly I would guess 1800-2500 sq ft. depending on location and house insulation. If you are in serious heating territory with so-so insulation it should work ok.

 

[branchburner]

If it's in good shape, as claimed, that's a great deal. That model would be the top of my list for used stoves: a large, top-loading, catalytic Jotul. What's not to like?

 

[gibson]

Would there still be parts available from Jotul, specific to the cat? I agree that the stove appears to be in great cosmetic shape. For $600, if there is access to parts, it sounds like a great deal.

 

[OhioBurner©]

If it's in good shape, as claimed, that's a great deal. That model would be the top of my list for used stoves: a large, top-loading, catalytic Jotul. What's not to like?

+1

If you dont get it, and its anywhere close to me, let me know!

By the way, is cat or non-cat better? "Better" to me means easier to use and/ or more efficient.

Thats mostly a matter of opinion on which one is better. The stoves (cat vs non-cat) need to be operated differently so different learning curve. Cat models also relly on parts that will fail over time so you have a little higher planned maintanence to consider. Catalytic models will generally give the longest burn times. Easier? Maybe non-cat but hard to say. Newer EPA stoves can be a little finicky too, and require drier wood.

Just looking quick at some literature, like V.C. Defiant which is available in both cat and non cat the specs for BTU and heating area are the same but the cat is showing higher thermal efficiency, whereas the non cat is showing slightly lower emissions. Cat slightly longer burn time. Take that with a grain of salt though, dont know how accurate VC ratings are, just what I had handy to compare.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hmmm . . . seems as though this is a little older than stated, but not crazy old . . . pics look very nice . . . and the price seems pretty fair if it is in decent shape on the inside . . . I've seen lots of pics of stoves selling for near that amount that look as though they should be heading towards the scrap metal yard and not heating a home.

Plus . . . it seems as though is a good size for your home . . . if there are no obvious cracks or warping I would say it's a good deal. As others have said . . . if it's a cat stove be sure to check out the cat . . . but that for me would not be a deal breaker . . . if anything you could use that to maybe knock off another $50-$100 off the price if it needs replacing.

As for the cat vs. non-cat debate . . . there are many, many threads on this topic . . . at one time I was leery of cats . . . now I would not hesitate to get a stove with a cat . . . but just like any other modern stove you really want to have well seasoned wood . . . so if you are thinking about a stove for use next year you should be getting your wood now.