Does anyone have a Lopi Rockport? I was looking at a Vermont Castings Encore, but I can get a decent deal on a Rockport floor model. I was looking at the Encore because it can be burned both catalytic and non catalytic. The Rockport says it's hybrid, but I can't find any details on burning it non catalytic? I'm new to stoves, so any help or insight would be appreciated.
Lopi Rockport
- Thread starter Martlet
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If you want to burn without a cat get a non cat. Vc is the only one approved for both and most don't like the performance noncat. Even with the cat there are still some issues
Why do you want to do both? I would read up allot on vc before pulling the trigger on one
Because I have some wood that isn't the best and I don't always want to run a full burn for long periods all the time. My father has had VC stoves for decades.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
Burning wood that's not the best is a good way to ruin a cat.
It's also a good way to gunk up your chimney, regardless of whether you have a cat or noncat stove.
Just don't do it (burning wood that's not dry enough). Gunked up chimneys are a safety issue, as *all* chimney fires that burn down homes started with gunk in the chimney.
That's exactly why I want something that I can run both cat and non cat. I don't want to ruin it. I'll be burning seasoned wood, but in the shoulder seasons it's whatever falls on my land. I want to be able to burn cat and non cat.
But you need seasoned wood shoulder season or not that's the point. And vc stoves are incredibly picky about wood regardless
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I have seasoned would, shoulder season or not. It's just pine and other crap. I'll burn hardwood and all-night fires in the deep winter. I'll burn pine and whatever else falls to take the edge off in the shoulder seasons.
Personally, I think it matters because the cat gets ruined easier. I'm also looking at the Osburn 2000, which doesn't have the cat at all.
Yes cats are going to need replaced every 3 years or so. Yes they can be damaged. If you don't want to deal with that just get a non cat stove. If you want low and slow burns get a good cat stove.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
You say you are new to wood stoves and need help but insist on knowing better than people that know what they are talking about. Dry wood is required with ANY modern stove, regardless of it having a cat or not. Dry wood needs to sit after you split and stack it for a year minimum. Some hardwoods can take 2-3 years to get below 20% moisture content. Also today's VC stoves are a lot different than your father's decades old VC stoves. The new ones are much more difficult and can be very finicky. The osburn stoves are much more user friendly but they still require fully dry wood even though they don't have a cat.
That's not true at all. Where did I say anything about not burning dry wood? Correcting people who keep saying things I didn't, such as yourself, isn't the same as "knowing better". I am burning dry, seasoned wood. I've stated as much several times, yet people keep posting about not burning wet wood.
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