Questions about reliability

[snowtime]

New here so some back-round. I live in the bush in northern BC. and as we get snowed in maintenance is a real issue with me. We have a wood electric furness but the weakness of this forced air system is electricity. Normally being the last customer on a long bush road when we loose power in winter sometimes the repair crews can not come out until spring. We then use our diesel gen set to tide over to spring. With the rising fuel prices we have decided to go all wood so as not to need the gen set. My point is if I buy a stove and it gives me trouble I might not be able to repair it until spring. I am handy and keep major supplies and parts for all of our equipment even so I want a reliable fixable stove. We have a cook stove in the outdoor kitchen and want to keep it there as summer canning heats the house to much.
So I am looking at top loading stoves such as the Harman Oakwood, VC Defiant. One of the questions I have is smoke a problem from top loaders? I assume you do not fill unless dampre open and only coals on bed? Also do they have more maintenance troubles? If so then I am thinking of going with a Jotul F6oo Firelight. Our house is very well insulated with items such as triple glazing 24" of fiberglass in roof etc. As we get from 26' to 30' of snow I built the log house as a 3 story with 1200 sqft per story. The stove will only heat the main floor as our basement is loaded with our supplies for the year and we need low temps down there. Also what parts do I need so that I can fix any issues with the new stove. I am thinking glass, baffles and of course gaskets. Anything else. Its a 3 hour drive to the nearest town with a dealer so I will probably order by phone then go and pick up. This means I need to know my stuff ahead of time. Thanks

 

[DriftWood]

A new stove should give you a easy year or two,with little no issues. And them maybe just door gaskets. You are right about gaskets, glue,baffles and maybe glass. Any steel or iron parts are replace as they brake anyway. Besides when cabin fever sets in any excuse to get out is a good one.

 

[MANIAC]

New here so some back-round. I live in the bush in northern BC. and as we get snowed in maintenance is a real issue with me. We have a wood electric furness but the weakness of this forced air system is electricity. Normally being the last customer on a long bush road when we loose power in winter sometimes the repair crews can not come out until spring. We then use our diesel gen set to tide over to spring. With the rising fuel prices we have decided to go all wood so as not to need the gen set. My point is if I buy a stove and it gives me trouble I might not be able to repair it until spring. I am handy and keep major supplies and parts for all of our equipment even so I want a reliable fixable stove. We have a cook stove in the outdoor kitchen and want to keep it there as summer canning heats the house to much.
So I am looking at top loading stoves such as the Harman Oakwood, VC Defiant. One of the questions I have is smoke a problem from top loaders? I assume you do not fill unless dampre open and only coals on bed? Also do they have more maintenance troubles? If so then I am thinking of going with a Jotul F6oo Firelight. Our house is very well insulated with items such as triple glazing 24" of fiberglass in roof etc. As we get from 26' to 30' of snow I built the log house as a 3 story with 1200 sqft per story. The stove will only heat the main floor as our basement is loaded with our supplies for the year and we need low temps down there. Also what parts do I need so that I can fix any issues with the new stove. I am thinking glass, baffles and of course gaskets. Anything else. Its a 3 hour drive to the nearest town with a dealer so I will probably order by phone then go and pick up. This means I need to know my stuff ahead of time. Thanks

Don't have a lot of burn time in my Oakwood yet but smoke has not been an issue with the top load and bypass damper open regardless of the coal bed/wood load.

As I said I am new to the stove but so far I love it!

 

[BrotherBart]

Not one top loader owner of any brand has complained of smoke escaping during loading in the two years I have been hanging out on the Forum. They love the dang things and I can't say as I blame them.

 

[webbie]

Snow, the fact is that some of these models are new in the last year or two, and just like with cars you are not going to get a good idea of long term reliability until 4 or 5 years down the road. To complicate that, Harman is going though a sale and reorg right now, and we have no idea what the end result would be. Not to knock these stoves, but if you want something REALLY tried and true, you should get something that has been out there (on the market) for 5 years or more, and from a company that is not in flux.

At least then you are likely to know which parts would tend to go.....

My opinion only...you are definitely the customer "On the desert island".

 

[begreen]

The Jotul is a very reliable stove and a simpler design that makes it easier to maintain. If you prefer top loaders, I would also look at the Quadrafire Isle Royale. It has a big firebox and has been around for a while now. Another great stove to consider is the Morso 3610. And one more to look at would be the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6. This is a steel stove, with a cast iron jacket. It's based on the PE Summit which is made in BC and has a good track record.

 

[snowtime]

Thank's for the ideas guys. I will look into the other models you suggest.

 

[Gooserider]

New here so some back-round. I live in the bush in northern BC. and as we get snowed in maintenance is a real issue with me. We have a wood electric furness but the weakness of this forced air system is electricity. Normally being the last customer on a long bush road when we loose power in winter sometimes the repair crews can not come out until spring. We then use our diesel gen set to tide over to spring. With the rising fuel prices we have decided to go all wood so as not to need the gen set. My point is if I buy a stove and it gives me trouble I might not be able to repair it until spring. I am handy and keep major supplies and parts for all of our equipment even so I want a reliable fixable stove. We have a cook stove in the outdoor kitchen and want to keep it there as summer canning heats the house to much.
So I am looking at top loading stoves such as the Harman Oakwood, VC Defiant. One of the questions I have is smoke a problem from top loaders? I assume you do not fill unless dampre open and only coals on bed? Also do they have more maintenance troubles? If so then I am thinking of going with a Jotul F6oo Firelight. Our house is very well insulated with items such as triple glazing 24" of fiberglass in roof etc. As we get from 26' to 30' of snow I built the log house as a 3 story with 1200 sqft per story. The stove will only heat the main floor as our basement is loaded with our supplies for the year and we need low temps down there. Also what parts do I need so that I can fix any issues with the new stove. I am thinking glass, baffles and of course gaskets. Anything else. Its a 3 hour drive to the nearest town with a dealer so I will probably order by phone then go and pick up. This means I need to know my stuff ahead of time. Thanks

First I'd pick a model that doesn't depend on a blower to distribute heat for obvious reasons... Top loaders don't seem to be a smoke problem, the basic idea is to open the bypass damper first, let them burn for a bit then slowly open the lid. The stove will draft through the open lid keeping the smoke under control.

As to brands - I'd consider a soapstone model since you sound like the perfect example of a 24/7 burner, and would benefit from the smoother heat output of a soapstone Hearthstone and Woodstock both have excellent reputations for making nice heating, bulletproof stoves. On the opposite end of the cost spectrum, Englander makes a solid stove, and is designed to be user friendly and serviceable. I would tend to avoid Harman right now given the financial problems and questions about the recent buyout they've gone through - their products are solid but the current situation leaves me uncertain about the future of parts availability and such. VC's are nice, but there are a fair number of reports that suggest they may not hold up as well as other stoves under heavy use - given your location this could be an issue. Jotul is Norwegian and are used to building stoves for cold climates - again a good reputation. Many of our far northern members also say good things about Blaze King.

On the parts list, I would probably add an extra cat (if a cat stove) or secondary burn tubes, and other related internal parts for the firebox. For most I'd say it was a waste, but in your shoes I'd probably want to have all the parts needed to rebuild the inside of the firebox from scratch. I'd also add a few lengths of your favorite stovepipe.

Gooserider