2010 Jotul 350 Winterport - worth buying? Good Reviews?

[JJNelli]

I have heard Jotuls are good stoves. I ran across this wood stove insert for sale by me - asking $650. The blower doesn’t work. (I am hoping I can buy a new one and replace. Is this possible?) They have owned it for 9 years. Were these stoves efficient when made 9-10 years ago? I thought there was an air wash on them, but the glass in this one is so sooty. Do you think they were burning wet wood or small fires that did not get hot enough? I also heard that since the Jotul stoves are cast iron, they are hard to light and get going. (I also have a 35-40ft chimney, does this add to the mix?)

I was also contemplating to buy a brand new Blaze King Princess insert. I found one for $2900, which is kind of out of my price range, but I like that they can burn (on low) for 20+ hours.
I just got quoted a price for the install: $3500 Which is nearly a grand more than the actual stove costs. The guy wanted to charge me $275 for picking it up (an hour out of his way, and bringing it into my house) is this normal?

I don’t plan on staying in this home more than a year or so, but would take the Princess with me. If I settled on the Jotul, I would leave it. (It adds to the decor and that would save me from putting up a new damper once the insert is removed).

This will be my first wood stove. Can anyone refer me to a good installer in the metro Detroit area? I know my liner should cost about $800, $1200 if insulated. Putting the liner down my chimney, bringing the stove in, and connecting everything should not cost over $2,000 by itself, right? If only I was big and strong, I would do it myself.

Also, the guy who quoted me said he will not put roxul insulation behind the stove as this will cause the stove to overheat and is against code? I have read of a lot of people doing this, so I am confused by this. He also said he doesn’t insulate above the top plate, but would if I wanted and he had extra insulation in his van. I have heard that insulating the top plate stops significant heat loss. Is this right?

Thank you!!

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Search threads under the Jotul 550 which is the bigger but structurally identical stove to the 350. I bet you’ll find great info there.
I have the 550, it’s good but is a flush insert that was designed with a big focus on looks. Thus, certain practical features were neglected such as no ash lip, which can be a pain.

 

[begreen]

The 350 is a good unit, but a bit small. It's hard to say from just this picture but that insert does not look well cared for. If the paint is actually turning grey, walk away.

Yes, a 35-40' flue can be a problem. For many stoves that could draw too hard, but in some cases when this is a basement install, the opposite happens and it doesn't draw well due to negative pressure in the room. How well does the fireplace work now?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

The “shroud” (the top part of insert that resembles sheet metal) appears to be caving in in middle part of the insert. That would have to be repaired before use unless I’m looking at an optical illusion.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

The 350 is a good unit, but a bit small. It's hard to say from just this picture but that insert does not look well cared for. If the paint is actually turning grey, walk away.

Yes, a 35-40' flue can be a problem. For many stoves that could draw too hard, but in some cases when this is a basement install, the opposite happens and it doesn't draw well due to negative pressure in the room. How well does the fireplace work now?

I agree, this unit looks a bit off. The parts that appear gray tend to be in areas that I would not expect stove to get overheated. I does not looked very cared for though.

 

[begreen]

You can buy a new, medium-sized insert for about $1100-1200. Look at the Englander 13NCi, Drolet 1880i and Century inserts. Whatever goes in, I would plan on adding a flue damper coming off the stove.

 

[spudman99]

I just purchased a Princess Insert 2 months ago, your price is couple hundred less than I paid. Great stove that gets me 12 hour burns without fail but my house is difficult to heat (lots of heat loss that I need to address). Keep in mind if you plan on taking the Princess you will have to put something back in its place. That takes you back to @begreen and his suggestion for an Englander. If it were me and I was only gonna be there 2 year I would probably skip the whole thing.

That assumes you have a wood supply ready and split and stacked and below 20% moisture. You said its your first stove so that would be my question. No stove you install will work well if you have subpar wood, and if you are moving in 2-3 years you will likely not be happy the whole time. Go cheap, get your wood now and try it out. Perhaps a Princess in your next location.

 

[Bad LP]

I gotta agree with the others. That stove looks like it was beat on. Maybe from being too small and running it hard to make up for it.

 

[jatoxico]

Very hard to tell from pictures but everything is grey, stove, bricks all of it. I'm not surprised the fans stopped working, prob caked with ash. If the fire brick and upper baffles (inc skamol) are intact it may be OK but if the fans are not repairable you should know the replacements are not cheap. If that's the case you can prob do better or just go with a New Englander as mentioned.