Any jotul firelight "cat" users out there?

[Diabel]

I have an opportunity to pick one of these up for for few hundred bucks...Can some of you experts comment on this stove....is it a good unit or not...? It is a 12 yr. old top loader in decent shape. The cast cover behind which the cat sits (I believe) is cracked. Where can I find a manual for this unit?

Thanks

 

[DAKSY]

Here it is...(maybe)

(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/FileArchive/Files/USA/Old) products/Old Stoves and inserts manuals/Jotul_12_Firelight_0910.PDF

BTW, a new Cat for that baby is about $350...

Just so you know...

 

[semipro]

We've had one for about 10 years in the basement and only recently stopped using it because we installed an Oslo upstairs. I would have moved it upstairs to use but it was too big.

I think its a great stove. It burns really cleanly once the catalytic converter lights off. Top loading can't be beat. Its amazing how much wood you can pack in that thing for a good long overnight burn. Ours has a pedal you push with your foot that opens the top door. That made loading really convenient.

The rear fire plates do crack but they're real easy to replace. It may overheat and crack if you leave the ash pan door open. The ash pan works well. I found a replacement catalytic element for ours for about $100. Its very east to replace (10 min.). I had to replace the rope gasket around the top door every few years but that was easy. We rarely opened the double front doors as wood went in the top and ash came out the bottom via the ash tray.

 

[Diabel]

Thanks for the replies, (*btw the link doesn't work).

Now, how would you rate that stove compare to VC encore non-cat? I am happy with my encore but in Jan & Feb the stove has a hard time keeping the main floor warm (1700sgf). My initial plan was to put the jotul is for the basement but if it heats better than the encore then I will put the encore in the basement. The firebox did not look much bigger than the encore though. What kind of burn times can I expect from that unit?

Thanks

 

[semipro]

You probably need to research and compare the specs for Encore versus Firelight. I think the Firelight has a bigger firebox and should have more heating capabilities.

 

[Diabel]

Yeah, the box looked a bit bigger. I think, the fact that it is a cat, it should heat better & longer. Is the cat placed in a refactory box like the encore cat? Man a manual would help. If it is, is the refactory box as fragile as the one on the encores?

How would you compare this stove to a current f600 in terms of performance?

Thanks

 

[semipro]

Yeah, the cat is inside a refractory box. I've had mine apart several times to clean it but have not damaged it.

I think the link to the manual above is good you'll just need to copy and paste it into a browser instead of trying to click on it.

Edit: I don't have a current F600 but the old Firelight I have definitely put our more heat than our non-cat Oslo.

Yeah, the box looked a bit bigger. I think, the fact that it is a cat, it should heat better & longer. Is the cat placed in a refactory box like the encore cat? Man a manual would help. If it is, is the refactory box as fragile as the one on the encores?

How would you compare this stove to a current f600 in terms of performance?

Thanks

 

[Diabel]

Thanks for the answers. Do you think 350.00 is fair price?

 

[semipro]

If there are no cracks in it other than the rear burn plate, yes. If its 12 year old and has been used all those years, its likely you're going to need to take it apart and rebuild it though. The cast iron panel castings are sealed with stove cement.

If you want something you can bring home, install, and fire up. this may not be the stove for you.

Thanks for the answers. Do you think 350.00 is fair price?

 

[dznam]

We've used our Firelight cat stove as our primary heat source since 1998 and it's still in great shape, showing zero signs of needing any rebuilding. We've owned other Jotuls for the long-haul (10-20 years and none of them showed any signs of needing a rebuild, either). Having said that, you'll need to check out the stove and make a judgement for yourself as to whether or not it's going to need one. IMO, a quality, properly operated cast stove shouldn't be needing a rebuild at 13 years unless it was abused or defective.

We replaced our cat this year for $125 and they're easily available from a number of online suppliers. It takes all of 5 minutes to replace the cat - remove burn plate, slide old cat out, slide new cat in and replace burn plate. We have not had a burn plate crack, but apparently it's not all that rare an occurance. I'd guess it's overfiring-related.

We love this stove - looong burn times, ease of toploading, prodigious heat output and high "controllability" of heat output, clean burning and good looking. Don't know how it compares to the non-cat VC, but relative to my dad's cat Defiant Encore (great stove btw - going on 20 years of full time burning) this stove has a significantly higher heat output and burn time. As it should - this stove is significantly larger than the Encore. It also has a significantly greater heat output and firebox size than the Oslo at the other end of our house.

If it's in good shape, $350 is a bargain.

 

[Diabel]

Thanks guys for all the info. & help in deciding. I went to the review section here & the reviews are pretty much split 50/50. I think I will go back to see the stove & take the cat out but I am pretty sure that I will not like what I find... Any idea how much the cracked burn plate will run? Can it be repaired? The stove does have that grayish tint to it....sign of hard work. It is completely black of soot in the firebox, this could be improper use or completely blocked cat right...

I will go see it tomorrow. How do you remove the burn plate? I noticed there was allen bolt at the top of the burn plate...remove that right...

Thanks

 

[semipro]

Thanks guys for all the info. & help in deciding. I went to the review section here & the reviews are pretty much split 50/50. I think I will go back to see the stove & take the cat out but I am pretty sure that I will not like what I find... Any idea how much the cracked burn plate will run? Can it be repaired? The stove does have that grayish tint to it....sign of hard work. It is completely black of soot in the firebox, this could be improper use or completely blocked cat right...

I will go see it tomorrow. How do you remove the burn plate? I noticed there was allen bolt at the top of the burn plate...remove that right...

Thanks

Yep, just that one bolt. Then you remove a refractory block that's behind that and the catalytic block is behind that. If the catalytic block is not physically degraded you can clean it up and try it out. A vacuum or compressed air works well.

I don't know how much the burn plate costs new but if the crack is not wide, a good welder might be able to fix it with pre-heating and some patience with some nickel rod.

 

[Fsappo]

The Firelight Cat will outheat an Encore by a large margin. Great stove, and for $350 and even spending $500 in parts to make it ready to go, it seems like a steal

 

[Diabel]

I will go see it once more & inspect it more closely. Will take the cat apart but I do not expect to see it in one piece. Hopefully he will drop the price a bit more.

Franks, the 500.00 you mentioned would that be just for the cat & new burn plate or for a rebuild?

 

[Diabel]

I will go see it once more & inspect it more closely. Will take the cat apart but I do not expect to see it in one piece. Hopefully he will drop the price a bit more.

Franks, the 500.00 you mentioned would that be just for the cat & new burn plate or for a rebuild in parts?

 

[Fsappo]

I will go see it once more & inspect it more closely. Will take the cat apart but I do not expect to see it in one piece. Hopefully he will drop the price a bit more.

Franks, the 500.00 you mentioned would that be just for the cat & new burn plate or for a rebuild in parts?

No idea, I was just deducting that from the previous comments

 

[Wet1]

That sounds like it could be a pretty good deal if the stove is in good shape. With that said, I don't think I'd buy a used stove in 2009 or 2010 given the 30% tax credit being offered...

 

[Fsappo]

That sounds like it could be a pretty good deal if the stove is in good shape. With that said, I don't think I'd buy a used stove in 2009 or 2010 given the 30% tax credit being offered...

Yeah, me either except to buy a similar stove you could pay close to 3K, 2100 with the tax credit, or 350+ some parts...a deal like that makes it tempting

 

[Wet1]

That sounds like it could be a pretty good deal if the stove is in good shape. With that said, I don't think I'd buy a used stove in 2009 or 2010 given the 30% tax credit being offered...

Yeah, me either except to buy a similar stove you could pay close to 3K, 2100 with the tax credit, or 350+ some parts...a deal like that makes it tempting

Tempting yes, but how much life is actually left in the old stove? To me going new makes a lot more sense with the gov giving us 30% off. The only way I'd go used is if money was really tight, but I think this option could end up costing more in the long run. Remember, this tax credit is probably one of those once in a lifetime things so I grab the opportunity while it's here!

 

[Fsappo]

I agree with you, Wet, but aside from replacing cats and parts, that stove should last 50 years. Still, if I could afford it I would use this chance to get a new stove. Remember, you still need to lay out the 3 grand up front. There's a lot of folks these days who just cant afford to lay out the cash for a qualifying stove, unless they go with a big box store version. This may be the OPs only way to get his hands on a quality peice of hardware that looks nice.

 

[Diabel]

I don't believe we get the 30% credit in Canada.

 

[Wet1]

Sorry Diabel, I missed that you live in Canada.

 

[jugarf]

Am I missing something here? I just looked at the Jotul F 600 Firelight yesterday and it is a non-cat stove. I have the latest brochure and on the specs pages none of the Jotul models have catalytic converters. Are you guys talking about the Jotul or the Woodstock Fireview? I'm confused!

 

[Diabel]

Am I missing something here? I just looked at the Jotul F 600 Firelight yesterday and it is a non-cat stove. I have the latest brochure and on the specs pages none of the Jotul models have catalytic converters. Are you guys talking about the Jotul or the Woodstock Fireview? I'm confused!

Jotul discontinued this cat line about 12yrs. ago I believe.