Decision time: Jotul Castine or Hampton H300?

[jzinckgra]

Trying to decide between these two stoves. Had the installer come over and go over all options for install, stack height, etc. At 1st I was set on the Oslo, but the stove will be on the 2nd floor in a large family room (~900sqft) and he thought the Oslo would be too much stove. Got me thinking about the Castine. Eventually he brought up the Hampton H300 which is part cast iron and steel. I was mainly set on the jotul due to their great reviews but also their looks. However, the H300 looks decent as well. We just don't want one of those square steel stoves (no offense to those that have them). He stated the H300 would be the best of both worlds where you have the looks and radiant heat nature due to the cast iron, but also the steel which will allow for quicker warm up, including some sort of convection tubes on the back that we could add the blower to. I read some reports about the H300, but most are the insert model.

Although the stove would mainly heat the big room, I'd like to draw as much heat down the hallway to the bedrooms with some fans if possible. So I guess the big question is which stove? I'd prefer a side load door as well and can't tell if the Castine has one. The H300 has one on the right side.

 

[firefighterjake]

I believe the Castine only loads from the front unfortunately.

 

[summit]

side loads on all the hamptons that i have seen are very narrow and short... its hard to load more than one good chunck thru it before you have to use the front door... i would re-eval the oslo.

 

[Later]

We put in a Castine last January and love it. we had initially ordered an Oslo but due to our corner installation we would have needed to block/lock the side door and use the front only. I don't regret for one minute getting the Castine - it''s a wonderful stove - drives us out of the room on days above 30*.

 

[begreen]

Welcome jz. To better understand the installation location can you describe the 2nd floor layout? How high is the ceiling in the big room? How open to the hallway is it, one door or an large opening? What is the overall sq ftg of the 2nd floor. Is there already a stove on the 1st fl?

And to understand the range of stoves you've looked at, have you also looked at the Quadrafire Cumberland Gap and the Hearthstone Shelburne? Have you considered a medium-sized soapstone stove or catalytic stove like those made by Woodstock? In order of priority, how would you rank 1) appearance, 2) heating 3) frequency of loading 4) clearances to combustibles 5) hearth requirements?

 

[Bridget Bailey]

Hello,

I am also looking at getting the H300. I did most of my research here: (broken link removed).

They also have the manual right online at:
(broken link removed).

I always read the manual before buying anything!

Another thing you should consider when making your decision is the Federal 2009 / 2010 Tax Credit. The H300 qualifies for the credit. That's a 30% discount right there! I will be using the H300 in my basement. We have a small ranch style home (927sq ft) with vents in all the floors. We plan to heat our entire house with the H300. I was actually trying to find advice on where to buy new vents and your posting caught my eye.

Well hope this helps...

Bridget

 

[jzinckgra]

Welcome jz. To better understand the installation location can you describe the 2nd floor layout? How high is the ceiling in the big room? How open to the hallway is it, one door or an large opening? What is the overall sq ftg of the 2nd floor. Is there already a stove on the 1st fl?

And to understand the range of stoves you've looked at, have you also looked at the Quadrafire Cumberland Gap and the Hearthstone Shelburne? Have you considered a medium-sized soapstone stove or catalytic stove like those made by Woodstock? In order of priority, how would you rank 1) appearance, 2) heating 3) frequency of loading 4) clearances to combustibles 5) hearth requirements?

Regarding the second floor: it is wide open (28x32') with a 13ft cathedral ceiling. That room then goes to my office door which then goes to the rest of the upstairs (2 baths, 3 bedrooms). The stove would be kaddie cornered on the far end of the room and about 28' away from the doorway. There is no other stove in the house, only baseboard hot water. At this point, I have already paid two different dealers to come to the house and do a survey. Both dealers sell either Jotul, VC, Hampton or Regency stoves. I'd rather just go with one of the dealers at this point and not start looking at other dealers that carry quadrafire or other stoves.

I would rate the heating output as 1st, followed by appearance, freq. of loading, clearance, then hearth. In fact we are getting an estimate on having a guy custom install either slate or tile around the stove rather then use a hearthpad. The room is very large and I am not stuck on having the stove up against the wall, so sticking out 18" for a kaddie corner install is fine with me.

 

[stoveguy13]

I think you will be to small with both of the stoves you are looking at the oslo would be a better choice if it is going to be your main heat source. i would say the same thing for you as well bridget.

 

[begreen]

If these are the choice in your area, then no problem sticking with the plan. I'm skeptical about heating more than the room, especially if there's a connecting office in between. Seems like you are getting decent advice if the room is well insulated. Is there a ceiling fan in the room. That will help, otherwise heat stratification at the ceiling will be a likely issue. This could make it be like 72 at sitting level and be 100 at ceiling level.

 

[jzinckgra]

there are two large ceiling fans so that should push a lot of the hot air back down. The installer really thought the oslo would be overkill for 900sqft. Granted, if I could be assured of moving all the heat throughout the entire upstairs I might consider going larger. What I don't want to happen is having to choke the stove way down due to the main room getting too hot, then ending up with more creosote buildup and a poor fire. I'm going to take a look at the H300 tomorrow.

 

[jzinckgra]

Also just noticed on my quote that the H300 is $2242.00. I was quoted $2133 for the Oslo from another dealer, so a lot more stove for less. But, does it make sense to use the Oslo in a room our size....even if some of the heat will get to the bedrooms. Just to mention, the 1st quote I got from one dealer to install the Oslo was $5106 and the 2nd dealer to install the H300 is $4570. This includes all material/labor.

 

[summit]

there are two large ceiling fans so that should push a lot of the hot air back down. The installer really thought the oslo would be overkill for 900sqft. Granted, if I could be assured of moving all the heat throughout the entire upstairs I might consider going larger. What I don't want to happen is having to choke the stove way down due to the main room getting too hot, then ending up with more creosote buildup and a poor fire. I'm going to take a look at the H300 tomorrow.

if you do not need all the heat, simply do not put so much wood in the fire. most people make the mistake of loading up a stove to the gils, and then shutting the air control down to regulate the heat output. In fact, unless you are filling her up for the night, you should do the opposite; put in less wood, and leave the air control more open, thus you have an acive flame and low soot buildup. you can achieve the same heat output from the larger stove as you can achieve from the smaller units if you just ration the BTU load you are stuffing in there.. You will be glad that you have the larger stove about mid january when oil is $4 a gal and temps outside are -20.

 

[Bridget Bailey]

Hello jzinckgra,

Just so you know I got my H300 from Houseneeds.com in VT for $2017.80. They delivered it right to my house. My install is only going to be $400. With the tax credit thats only $1345.2 for the stove and $280 for the install!

Good luck with which ever stove you choose!

Bye!
Bridget

 

[jzinckgra]

I ended up going with the H300. In the end it was going to be cheaper. We got it for $1985.. Total install, stove cost will be $4200. The owner of the shop really knows his stoves and insisted the 300 would work well. Plus the tax writeoff is a nice plus.

 

[Skyland]

I own a Hampton H300 and love it! It heats my 2000 sq ft ranch much better than the Osburn pellet stove we have at the other end of the house. The pellet stove heated up my kitchen just fine last winter but left the rest of the house chilly even with 3 fans running. My electric ran over $30 more a month too. The other downside of the pellet stove is the worry about finding good pellets and lugging those 40 lb bags up from the basement (I'm a 66 yr old 95 lb female). Usually hubby does it but a shoulder injury has put him out of commission. However, the biggest downside of the pellet stove is the NOISE. I can hardly stand it. Perhaps my ears are more sensitive than most but that fan noise drives me crazy. I'll probably only use it when the temps get below zero.

Now, my Hampton is wonderful. The noise from the fan is quiet even on high and that stove can put out the heat. Also, it's an attractive stove, efficient and qualifies for the tax credit. Yes, there's cleaning to be done but no big deal. And I'm able to carry in several logs at a time without breaking my back. And, on top of that, if we lose power (which happens once in a while in the rural area where I live) I still have heat and would be able to cook on it as well. A good quality stove overall, in my opinion.

Maine coast dweller high on a hill overlooking Eastport, Lubec
and Campobello Island.