Dutchwest catalytic stove replacement?

[Kimkats417]

I would get a non catalytic stove and these are the brands that are sold locally - are there any to strictly avoid, or some that are better than others? I have plenty of dry wood available for the getting so using dry wood isnt a problem.

hearthstone
quadra-fire
vermont castings
lopi
regency
empire

im sort of leaning toward lopi- they seem to have a good reputation and they look pretty simple to operate. I’d get one for about 2500 square feet. House is bigger than than but is designed weird so most of the area we actually live in is in the area that’s heated by the wood stove.
any advice or suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

 

[Mudgen]

I would get a non catalytic stove and these are the brands that are sold locally - are there any to strictly avoid, or some that are better than others? I have plenty of dry wood available for the getting so using dry wood isnt a problem.

hearthstone
quadra-fire
vermont castings
lopi
regency
empire

im sort of leaning toward lopi- they seem to have a good reputation and they look pretty simple to operate. I’d get one for about 2500 square feet. House is bigger than than but is designed weird so most of the area we actually live in is in the area that’s heated by the wood stove.
any advice or suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

The Lopi Evergreen qualifies for the US tax credit (2022 and 2023) and is one of the few non-cat units to do so. There are rumblings that Lopi is about to add a cat to the Evergreen, so time may be of the essence if that's a concern.

I just got the insert version and am very pleased with the choice. The company backstory is worth looking up and reading: the president is the engineering genius behind the stoves, but sold his company many years ago to a Mr. Travis, who owned the foundry that made his castings, because Mr. Travis knew how to run a business and he didn't. Mr. Travis asked him to stay on until he could find someone else, and forty years later he's still there. I'm told that Travis Industries has an employee of the month award, and that the winner and family get a week in Hawaii all expenses paid. Lopi is apparently a very minor part of his holdings.

 

[Woody Stover]

im sort of leaning toward lopi- they seem to have a good reputation and they look pretty simple to operate. I’d get one for about 2500 square feet. House is bigger than than but is designed weird so most of the area we actually live in is in the area that’s heated by the wood stove.

What's wrong with the Dutchwest? What model is it? Or do you just need more heat?
A friend was in the market for a stove recently, and we went to the local Lopi shop. I liked the Endeavor, one reason being the ease of the cast-iron grate ash-handling system. I don't know if that stove would be big enough, though. Has the house got good insulation and air-sealing?
The friend ended up getting a Pacific Energy stove..

 

[KDubU]

We had a Dutchwest many years ago. Not a bad stove but definitely not the “best” stove either. Out of your list only have experience with Hearthstone and have been very pleased with the stove we had.

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

I'll never get another cat stove. Way more expensive and high maintenance. You could buy more gas, fuel oil.... for what you pay for them and it costs to keep them running. Had a Vermont Castings.. What a waste of money.

 

[EbS-P]

Add pacific energy, Drolet and Osborn, to your list.

 

[bholler]

I'll never get another cat stove. Way more expensive and high maintenance. You could buy more gas, fuel oil.... for what you pay for them and it costs to keep them running. Had a Vermont Castings.. What a waste of money.

Don't judge cat stoves based upon your experience with a VC stove. They are definitely one of the worst examples of cat stoves

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

Don't judge cat stoves based upon your experience with a VC stove. They are definitely one of the worst examples of cat stoves

So what is a good model, low maintenace, long life between rebuild?

 

[bholler]

So what is a good model, low maintenace, long life between rebuild?

Blaze king, regency, Woodstock, buck, all have proven designs. And there are many other newer designs on the market. Many of them will be very good as well. And none of them will need more than occasional gaskets and a new cat every 10000 to 15000 hours. They don't have the expensive and delicate combustion chambers that vc does

 

[Woody Stover]

I'll never get another cat stove. Way more expensive and high maintenance. You could buy more gas, fuel oil.... for what you pay for them and it costs to keep them running. Had a Vermont Castings.. What a waste of money.

What VC stove did you have?

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

What VC stove did you have?

I don't remeber now. That was over twent years ago. May have been the Encore. It had the double doors and the cat was at the back. Did have a nice swing out ash drawer though. One of the nicest ash drawer designs I've ever seen.

 

[Woody Stover]

I don't remeber now. That was over twent years ago. May have been the Encore. It had the double doors and the cat was at the back. Did have a nice swing out ash drawer though. One of the nicest ash drawer designs I've ever seen.

Yep, I love the ash grate feature..so much less hassle for a task one does fairly often. That's a reason I kept the Dutchwest for a backup stove to the Keystone, which also has a grate. We have no central heating, so it would be the range oven and a quartz heater otherwise. 😖
Yeah, the old VC downdraft stoves were notoriously finicky to run and expensive to maintain. Drop-dead gorgeous, though! 😎
There are guys here that run them, stove nerds, but they're not good stoves for casual users unless they enjoy the challenge of a steep learning curve and like tinkering. 😯
A guy up the road had a Defiant for years, and never did figure it out. He gave up and got a Lopi Liberty. 😏

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

Hate to high jack the thread BUT.... I paid $2,600 for the stove, another $500 to install. Plus wood. I could buy a years worth of fuel oil for under $800. It lasted maybe six years before needing new cat, new gaskets. Rebuild was like another 2k when you include shipping/transport. 2k plus 3.1k plus wood for a 6 year run..... I was not saving any money with that stove. It worked fine. I loved how it ran. Easy to figure out for me

 

[bholler]

Hate to high jack the thread BUT.... I paid $2,600 for the stove, anther $500 to install. Plus wood. I could buy a years worth of fuel oil for under $800. It lasted maybe six years before needing new cat, new gaskets. Rebuild was like another 2k when you include shipping/transport. 2k plus 3.1k plus wood for a 6 year run..... I was not saving any money with that stove. It worked fine. I loved how it ran. Easy to figure out for me

If you used it full time it needed a new cat before 6 years. They typically last 2 to 3 years for a full time burner. But other cat stoves don't need a rebuild. Just slide in a new cat every few years. At $200 to $300

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

If you used it full time it needed a new cat before 6 years. They typically last 2 to 3 years for a full time burner. But other cat stoves don't need a rebuild. Just slide in a new cat every few years. At $200 to $300

This thing had double doors, 2 gaskets. It had a nice ash drawer, one more gasket. It had top load griddle, another gasket and the cat had a gasket as well. In my most humble opinion the stove looks pretty but isn't worth it's looks.

 

[bholler]

This thing had double doors, 2 gaskets. It had a nice ash drawer, one more gasket. It had top load griddle, another gasket and the cat had a gasket as well. In my most humble opinion the stove looks pretty but isn't worth it's looks.

I completely agree I am not a fan of them at all

 

[BKVP]

The Lopi Evergreen qualifies for the US tax credit (2022 and 2023) and is one of the few non-cat units to do so. There are rumblings that Lopi is about to add a cat to the Evergreen, so time may be of the essence if that's a concern.

I just got the insert version and am very pleased with the choice. The company backstory is worth looking up and reading: the president is the engineering genius behind the stoves, but sold his company many years ago to a Mr. Travis, who owned the foundry that made his castings, because Mr. Travis knew how to run a business and he didn't. Mr. Travis asked him to stay on until he could find someone else, and forty years later he's still there. I'm told that Travis Industries has an employee of the month award, and that the winner and family get a week in Hawaii all expenses paid. Lopi is apparently a very minor part of his holdings.

Travis is his first name. Garske is his last name. Very successful business man with multiple companies in his portfolio.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I would get a non catalytic stove and these are the brands that are sold locally - are there any to strictly avoid, or some that are better than others? I have plenty of dry wood available for the getting so using dry wood isnt a problem.

hearthstone
quadra-fire
vermont castings
lopi
regency
empire

im sort of leaning toward lopi- they seem to have a good reputation and they look pretty simple to operate. I’d get one for about 2500 square feet. House is bigger than than but is designed weird so most of the area we actually live in is in the area that’s heated by the wood stove.
any advice or suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

If you want to expand your search beyond "locally available" check out the following link. I believe it's SBI's retail web outlet.

Free shipping!

SBI has a number of different stove brands under their umbrella, probably all good choices.

I ordered my stove off the site, and it showed up at my house in a stout crate. Could not have been happier with the experience. And did I say free shipping!?

Pellet

Pellet

myfireplaceproducts.com

 

[sneefy]

I just finished a home build and have a Lopi Evergreen. Love it.

My local stove shop (that's been around forever) is the Lopi dealer that I bought from and they did the install. The guy I spoke to when I put down my deposit on the stove relayed to me that apparently a VP at Lopi was there last spring and said that they plan to add a cat to the Evergreen.

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

I would get a non catalytic stove and these are the brands that are sold locally - are there any to strictly avoid, or some that are better than others? I have plenty of dry wood available for the getting so using dry wood isnt a problem.

hearthstone
quadra-fire
vermont castings
lopi
regency
empire

im sort of leaning toward lopi- they seem to have a good reputation and they look pretty simple to operate. I’d get one for about 2500 square feet. House is bigger than than but is designed weird so most of the area we actually live in is in the area that’s heated by the wood stove.
any advice or suggestions would be most welcome! Thanks!

I would avoid Vermont Castings. Read below. High cost, high maintenece costs.

 

[sneefy]

I would avoid Vermont Castings. Read below. High cost, high maintenece costs.

From what I gather they are possibly the most overrated manufacturer.

Hearthstone isn't far behind. The dealer I bought the Lopi from also sold Hearthstone. They are beautiful stoves, but he did volunteer that the usage of soapstone as firebrick was just silly.

 

[begreen]

In my most humble opinion the stove looks pretty but isn't worth it's looks.

VC still has some of the finest castings and best-looking, classical-styled wood stoves on the market. The refractory assembly materials have been notably improved and they finally have the support of a good parent company. This engenders a loyal following that likes the top-loading, thermostatic design. I understand why many still love them. Not for me, however, as my cousin used to say, "ya can't eat the view". My preference for a long-lasting heater is the KISS design.

 

[Queequeg From Rokovoko]

VC still has some of the finest castings and best-looking, classical-styled wood stoves on the market. The refractory assembly materials have been notably improved and they finally have the support of a good parent company. This engenders a loyal following that likes the top-loading, thermostatic design. I understand why many still love them. Not for me, however, as my cousin used to say, "ya can't eat the view". My preference for a long-lasting heater is the KISS design.

Too many penitrations, openings, gaskets, potential leaks.... Begs for higher maintenance over time.