Hi Hearth Community,
I'm relatively new to the wood-burning world, so go easy on me.
I'm am in the process of a renovation and looking for a wood stove as the primary heat for our master bed/bath/dining/living/kitchen area, which is approximately 1200 sqft. I recently made a visit to a hearth store in VT and the sales rep was encouraging us toward the Hearthstone line, particularly the Green Mountain 40. He noted the 2020 EPA updates which meant that most of what he was selling he couldn't comment on the long-term (or even short term) reliability of the models in store. He talked up the hybrid tech with the secondary burn and the catalyst combustor needed to reduce the g/hr CO2 output to meet the new EPA standards.
I've seen some folks commenting on the stoves in this line in other threads and there seem to be some concerns about the long-term reliability of the new EPA compliant stoves in general, including the Green Mountain 40. Some of the particular concerns are as follows:
--> It has 2 steel cats which are positioned with their cells oriented vertically below the flue collar. Folks have noted that these will get clogged and or damaged easily. Indeed, the salesman noted that they would need to be cleaned twice a burning season to keep things clear. The manual states they should be inspected (but not removed unless a decreased performance is observed) at least three times per season. This seems like a bit of a pain but is not a deal-breaker in my mind. The cats are only warrentied for 2 year and replacements are between $130 and $160, depending on the year they fail.
--> There is no ashpan
I'm attracted to the following:
--> Low wall offset distance
--> Cast iron build
--> Efficiency and low C02 output
--> long burn time (20 hrs + on low with hardwood)
--> Aesthetics (big glass window, wood handles etc)
So are they any folks out there who've had one of these installed and can comment on it's real-world operability after a full season of burning?
We're located in upstate NY, near Albany.
I'm relatively new to the wood-burning world, so go easy on me.
I'm am in the process of a renovation and looking for a wood stove as the primary heat for our master bed/bath/dining/living/kitchen area, which is approximately 1200 sqft. I recently made a visit to a hearth store in VT and the sales rep was encouraging us toward the Hearthstone line, particularly the Green Mountain 40. He noted the 2020 EPA updates which meant that most of what he was selling he couldn't comment on the long-term (or even short term) reliability of the models in store. He talked up the hybrid tech with the secondary burn and the catalyst combustor needed to reduce the g/hr CO2 output to meet the new EPA standards.
I've seen some folks commenting on the stoves in this line in other threads and there seem to be some concerns about the long-term reliability of the new EPA compliant stoves in general, including the Green Mountain 40. Some of the particular concerns are as follows:
--> It has 2 steel cats which are positioned with their cells oriented vertically below the flue collar. Folks have noted that these will get clogged and or damaged easily. Indeed, the salesman noted that they would need to be cleaned twice a burning season to keep things clear. The manual states they should be inspected (but not removed unless a decreased performance is observed) at least three times per season. This seems like a bit of a pain but is not a deal-breaker in my mind. The cats are only warrentied for 2 year and replacements are between $130 and $160, depending on the year they fail.
--> There is no ashpan
I'm attracted to the following:
--> Low wall offset distance
--> Cast iron build
--> Efficiency and low C02 output
--> long burn time (20 hrs + on low with hardwood)
--> Aesthetics (big glass window, wood handles etc)
So are they any folks out there who've had one of these installed and can comment on it's real-world operability after a full season of burning?
We're located in upstate NY, near Albany.
