I want my 4.5 cuft Cat Cast Iron Stove and I want it NOW.

[Ashful]

It has the option to come with legs. It's on my list for the new house

It does? I looked, but missed that. Would probably look a heck of a lot better (big Sirocco?) on legs!

 

[Jags]

Sorry folks, that F5100 has the styling of a cardboard box. Ain't gonna go in my house nor anything that sits on a pedestal. (yes, I know a leg kit is available, this is for future discussions).

 

[Todd]

I'd like to give that F5100 a try out but it looks like it takes 24" splits to fill it up. It's much easier to handle 16-18" splits than 24". They should of made the box depth shorter and deeper like the Blaze King.

 

[Highbeam]

Do you find that the cat stoves are more sensitive to using undersized wood (say 16" when a 24") would fit? I never had a problem using 16" splits in my heritage which is rated for 21" wood.

 

[Todd]

Do you find that the cat stoves are more sensitive to using undersized wood (say 16" when a 24") would fit? I never had a problem using 16" splits in my heritage which is rated for 21" wood.

No, I wouldn't say more sensitive, smaller wood burns just fine but I would like to take advantage of the large box by burning the max recommended size. Many Woodstock PH owners ran into this when they upgraded from a Fireview and it's 16-18" split size. The PH takes 22" I believe so burn times and max heat output may suffer with smaller wood.

 

[TX-L]

BUT, I am not yet convinced that a 2.75 cuft firebox holds enough btu's (no matter how they are dispersed) to heat my home for 12-14 hrs in the dead of winter. My jury is still out.

I cannot say with certainty that a 2.75 firebox would work for you, but this I do know: My neighbor has a Princess, heats her 1500 (+/-) SF, 1940s vintage house with nothing else. She fills it twice a day. I know her burning habits and wood quality; I cut/split/stack it and put it in the woodshed for her each fall. The winters are certainly more intense than yours due to the Northern NY climate, and she gets along fine.

She told me everyone that stops in to visit loves her stove, even how it looks, and they are shocked when she tells them: "I put wood in it this morning at 8:00, I won't fill it again until I go to bed".

But it still looks like ______. (fill in the blank)

Hopefully for the people that find the current BK line unattractive, there will be some new models from BK and/or other manufacturers in the next few years.

 

[Jags]

The winters are certainly more intense than yours due to the Northern NY climate, and she gets along fine.

Thanks for the response but...

Not sure of the area you are talking about so I did a bit of research. Because I don't know where you are I selected New York, NY and based off of a 65 deg F base line:
New York is about 3790 degree days
and I am 5567. I have a little more room and the house is about 55 years older. So am still not sure that 2.75 cuft of firebox is gonna have enough BTU's.

 

[rdust]

Jags the Isle Royale lists a 20 hour burn time, is that not accurate?

 

[Jags]

Jags the Isle Royale lists a 20 hour burn time, is that not accurate?

Are any of the listed burn times?

Sure - I have had coals under a pile of ash 20 hrs later with a 150F stove top temp. That ain't heating my house in the middle of winter. I can get a real 8+ hrs of meaningful heat. My problem is that my house will go empty for 12+ hours at a time.

 

[rdust]

Are any of the listed burn times?

Sure - I have had coals under a pile of ash 20 hrs later with a 150F stove top temp. That ain't heating my house in the middle of winter. I can get a real 8+ hrs of meaningful heat. My problem is that my house will go empty for 12+ hours at a time.

I can only think of one that's accurate but most people seem to think they're ugly.

The problem you have is the same reason my house now has a BK stove in it. My wife used to work from home but now has to go into the office. 11-12 hours of alone time and coming home to a cold house got old quickly. Out with old and in with the "ugly" BK took care of those problems.

 

[TX-L]

Thanks for the response but...

Not sure of the area you are talking about so I did a bit of research. Because I don't know where you are I selected New York, NY and based off of a 65 deg F base line:

Jags,

You can click on anyone's location on the left of the thread, beneath their avatar, and get their general area. I am at zip 13626 if you want to look specifically. NYC is a completely different climate. Northern NY ~ think northern VT and northern NH, about the same as me.

My buddy has an IR; it's a great heater. It won't make meaningful heat towards the end of a full workday, it just won't hold enough wood. I understand your situation completely, and that's exactly why I replaced my Woodstock with a BK.

 

[fox9988]

You can click on anyone's location on the left of the thread, beneath their avatar, and get their general area.
I learn something new every day.

 

[Jags]

Jags,

You can click on anyone's location on the left of the thread, beneath their avatar, and get their general area. I am at zip 13626 if you want to look specifically. NYC is a completely different climate. Northern NY ~ think northern VT and northern NH, about the same as me.

My buddy has an IR; it's a great heater. It won't make meaningful heat towards the end of a full workday, it just won't hold enough wood. I understand your situation completely, and that's exactly why I replaced my Woodstock with a BK.

Okay so you are at 5890. Not a big difference from my location at 5567.

Question for you - If you are familiar with the IR (at an advertised 3 cuft of stove), how does the actual burn chamber compare in size to your BK?

 

[TX-L]

My BK is the King model, so it's much larger; the IR is noticeably smaller. The first thing I noticed was the depth of the IR firebox, necessitating an East - West load for "normal" length firewood. Also, the King is deep going up and down, the bottom of the firebox is 9" below the door opening. It's wide, too. The Princess will hold 16" lengths with no problem.

I am going to the neighbor's house tonight, and I will measure the usable dimensions of the Princess firebox and post here tomorrow.

 

[Huntindog1]

Here is a nice looking stove at 4.0 cubic feet.

(broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=1)

 

[Ashful]

Here is a nice looking stove at 4.0 cubic feet.

(broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=1)

That's a non-cat.

 

[rdust]

I am going to the neighbor's house tonight, and I will measure the usable dimensions of the Princess firebox and post here tomorrow.

The firebox on the Princess is pretty much as advertised. Going off memory the first row below the bricks can be 17-17 1/2 when loading n/s, the width is about 22 and 12.5 to the bottom of the cat enclosure for the height with room on each side of the cat enclosure for a small piece. Once you're above the bricks(6 inches up) you gain the width of the brick so 18 or greater fit after that. The depth below the door on the Princess is about 6 inches so it hold a lot of ash without spilling out.

 

[begreen]

That's a non-cat.

I suggested the Equinox early on in the thread. No bite from Jags. Cat was not a prerequisite IIRC.

 

[Jags]

I suggested the Equinox early on in the thread. No bite from Jags. Cat was not a prerequisite IIRC.

Yep - thermo controlled cat is a requirement. I just licked the Equinox for a taste, no biting.

 

[jeff_t]

From what I've read, 4.0 cu ft is very optimistic.

 

[Delta-T]

after reading all this I have come to the conclusion that you do not need a bigger/badder stove...you need a wood loading robot. With your skills and ingenuities (all of them) you should be able to whip up something in a few short hours....think "converting lawnmower into racecar, into cherry picker, into pitching machine, into wood loading robot" easy peasy lemon squeezy! I will be available for consultations and for musical interludes (begin Chariots of Fire! - Vangelis).

 

[Jags]

Oh, I really like the Equinox. I think the stove is sexy as heck. Plant a thermo controlled cat in the top of that baby and it could be a real serious contender.

 

[Jags]

after reading all this I have come to the conclusion that you do not need a bigger/badder stove...you need a wood loading robot. With your skills and ingenuities (all of them) you should be able to whip up something in a few short hours....think "converting lawnmower into racecar, into cherry picker, into pitching machine, into wood loading robot" easy peasy lemon squeezy! I will be available for consultations and for musical interludes (begin Chariots of Fire! - Vangelis).

I tried - my robot said he didn't like the way he was being treated and left for the circus. Something about "elephant trainer". Little inconsiderate bastig.

 

[Delta-T]

I tried - my robot said he didn't like the way he was being treated and left for the circus. Something about "elephant trainer". Little inconsiderate bastig.

isn't that just like a robot to do....leave you there, alone with a cold stove. apologies. hang in there man...things might only get betterer.

 

[Huntindog1]

If your using a 3.0 now , I would think a 4.0 would do the trick with some better wood and loading strategy as the stove is a rated for a 16 hour burn and your looking for a 12 hour burn. Higher quality wood gets you more BTU's out of the same load of wood, which means more heat in your house. Maybe some more insulation in the attic would be a good investment as keep all that heat inside longer and house stays warmer longer with less of a wood stove size.

But if your willing to wait another year your prayers may be answered. If your going to chunk down some bucks you might as well get your dream stove.