Jotul 12 firelight. Worth $600? What to look for during inspection

[skirby1212]

I want to look at this stove this Saturday to replace my hearthstone Phoenix. It's green enamel & ive heard from posts on here they are good stoves. Just wondering what I should look for other than warpage cracks and obvious issues. It would be used to hear a 1600 sqft house.

Thank you

 

[mellow]

It is a good stove, but it is picky from what @Ashful has said in his posts, you will want to check out his posts so you can be familiar with the stove and what to look for, if it is in top shape and the cat is in good condition I would say 500-600 is a good price for it.

 

[skirby1212]

thank you for the reply. I did some searches but didn't find much info regarding his posts but will keep looking.

 

[mellow]

He changed his name when he got a BK stove, he doesn't use his firelights anymore that I am aware of, you could try searching for joful.

jotul firelight 12 over firing

 

[baseroom]

I had one. It was a good stove though it did break down in it's last years. I had it 19 years. What went on mine was the plate in the back. It cracked twice and warped. It is the plate you have to remove to get at the cat. Then the material that held the cat in place deteriorated. You can tell by sliding the cat in and out and seeing if it stays in a horizontal position. Good Luck.

 

[skirby1212]

Thanks again for the replies. I am going to look at it tomorrow. Hopefully it's in good shape as I'm selling my hearthstone tonight. I researched more last night and really only found that the cat can be problematic. I've never had a cat stove do I'm sure there will be a learning curve. I guess if in good shape I can try it. If I don't like it I can always try another stove

 

[branchburner]

It is the plate you have to remove to get at the cat. Then the material that held the cat in place deteriorated.

From what I understand, if one need to replace the plate or cat housing, as well as the cat itself, the parts are rather scarce and pricy. Sold by Woodmans in NH, but not by many others.

 

[defiant3]

True. Although the exterior castings are pretty much no longer available, the stuff that's likely to wear out mostly is. There is alot that couold be wrong potentially, and I think I'd keep looking. Many stoves made in the last 8-10 years don't have catalytic combustors, or the related components all of which require maintenance. Much simpler and easier to deal with, fewer potential problems. Also, that's alot of stove for only 1600 sq. feet!!

 

[heavy hammer]

With what the others are telling you, why not look into a new jotul. Or just a new stove period. I know it is more money upfront, but it might be better over the long term. Just my thoughts.

 

[skirby1212]

So I picked up that stove. It was in better shape than I could have expected. Nothing warped or cracked. Barely a chip in it. Just need to get a bracket for the foot pedal. Fired it up today. Hopefully throws the kind of heat I'm looking for. Will post updates. Gotta get used to the whole cat thing. Here's a pic of the 1st burn

 

[Woody Stover]

Ashful
has a lot of experience with these stoves, and maybe could direct you to a couple of his threads on them. Woulda thought he would have seen this thread by now. Maybe he's bringing up more wood.
You are in a whole 'nother world with a downdraft cat stove, that much I can tell you. That is one gorgeous stove, especially in that color.

 

[begreen]

So I picked up that stove. It was in better shape than I could have expected. Nothing warped or cracked. Barely a chip in it. Just need to get a bracket for the foot pedal. Fired it up today. Hopefully throws the kind of heat I'm looking for. Will post updates. Gotta get used to the whole cat thing. Here's a pic of the 1st burn
View attachment 173649

Looks great. With a good quality cat and proper care you may see many good seasons of heating out of the stove.

 

[skirby1212]

Is a whole other world a good or bad thing woody? I know it will take some getting used to. Also thanks for the compliment on the stove. It sure does throw some heat

 

[Woody Stover]

Just saying it's going to be very different from your Phoenix, there's going to be a learning curve for sure. If it's tossing big heat, you've figured something out. How's your wood supply, pretty dry?

 

[skirby1212]

it's not completely dry but pretty dry. It seasoned for a year and a half. I keep it stacked in my garage but it rained the day I brought it in so its not perfectly dry

 

[DUMF]

Read previous posts from experienced users.
#1 is to check the cat for proper operation. Cats rarely will perform over 12K hours of use.
Technique:
*read manual for lighting and loading.
*wait, wait until the cat "lights off" ( read here for how to know ).
*then turn damper to 'flow' air/heat thru cat
*wait, wait until stove temp rises
*lower air to desired level.

The extra steps are why the hearth industry has gone mostly to non-cats--user comp[liance with ops.

Check out posts on cat operation. Chances are that the cat in a well used stove is kaput\, dead, worthless. It is part of the maintenance cost of
any cat stove. Now frankly the Firelight is an older technology and design compared to much better, cleaner cat stoves such as BK and Woodstock IMO.
Good luck.

 

[skirby1212]

So I had my 1st burn in the new stove yesterday. Heat output was great. Before I went to sleep I reloaded the stove, let it burn hot for about 25 minutes. Stove temp at 500, closed the damper and woke up to non burning stove with a full load of wood. When I checked the cat it looked to be in good shape. No cracks. I lightly blew air through it to clean it out and could easily see through it when I was done. Are there any visual signs of a cat lighting off besides not seeing smoke out of the chimney? I don't have a cat probe yet but will be getting one soon once I can find one that will work for me. The back side of the stove has the hole for the probe but is not very accessible to look at the temp as the stove sits in a fireplace opening. Is there a probe with a long wire to set the temperature gauge at a convenient location? I'm sure after a week or so I'll have it all figured out. Thanks

 

[begreen]

This thread may be helpful to you:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/jotul-firelight-12-thermometer-location.104951/

 

[skirby1212]

This thread may be helpful to you:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/jotul-firelight-12-thermometer-location.104951/

Thank you. That thread did help me out. Now I just need to figure out a cat probe that will work for my situation so I can monitor the the cat temp. Cat seems to be working. I loaded the stove at 630 last night and at 630 this morning stove top was at 350 degrees with a little bit of wood left and a ton of hot coals left in the bottom. I also found a foot pedal bracket online and ordered that. So far very impressed with this stove