Jotul f45 reviews- what would you do?

[Todd]

Thanks for this post.....
I've only used non cats with secondary reburn so correct me if I don't clearly understand BTU's but I assume each split has X amount of BTUs no matter what stove you burn it in and if you are getting a clean no smoke burn and also not over heating your chimney or dwelling then a 6,8,10 hour burn is all you need to have or expect???? In other words If lets say I was using a cat stove getting me a 20 hour burn, but my back up heat system is needing to supplement, then what is the use of a Cat stove to me beyond long burn bragging rights?

Yes if the firewood load of either kind of stove is the same the difference is the cat stove can stretch those btus longer and maybe you squeak out a little more efficiency but in cold temps the cat stove will have to run hotter and lose a little efficiency so they are probably equal in cold weather. Cat stoves shine in warmer weather when you don’t need as much heat but if you size the cat stove right to your home size you may be able to get away with those long burns all winter but then it may be oversized for those warmer days and you may have to load the stove half full.

 

[stoveliker]

As an example, I ran my Chinook 30.2 for more than 32 hrs on one (3 cu ft) load when it was between 35 and 42 outside.

But in mid (long island) winter I get 10-12 hrs as any other stove of the same size firebox.

 

[snobuilder]

As an example, I ran my Chinook 30.2 for more than 32 hrs on one (3 cu ft) load when it was between 35 and 42 outside.

But in mid (long island) winter I get 10-12 hrs as any other stove of the same size firebox.

i could use that set up today but not a s a normal winter set up. I'm feeding in a few splits every 4 hours this rainy 42 degree spring day.
Getting a bit warm indoors for me @71 F.

 

[stoveliker]

But in winter it would do similar to other stoves such as simple tube stoves.

Anyway not relevant for the OP.

 

[bholler]

Thanks for this post.....
I've only used non cats with secondary reburn so correct me if I don't clearly understand BTU's but I assume each split has X amount of BTUs no matter what stove you burn it in and if you are getting a clean no smoke burn and also not over heating your chimney or dwelling then a 6,8,10 hour burn is all you need to have or expect???? In other words If lets say I was using a cat stove getting me a 20 hour burn, but my back up heat system is needing to supplement, then what is the use of a Cat stove to me beyond long burn bragging rights?

Some people can heat their houses with the BTUs produced during that 20 hour burn time. I cannot for most of the year. But cats do give off allot more even heat.

In addition just because you don't see smoke doesn't mean you aren't sending lots of unburnt potential btus up the chimney. There is also a wide range between not overheating your chimney and burning to cool.

 

[Ashful]

Thanks for this post.....
I've only used non cats with secondary reburn so correct me if I don't clearly understand BTU's but I assume each split has X amount of BTUs no matter what stove you burn it in and if you are getting a clean no smoke burn and also not over heating your chimney or dwelling then a 6,8,10 hour burn is all you need to have or expect???? In other words If lets say I was using a cat stove getting me a 20 hour burn, but my back up heat system is needing to supplement, then what is the use of a Cat stove to me beyond long burn bragging rights?

bholler just said it all. You have the right idea, ignoring small differences in efficiency, you're getting the same heat out of each pound of firewood, cat or non-cat. Mid-winter, if your running hard, there's really no arguable advantage to a cat stove. In fact, if you let the house go cold and want maximum firepower to get heated back up, many have said most non-cats hold the advantage.

The advantage in the cat stoves, in particular one brand I'm only allowed to mention when directly asked, is the long burn times. This is useful when you want to stretch the load either for less-brutal outside temperatures, or to match your work schedule. I'm in the latter camp, I generally set the stoves to run consistent 12 or 24 hour cycles to suit my schedule, and let my central heating make up any difference in heating need. Using this method, I save $5k - $7k per year in oil, depending on current pricing and how you calculating "saving".

 

[Geoff C]

I think used F500s are more common. Check Facebook marketplace. 1000 sq ft the F600 is probably too much stove.