Keep VC Vigilant or replace with new stove?

[Teakay]

Hi - I purchased a 2500 sf Ranch house in Southern Mass 2 years ago with a 1977 VC Vigilant that sits in front of fireplace with liner out the chimney. I replaced gaskets and had a fireplace shop replace the gasket and opaque glass on the doors. Stove gets up to 400-600 but aside from living room it sits in, the stove doesn’t warm up the rest of the house. House has a pretty open floor plan, is welll insulated and I also have a fan set up behind the stove blowing outward. I had a 2004 Jotul 500 Oslo in our old house that I loved and it warmed up a two story colonial very nicely. I have been reading about the efficiency of newer cat stoves an was wondering if makes sense to upgrade to a newer stove to get better heat, longer burns and better viewing or if I am missing my old Jotul and won’t feel a noticeable difference with a newer stove, (which would likely be a Jotul). Has Jotul fixed some of their quality issues that have been cited in other posts on this site or would it be better to look at other stoves? Stove is used as secondary heat source to heat pumps and some electric baseboard and is useful in an area that has some frequent storm related power outages. Thanks for any insights - I am grateful for the huge amount of knowledge in this group!!

 

[Gearhead660]

I have a similar sized house that's a bit drafty, not as tight as yours sounds and had a Vigilant. It did a decent job heating. But it ate through wood like no one's business.
I would update to a newer more efficient stove. I don't regret updating...

 

[GrumpyDad]

Hi - I purchased a 2500 sf Ranch house in Southern Mass 2 years ago with a 1977 VC Vigilant that sits in front of fireplace with liner out the chimney. I replaced gaskets and had a fireplace shop replace the gasket and opaque glass on the doors. Stove gets up to 400-600 but aside from living room it sits in, the stove doesn’t warm up the rest of the house. House has a pretty open floor plan, is welll insulated and I also have a fan set up behind the stove blowing outward. I had a 2004 Jotul 500 Oslo in our old house that I loved and it warmed up a two story colonial very nicely. I have been reading about the efficiency of newer cat stoves an was wondering if makes sense to upgrade to a newer stove to get better heat, longer burns and better viewing or if I am missing my old Jotul and won’t feel a noticeable difference with a newer stove, (which would likely be a Jotul). Has Jotul fixed some of their quality issues that have been cited in other posts on this site or would it be better to look at other stoves? Stove is used as secondary heat source to heat pumps and some electric baseboard and is useful in an area that has some frequent storm related power outages. Thanks for any insights - I am grateful for the huge amount of knowledge in this group!!

Learn about the new stoves before you switch out, they require diligent burning no matter the stove it seems. Some are on the extreme end of the learning curve like Vermont castings while others like blaze king seem to be much more reliable but pricey

 

[Defiant 3]

Idk, but a Vig is not really enough stove for 2500 sq feet. Might simply need something larger. Or as one might say in Mass, " wicked big."