This is my first time here and I'm hoping I can get some serious recommendations on catalytic wood stoves. I had a VC Dutchwest large catalytic wood stove in my basement and really liked it (it heated my entire house). I LOVED the fact I could go outside and not see any smoke what so ever come out of my chimney (or smell it). Well, I bought it used and after several years it really needed an overhaul. Because my mother lives in my basement apartment and complained loudly about how hot it got down there, we decided to go with a soapstone wood stove. BIG MISTAKE. Yes it's lovely and has a wonderful gentle heat and my mom likes it. But we freeze upstairs (we have a basement and two floors). The ash pan sucks! Worse of all I see obvious smoke coming out of my chimney ALL the time no matter how hot we are burning it with my lovely 2 year old oak! I am so dissappointed and I spent so much money on that "pretty" wood stove.
Well, I have 2 ideas: 1 - buy a new catalytic wood stove and sell the new soapstone and my mother just has to deal for several months a year. 2 - buy a new catalytic wood stove and install it in our first floor fireplace - this is the friendlier option for my mother but I am concerned about putting a wood stove infront of our fireplace and all the clearance mods I will need to make.
I would buy a new dutchwest in a heart beat. But, a professional told me that Vermont Castings has gone though a lot of instability in ownership and their new models aren't as good as the old ones. Is this true?? Is there some other catalytic cast iron stove that burns as cleanly and as well as the Dutchwest?
Well, I have 2 ideas: 1 - buy a new catalytic wood stove and sell the new soapstone and my mother just has to deal for several months a year. 2 - buy a new catalytic wood stove and install it in our first floor fireplace - this is the friendlier option for my mother but I am concerned about putting a wood stove infront of our fireplace and all the clearance mods I will need to make.
I would buy a new dutchwest in a heart beat. But, a professional told me that Vermont Castings has gone though a lot of instability in ownership and their new models aren't as good as the old ones. Is this true?? Is there some other catalytic cast iron stove that burns as cleanly and as well as the Dutchwest?