New poll on which I should get - F600 or Progress Hybrid

[rsilvers]

Sorry to create another thread, but I learned so much from everyone's comments, that it changes what I know and want to ask.

Gave up on the used one - as it is too risky for the asking price.

I got some really good advice, including from dznam who owns the PH, an F12 and experience with an F500.

I have a large space. I want a large, good looking, and efficient stove that I can use every day - something that adds to the look of the space and is furniture quality and worth keeping for a long time.

Option 1 - A Jøtul F600 with Blue/Black finish including all discounts and promotions and taxes, is $3,164 either delivered, or in any case, they are only two miles from me.

Option 2- A Progress Hybrid Soapstone is $3095 but it is a 5-hour round-trip drive. If I pay for delivery, it is another $400.

So $330 extra for that over the Jøtul. It is about 200 lbs heavier, and that is a bit of a concern getting it inside.

This is made extra complex by the fact that I have never seen a Woodstock Progress, and probably can't see one without driving for five hours.

My gut feeling is that I really appreciate the extra efficiency of it, to the degree that is a real thing - I know there is some debate if the EPA method is valid for how people actually use their stoves.

And they claim much higher BTUs and range of BTUs than the Jøtul, which also seems controversial and questionable.

On the other hand, the Jøtul looks good to me, and I am not as captivated by the look of the Woodstock, to the degree that I can tell from looking at photos.

Thank you for voting.

 

[firefighterjake]

Honestly . . . I like the look of both of these stoves. If I didn't have my Oslo I would most likely have a PH . . . in my own opinion, both the F-600 and PH look good.

 

[avsmusic1]

I trust the clearances will work in either case?

I agree that the Jotul is an absolutely beautiful stove. Personally, I like the aesthetics more than the Woodstock but I too have never seen one in person. Also, I find that the soapstone stoves don't always photograph as well. For instance, I don't think the Hearthstone pics on their site make the units look as good as they do in person (I have seen these).

i haven't personally used either. However, from what I've read/heard, I'm inclined to give the performance edge to the PH. I would expect the burn lengths to be a bit better and the slightly more subtle soapstone heat to appeal. Also, I have heard fantastic things about Woodstock's customer service.

The good news here is that there is no bad choice. If it were me, I would want to see the PH before choosing either way. I wouldn't be surprised if I liked the look in person a bit better and was smitten with the ability to personally pick the stone.

Side note-It's worth noting that, at least in my area, having an install done through the retailer is cheaper so there may be a bit more of a price difference in the total cost for the PH if you are not installing it yourself.

 

[rsilvers]

I don't see how my retailer could be any more expensive for install and I don't think they would charge more to install the PH if for some reason I wanted to use them, which I doubt. They quoted $1800-$2200 for rigid. I don't even think that includes insulation. I am sure with my chimney height it would be on the higher end of their range.

The thing that makes the PH expensive is the shipping, unless you have your own loading dock and pickup truck, it is $400 if you want a lift-gate truck, even though I am just one state away.

 

[avsmusic1]

The pricing I was coming across when contacting licensed chimney businesses here in CT was notably more expensive (>$250) when the stove was purchased elsewhere vs. the pricing I was getting from the retailers. I suspect most retailers have cheaper in-house resources or pricing arrangements where the contracted installer offers a discount in exchange for a steady flow of work. It's entirely possible that is just my area though.

 

[rsilvers]

I am not sure for clearances. I may have to use a hearth-extension pad. The sides should be ok. The height seems like plenty and the F600 has top or rear exhaust so it seems flexible. Maybe if the stove ends up pushed into the fireplace I would lose access to the side door? Or maybe not. No one says I have to center it. I can't measure it yet - this is a new house and the closing didn't happen yet.

 

[BrotherBart]

I would have that F600 in that beautiful room in a heartbeat.

 

[BrotherBart]

Use a reputable local sweep for the install. The dealer does.

 

[rsilvers]

Use a reputable local sweep for the install. The dealer does.

Thanks. I will call some that are highly-rated on Angie's List when the time comes.

I don't even know why houses come with fireplaces. They should just all be built with stove pads. The stove would be free for what you save on construction.

 

[BrotherBart]

I would be hard pressed to imagine a stove dealer that has enough installations to keep experienced installers hanging around the place. Qualified sweeps know a good install.

We have had a couple of dealers pass through here that lied about the hundreds of installations they have yearly. One of them came out to something like four a day.

Of course the exception is if you want to only deal with one party with problems top to bottom. But dealers don't have a great rep for handling that stuff anyway.

 

[BrotherBart]

I don't even know why houses come with fireplaces. They should just all be built with stove pads. The stove would be free for what you save on construction.

True. When I had my first house built in 1977 the builder argued with me like a bulldog because I didn't want a, prefab, fireplace built in the house. The only house like that in the development. It was my money so I won.

And the stove and chimney were installed the week after we closed on the house.

 

[rsilvers]

I could consider it a benefit to not have to do what I am doing now, add a stainless liner to an existing fireplace that is useless enough that it is, well, not worth using and basically only good for decoration.

 

[fossil]

The local dealer I bought my Lopi from back in 2009 doesn't have an installation crew on his payroll. The salesman told me that right up front. They have a short list of local sweep/installers they have grown to know and trust to whom they subcontract the installations. In my case, it all worked out just fine. I liked the dealer and I especially liked the guy who brought the stove out here and installed it.

 

[BrotherBart]

Actually the two flues in my masonry chimney have served me well for 29 years.They have served me a lot better after I installed those two liners.

 

[rsilvers]

I see that the PH has a front clearance as low as 8 inches, as long as you have the optional ash-lip and the tall legs. That is good.

http://blog.woodstove.com/2011/11/progress-hybrid-clearances.html

Jøtul is 18 inches. That is much less good. Hmm. I need to email the building inspector and see if he or she will allow the 8 inches that the manual says, or if they would require 18 inches for any stove (pre-UL listing code). Since the stove is listed, he should allow the rated clearance. Being able to pull the PH 10 inches farther away from the fireplace is a significant benefit for side access and room heat performance, right?

(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/FileArchive/Technical%20Documentation/Wood%20Stoves/J%C3%B8tul%20F%20600%20Firelight%20CB/Manual_F_600_USA_10024516_P09_211112.pdf)

 

[rsilvers]

Another complexity - I need 30 inches between the stove and the mantel. I don't have measurements to know if that would work with the PH and 10 inch legs.

Removing the mantel may work out ok, depending on if the stone looks normal behind it or not. It looks kinda dumb anyway, and putting a strip of wood across the stone face of your fireplace doesn't seem to be a good idea.

 

[BrotherBart]

That is the highest mantel I have ever seen in my life. By a factor of at least two. If that sucker ain't legal with a stove under it then we need to to shut the site down because every fireplace mounted stove here is illegal. The mantel is close to the distance from my stove top to the ceiling.

 

[rsilvers]

If you align things visually, the top of the mantel is the exact same height as the top of the doors to the deck. That would mean that the top of the mantel is 80 inches high.

The stove is 33.5 high. The stove plus 30 inches of required clearance is then 63.5 inches high. So this is legal as long as the mantel is less than 80 - 63.5 inches tall. That is 16.5 inches. The mantel could be more than 16.5.

It is possible that there would not be 30 inches between the top of the stove and the mantel.

What are the odds that the stony masonry is continuos under the mantel and I can just remove it and have the stone look normal?