new stove

[ms440]

Hello, well I am moving and will be having a house built. I will be heating with a centrally located wood stove with the addition of a boiler as a backup. I have narrowed my choices down. I like the Heathstone Mansfield, but I also like the specs on the new non cat Defiant. The reviews on the Mansfeild are posssitive, and reviews of VC are spotty, but seem to have improved as of late. I also like the Jotul 600, but it seems that most posters are getting a 6 hour burn. I know it may come down to cast vs soapstone, but I am not totally for or against, as long as I get a long burn. The layout is very open and I am not worried about being heated out. I grew up with a Defiant that was great! Anyone have anything to say about the new Defiant?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I cant say anything about the defiant, but the mansfield is a beast of a stove. You will get long burn times, hard not to with at 3.0 cf firebox. At 80k btu's it has a huge heating capacity as well. One thing you will notice, is that you will use less wood. You dont have to keep the soapstone stove fired up all the time. It takes a good 4 or 5 hours to cool it down after the fire goes out. I have had reported burn times upwards of 9 hours, and that is burning pine. If your home alot, all you would have to do is add a log every once in a while to keep from having to relight the stove. They also heat very even, no real spikes of temp up or down. Very even, very soft heat. Hope that helps.
Ohh the reason i cant help you with VC, is becuase i dont know there product line. Plenty of people here do.

 

[elkimmeg]

Very few new defiant complaints but they only recently introduced the non cat model. Frett not it is based on long time proven technology. Either way, the mansfield or defiant, both are winners. Flip a coin or decide the price difference or the physical look. or what pleases the other half. If into real clean burning or emissions go with the defiant

 

[ms440]

Sounds like a man of expeirence Elk when you say "what pleases the other half"! Isn't that the truth. Thanks guys. I go fishing every year with a good friend and one of his college buddies who used to work for VC. I like the looks of the VC a lot, and am leaning that way, but the Mansfield is very tempting!

 

[elkimmeg]

If this tips the scales a bit, should you run into issues with a VC stove made in Bethel VT., I have the direct phone line into the director of Bethel opperations. Would not be the first time a forum menber got preferencial treatment after my phone call and got issues resolved. Just ask our vactioning moderator Mo. I wish I had that same influence with other manufactures or they treated forum members special. Did you know VC als offered to donate stoves to famillies in need last year threw hearth net?
A program that never got off the ground. They promised me to follow threw this year. The problem was to the donor reciepant turtled.. Time to fine tune the program

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Wow, there right down the street from Hearthstone in Morrisville VT. No question the VC is a good stove, but that last post is no reason to tip the scales. I have never had any issues severe enough to have to get involved. I dont think quality control, plant location, or there ability to donate play a factor in this decision. Vermont Castings make a beautifull stove, Hearthstone makes very differnt, beautifull stoves. You comparing two top of the line appliances, and the real difference is style, and the difference in materials. Shure VC is clean, .8 gph is impressive, but how different is that from 2.8 GPH? Its nothing on the enire scale of things, not that long ago 7 grams was clean, and open fireplaces are 70 gph plus, so when you get down in the 3 gph and below, there is not that much difference that the user will notice, and how do you factor in the time you getting heat with no grams per hour being emmited? that cant count that. BUt the answer is that you will have 4 or 5 hours of heat with no emmissions whatsoever.

 

[ms440]

Well like Elk said earlier, the other half of the equation is chiming in. We have a plan B that I have resisted, but the boss likes. Now the house is going to be 28x44 with a great room that is 28x18 on one end of the house. The floor plan is very open with almost zero doors with an open to above foyer to the second floor. Now my wife likes the option of building an insert on the far wall at the end of the house. From dilligent reading here I know that having the stove centerally located is the way to go. How would a PE summit fare on the end of the house IF the chimney was inside running up the wall with it going through the high point of the roof?(edit to add that the chimney would be INSIDE of the wall) I know the Summit is a cooker would it be enough to push to the other side????? I do have a good local PE is dealer. I dont mean to through everyone a curve ball but I probly will only get to design my own hoouse once AND keep the boss happy. I know that if it is a factual agruement she will listen (she is an engineer) Thanks for everyones patience and help.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Yea, thats a curve ball. LOL. no problem. Now were throwing steel in the loop. And once again, your picking a excellent stove. PE, lopi, quad, they all make a hell of a good steel stove. My point with the last post, was to point out that there are other manufatures that meet eks criteria, im not here to sell you a stove, i am here to point you in the right direction. Honestly my best advice is this, if you like all the stoves reasonably well, that being steel, cast and stone, then go to the dealer you like the best. Like i said earlier, if you liike VC, then buy one. The same goes with PE or Hearthstone, you will absoutly love what ever you decide on, because there all quality stoves. On the other hand, if you have a problem with any of them, and that includes the installation, you might not love the dealer as much as you love the stove. So shop around, and buy from who bull sh** you the least, and has a good reputation.