New to forums - older Jotul 602 good or bad idea?

[thelionhaswings]

Hi, been lurking for quite a while. I'm brand new to wood burning and am planing on buying a wood burning stove for next fall/winter. 1,000 sq. ft. decently insulated home, using it as supplemental heat. Not 24/7. Venting through the rear and up chimney of my fireplace with a stainless steel liner. Insulated or not is yet to be determined.

My situation is this. I have the opportunity to purchase a Jotul 602 from the late '70's for $100. No cracks no warping, a little rusty but everything looks good. It dawned on me that since is so old its probably not EPA certified and with that not UL approved. Is this true? And I'm guessing if anything unfortunate happened insurance would not pay. ? Any ideas? Any advice? Should I just bite the bullet and buy a brand new one?

Thanks!

 

[webby3650]

I found the 602 to be very aggravating to operate. It makes good heat for its size but you can't get much wood in it. It will not be EPA approved but its most likely UL listed. For $100 you can't really go wrong though. Sand it, paint it and resell if you don't like it. You could get $250 for it if its in good shape.

 

[mass_burner]

hey welcome, i was fortunate to find one that was never used, sanded some surface rust, painted it charcoal grey and put it in my enclosed patio, 250 sq ft. it heats the area just fine. got it up to 600 the other day, nice to be soaking up the rays in a 72d room while its 20 outside.

but for your main heat source, I'd take advantage of the better stoves now available.