New wood stove quandary

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

Grassy Creek

New Member
Jan 9, 2018
2
North Carolina
I'm looking at replacing my aged wood stove with a more modern, efficient model. I'm interested in a free standing hearth mounted stove that will be used as a primary heat source during the winter. Long burn times are key, (we get up several times a night with our current machine), and a cooking surface is highly desirable. I've been looking at several Jotul models. I'm curious about the F55 Carrabessett and the F50 Rangeley. I'd prefer to avoid an ash drawer, so would lean towards the F55, but the cook top on the F50 is appealing. I've seen a couple of reviews of these, but would be interested in any input anyone might have. Thanks.
 
No specific opinions on those models, although I know a few folks have had those and liked them.

You did mention a long burn time as being very important . . . have you considered a woodstove with a catalytic combuster? Cat stoves are pretty much reknown for their fantastically long burn times.
 
Get the stove you like, you don't have to use the ash dump. Just scoop the ash out with a hearth shovel.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dix
No specific opinions on those models, although I know a few folks have had those and liked them.

You did mention a long burn time as being very important . . . have you considered a woodstove with a catalytic combuster? Cat stoves are pretty much reknown for their fantastically long burn times.
Thanks for the response. I have a catalytic stove now and I find the catalyst to be a bit tricky to manage. The Jotul stove seems to be as efficient and clean burning without the added complexity. I noticed you run an Oslo. I'm very tempted by that model but the side load wouldn't work in the space I have. The F55 will run for up to 10 hours, or so I've heard, and that's more than enough for me. Thanks again.
 
If you currently have a cat stove but need to reload 3x in the night, something’s way off! Either your heat load on the house is massive, or the stove running very in efficiently.
All cat stoves are not created equal, the technology has come a long way, poorly designed stoves have went belly up.
 
If you currently have a cat stove but need to reload 3x in the night, something’s way off! Either your heat load on the house is massive, or the stove running very in efficiently.
All cat stoves are not created equal, the technology has come a long way, poorly designed stoves have went belly up.
Well most of them have.