Non-cat top loaders

[mtnscoutn]

Hi all, been reading the forum for a long time and just joined up. There is a lot of great information here and I appreciate those who make this site possible, so thanks for having me!

I have been running the same Encore 2140 for most of my life. It was in my parents house when I was growing up and I currently have it installed in my living room. I have enjoyed the stove and it has kept us warm for many years, but the maintenance(and cost) is starting to wear on me, so I am looking at buying a new stove.

I have grown accustomed to the top load and would like to keep that option, so I know my options are limited, but I'm hoping you all might be able to give me some insight into your experiences with these stoves, or let me know if I am leaving any out. So far I have looked at the Lopi Leyden, Harman Oakwood, Isle Royale, and Jotul Rangeley. So, reburn tubes? Downdraft? What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!

mtnscoutn

 

[brokenknee]

I just put in the Harman TL300 less than a month ago. I have been happy with it so far but think I may have to extend my chimney as I occasionally get some smoke in the house. I am heating a 1600 sf slab home, my floor plan makes it less than ideal for a wood stove to effectively heat the whole house. The temps in my area have been in the minus teens and twenties for lows and maybe get up to zero or so for highs. I am burning ash and oak and have been consistently getting 8 to 10 hour burn times. I believe Harman advertises 8 to 17 hours, which I could see in more moderate weather.

This is my first epa stove and there is defiantly a difference from a non epa stove. One thing the wife does not like is once the stove is going good and the after burner is kicked in you normally just see the wood glowing red.

The stove is rated for a 1500 - 3000 square foot home, I would think the house wood have to be pretty tight or in a more moderate climate than what I live in to effectively heat a 3000 square foot house.

Not sure about if there will be much less maintenance (still need to clean the chimney, take out the ash and css the wood) but you will see your wood usage drop.

 

[swestall]

I was used to VC Defiant cat and Encore cat. It took a little while to get used to front load but the benefits and fireview make it worth it. I like the PE Summit and Aldera and the new Lopi Cape Cod. Also the Hearthsone and Woodstocks. Also there is no stove I know of that gives you a functional ashpan like the VCs.
At this point in the season you should look at everything and see if you can get the Spring deals.

 

[Jags]

Down drafts have a rep of being finicky as well as higher maint. The isle royale is a very solid performer but I don't use the top load feature so I can't really speak to that. The stove itself is dirt reliable.

 

[brokenknee]

Down drafts have a rep of being finicky as well as higher maint. The isle royale is a very solid performer but I don't use the top load feature so I can't really speak to that. The stove itself is dirt reliable.

Being new to the stove, can you be more specific on the maintenance issues and about being finicky?

Thanks I did not research this stove before the purchase, the wife wanted a fireplace and I wanted a wood stove. She like the looks of the TL 300 as it matched the P68 pellet stove we purchased at the same time. Thought about a BK but when we went to look at them they were just to ugly sorry BK owners.

 

[branchburner]

Down drafts have a rep of being finicky as well as higher maint.

Yes. Downdrafts can be more demanding of good draft in the flue setup, and of good wood, in terms of both dryness and how the fire is tended (you need a decent coal bed and sufficient temps to engage the secondary burn). So while many have no problems at all with downdrafts, the odds that you MAY have problems are greater. More of a learning curve there, as a rule.

Burn tube components are more durable than the refractory component in the rear chamber of downdrafts, which tends to degrade over time and is also prone to clog with ash after several years, requiring a bit of cleaning to maintain -- easy enough, but never mentioned by manufacturers/dealers. So five years (more or less) into use, you may find performance suffering without cleaning or possibly replacing (@$200+) the refractory.

That said, these are all pretty solid heaters. If I were to get a new stove myself, I would lean towards a cat stove, in the hopes of using a bit less wood and having a bit more control of heat output (especially in shoulder season). In general, I think Harman users seem to have fewer problems than Leyden users, but Lopi customer service seems to be FAR superior to that of Harman.

A grill inset can be a nice feature of top-loaders, offered by both Harman and Jotul. Mine:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/grill003-1-jpg.20513/

 

[razerface]

i have the TL300. I was having problems,, but the problems have mostly been worked out. I had a hard time getting used to the high flue temps my stove runs. It can be 900+ (air, not pipe temp)when cruising, but usually cruises in the 750-825 area, then the second half of the burn, it will drop to 400-600. In the coaling stages,, the flue temp usually matches the stovetop temps. I was getting big temp jumps, and probably drove people nuts on here trying to fix it,,,but now, i easily heat my 3200 sq ft ,,,from the basement, which most people say is hard to do,,,but it works perfectly. I fixed a window gasket and that seemed to end my weird problems, but have not updated my problem thread until i get more time on the gasket to be sure before I declare it fixed.

I have a high chimney with VERY good draft,,,so that partially accounts for my high flue temps,,,so i had to be convinced to run my stove at the low end of the air control,,,and it is keeping my furnace turned off until those -15 days,, when it came on and helped a little. My burn times have extended greatly since i learned this also. I get 12-14 hrs of heat now from a load,,,the last couple hours show the stovetop cooling to 300-350. The people here are patient, and nobody called me stupid when i was slow to catch on to some things.

The top load feature is just great! So easy to load. I have not cooked on it yet.

The HUGE ash pan is also great! I like the glass front,, but as mentioned,,not really a fancy flame display to watch in these stoves.

I cleaned my chimney twice now, and have almost nothing in there to report. I got a cup full of light grey powder from a over 30ft chimney.

One thing i wish was different,,,,i would like to be able to open the top door without opening the dampner. Right now it is all done automatically when you move the handle. That is supposed to never allow smoke into the house,,,and apparently it works because the stove does not smoke back into the room. People cannot smell wood burning in the house. They are surprised when I tell them i am burning wood. It would be nice to open the door and look at the afterburner activity in the rear, when i cannot see it, because of the wood in the way of my view. Not needed for operation, but would be nice sometimes.

Since it is in the basement,,and I have worked out my airflow thru the house,,, i do not have that "hot" room while the rest of the house is cold. The basement is a little warmer right around the stove.

I am satisfied with this stove now, and happy my plan to heat without any electric is working. The end of the world and all zombies and other creatures are welcome to show their faces now,,,,,,,we will stay warm.

 

[Jags]

Being new to the stove, can you be more specific on the maintenance issues and about being finicky?

Basically - everything that Branchburner said.