Opinions Please: Jotul F3 CB or Quadrafire Yosemite

[Mass. Wine Guy]

I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two cast iron wood stoves. Both appear to be well-made and have gotten some good comments. The Yosemite also has a side door, an idea I like but am not convinced is essential.

I would be grateful to hear from anyone who has real world experience using either of these stoves about their experiences. Are there any reasons to avoid them or to buy one over the other?

Related but different: The stove is going into the ground floor of a very well-insulated two-story addition. The room is probably around 325 sq. feet, but it also opens into another room with a stairwell leading upstairs. I've thought about buying the larger Jotul Castine, instead, but I don't want to heat myself out of the house. My heating system is natural gas heated hot water. This will remain the main heating source, but I'd be very happy to minimize its use as much as possible.

Thank you very much.

 

[begreen]

Both are good stoves. The Cumberland will probably give a bit longer burns. FWIW, sideloaders are nice. You don't have to deal with logs rolling out when stoking the stove.

How many sq ft on the first floor and on the second floor?

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

The ground floor room where the stove will be is about 257 sq. feet, with a ceiling that is 7 ft. 7.5 inches high. This room has two openings: Large French glass doors that open to the backyard (definite heat loss here, I guess, even if double paned), and an inside passage way connecting a mudroom with a small, narrow stairwell leading upstairs. The mudroom also has a door to the kitchen (which is in the original section of the house). Off this are the dining room, current living room, front doorway and another stairwell to upstairs.

The Cumberland may be too large for the stove's space.

 

[begreen]

Is the stove going to be used constantly or evenings and weekends. If it's the later, the F3CB will work. You might want to look at a Vermont Castings Intrepid stove for this space. It looks great and has longer burns and thermostatic control.

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

Certainly, the stove would get heavy use every night in freezing weather. I work at home, so most likely, I'd be using the stove a lot during the day, as well.

I have heard too many negatives about the quality of new Vermont Castings stoves to trust one. I am pretty much set on the brands I mentioned.

 

[begreen]

There have been some issues with certain VC models, but not every one. In general the VC cat stoves have a very good record for reliability and good design. The Intrepid is an old line with a good track record. It's a fine little stove. I have a friend who's been heating his A-frame with one for 7 years now and it continues to be a real champ.

That said, I don't think you would go wrong with either the F3CB or the Yosemite. They are very different stoves inside. The Jotul is a true cast-iorn stove. The Quad is a steel stove with cast iron cladding. Napoleon and Pacific Energy make similar designs.

It would be great if a Yosemite owner would chime in here. With the firebrick lining, I would expect it to hold a fire a bit longer than the Jotul F3CB.

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

Also, I don't want to be saddled with the high cost of replacing the catalytic unit in a stove.

 

[myzamboni]

There's a couple usage comparisons in this thread on the Jotul: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/11327/

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

Also, how is technical/customer support from these companies? That makes a huge difference to me. Jotul, for example, has no way for customers to contact them via its Web site. I need to know the capacity of the F3 CB fire box.

 

[jtp10181]

Quad has excellent support, I usually talk to them at least once a month. I have met and worked with a few of their people, including a technical writer and an R & D engineer.

Currently I have a customer with a Cape Code (like a mini Isle Royal) that developed a mysterious crack in the top casting after 5 years of heating his house. Sent pictures to Quad and they responded back with a part number to replace that part under warranty.

Also I have a few (that I know of) customers with the side loader stoves who NEVER open the front door. People love the side loading door!

 

[Mass. Wine Guy]

If I buy the Castine, which is somewhat larger than I thought I needed, will it be fine to build smaller fires? I was told by Jotul USA's president that if seasoned, dry wood is burned, creosote buildup is not a problem.