Potential free standing stove purchase.

[Deppizzymo]

We have a Lopi, Blaze King and Vermont Casting dealer and installer and we are trying to decide on a trouble free/low maintenance unit to heat a larger 2000 sq ft first floor area. I have been somewhat afraid to commit to a catalytic unit because I feel like they give the manufacturer a lot of control to raise prices on proprietary parts designed to need replacing after a few years. Do any of these manufacturers make non-catalytic stoves? Are they generally less maintenance/fewer failing parts? It seems like Lopi describes their "next gen fire" system in a way that sounds like it's non catalytic but it's also somewhat hard to decipher.

Thanks!

 

[TheBigIron]

I think VC and Lopi are both non cat stoves.

 

[all night moe]

Of the three listed, I'd choose the BK. CAT included. From reading throughout the threads, maintenance seems reasonable. A new cat every 3ish yrs is worth the very lengthy burn times. Not to mention heat output. 20yrs ago when I was shopping used stoves, there was a guy who sold stoves and accessories. He said to grab a BK if I could find one. He didn't sell them but had one fired up in that little rustic shop. I didn't know the difference back then. If I was to buy one stove to heat a large sq ft home, it would be a BK.

 

[stoveliker]

We have a Lopi, Blaze King and Vermont Casting dealer and installer and we are trying to decide on a trouble free/low maintenance unit to heat a larger 2000 sq ft first floor area. I have been somewhat afraid to commit to a catalytic unit because I feel like they give the manufacturer a lot of control to raise prices on proprietary parts designed to need replacing after a few years. Do any of these manufacturers make non-catalytic stoves? Are they generally less maintenance/fewer failing parts? It seems like Lopi describes their "next gen fire" system in a way that sounds like it's non catalytic but it's also somewhat hard to decipher.

Thanks!

The nexgen fyre is noncat.

 

[jalmondale]

I can't speak to those stoves specifically, but you can buy non-name-brand combusters in many shapes and sizes (mine is a pretty basic rectangle). So if a manufacturer did get punch drunk and decide to jack up their cat prices, there are alternatives, but in practice I don't think that's very likely. At least for mine, if I need a replacement in the first 3 years, they'll give me one for free (and heavily discount years 4 - 6) - I suspect that manufacturers would rather have people replace the cat when it wears out rather than run with a bad cat to try to save money and then complain about the stove not working.