Replace Resolute I with Encore NC?

[chrick]

Hi,

Thanks to you all for this great resource! I've discovered this site a few times through internet searches, but have never been this close to buying a new stove, so this is the most reading I've done in the forums - excellent resource! Knowledgeable and enthusiatic wood heaters! Great!

I currently heat our small (~1000 sq. ft.) home with an original VC Resolute (single, drop down door, no glass, single piece back), which gets us toasty when it's mild, keeps the frost off when it's moderately cold, and doesn't cut it when the wind howls and it's really cold. Our little house is very old, only semi-adequately insulated (we improve it every year, but it'll never be well insulated), and located right where vicious winter winds blow onshore - no protection from very strong, damp winds. So we'd like more heat, less fuss, and a smaller environmental impact, thus the consideration of an Encore NC with Everburn.

I had been considering simply rebuilding our Resolute - when we bought the house 7 years ago it came with it, and at that time had already lost it's internal damper. The previous owner put a flue damper on and figured that was good enough - I didn't realize that it meant that the smoke path was all wrong and we were missing out on extra heat being extracted from the smoke. I also figured that it was a "dirtier" stove than the new ones, but didn't (don't, I guess) know by how much. We try to minimize our impact in all other ways, so cleaning up our woodburning act seems like an important thing to do also.

We can rebuild the Resolute for ~$900, or we can buy a new Encore for ~$2700. That's $400 off of the $3100 list due to a discount being offered by VC at the moment. Judging by the prices I see mentioned here, our Halifax, NS dealer is charging considerably more than those in the States - not sure if there is anything that can be done about that or not. Shipping a stove from anywhere else is going to add a lot of cost right off the top, and getting it across the border always introduces brokerage fees which add up fast...

Is it worth spending the considerable extra amount to get the new stove? Will we be much warmer with it? Will the house be warmer in the morning? Will we burn less of the same wood we're burning now? Will it pollute significantly less? One post I read mentioned that the difference between 4 gph and 0.7 gph is a reduction of ~80%, but 4gph is already very low, so the difference is not all that great. I doubt that our old Resolute is in that ballpark, though - no secondary burn whatsoever...

Any opinions are greatly appreciated, and any prices on the same stove from other Canadian buyers are greatly appreciated. To get the $400 off we have to commit to it on Tuesday, January 2nd, so time seems to be of the essence!

Thanks in advance, and thanks again for such a great resource.

 

[elkimmeg]

All right who put the plant here, to tempt my me breaking one of my new year resolutions, not to mention a certaint Manufacturer
Recently I finished a tour of the said manufactures opperations in VT. there is plenty of discussions to keep you reading for days Including a good description of the ecerburn technology
Personally I burn the cat Encore and the Cat Intrepid . I replaced a Resolute Acclaim with the cat encore this year. You will notice the difference your first burn. 8 plus hours
productive 500 degreee heat is a reality.

Read through these post and if you have further question feel free to ask

Plant tour Video t and the following comments
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5224/

The day after the tour and our impressions
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5145/

The explanation of the Ever Burn Technology
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5172/

 

[chrick]

Thanks for the quick response and for the links. I had actually read most of that already - but hadn't seen the video - nice!

I'm already sold on VC, though - no worries there. My concerns over problems in years gone by have already been put to bed, and the fact that the everburn technology is the cleanest going without being catalytic is icing on the cake. I've also been very happy with my Resolute - despite the fact that it has never worked as it should have (who knew?).

I'm hoping that someone will tell me that the new stove will be so much better than my old Resolute, even if I rebuild it, that spending what for me is a pile of money will seem worth it. How much better would my Resolute be if I replaced the back so that I had an internal damper again? How much better than that would tthe Encore be? Is $2700 CDN (~$2300 USD) too much to pay, should I try to shop around or haggle more?

Thanks again for the help!

Cheers,

Chris

 

[begreen]

In prime condition, the first Resolute was a great heater. If you replace the back damper the stove will burn hotter, longer and regulate via the thermostatic damper much better. However, it won't match the heat output over an extended period of time like the Encore. Bigger firebox + cat make a significant difference.

 

[elkimmeg]

Finances $900 into that age stove? $400 makes sense Factor this in 7 years from now which stove will have parts available the one over 30 years old or the one 7 years old.
Plus the new non cat encore should it need rebuilding is put together with gaskets no longer are they refactory cemented. Any future repairs just got easier just unbolt the part
that needs replacing. If money is a concern, have you checked out the dutchwest stoves, same everburn technology but no top loading. BTW what is the cost of the cat Encore.

If looking for that extra vollume of heat the encores take it to the next level as would the same size dutchwest

 

[stoveguy2esw]

All right who put the plant here, to tempt my me breaking one of my new year resolutions, not to mention a certaint Manufacturer
Recently I finished a tour of the said manufactures opperations in VT. there is plenty of discussions to keep you reading for days Including a good description of the ecerburn technology
Personally I burn the cat Encore and the Cat Intrepid . I replaced a Resolute Acclaim with the cat encore this year. You will notice the difference your first burn. 8 plus hours
productive 500 degreee heat is a reality.

Read through these post and if you have further question feel free to ask

Plant tour Video t and the following comments
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5224/

The day after the tour and our impressions
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5145/

The explanation of the Ever Burn Technology
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/5172/

it aint new years day yet elk , we'll let you get away with it for another 24 hours

 

[chrick]

Thanks again for great responses. You make a good point about "which stove will have parts available" in 7 years, and that edges me toward fixing the Resolute now, while parts are still available, actually. I will need another stove sometime in the next 3 years to heat a workshop - and had thought that replacing the Resolute would free it up for that purpose. But it really should be repaired first, so fixing it now, seeing how it goes for the rest of this winter and getting an Encore NC whenever the next sale is on seems like a sensible route to take. And with really good luck we'll like the Resolute so much more than we do now (it'd still be nice to have an ash pan and glass in the doors, but I can handle baby steps) that we'll be able to put off the purchase expense for a couple more years, and get a chance to see how well the Everburn technology (still comparatively new) fares.

It's not what the heart wants, but is probably the most sensible path to follow, methinks.

Don't let this latest consideration (funny what sleeping on something does) stop any of you from responding with opinions or information on either stove - or any other stove for that matter. Although the Everburn VCs seem to do do everything: incredibly clean, good looking, easy to use...

Thanks again,

Chris

 

[seaken]

Well, it sounds like it's more of a financial cash-flow decision than otherwise. But, in my opinion, it's a waste of $900CDN to rebuild the Resolute. You'de be better off purchasing a Dutchwest Small for the near term (about the same size as the Resolute) and keep your eye on the Encore NC for later. Dispose of the Resolute, let it rest in peace.

Now, this comes from a long-time fan of the Resolute and someone who has rebuilt many of them. But unless you intend to rebuild it yourself and can keep your costs under $400 it simply is not worth it. The technology is not worth the expense unless you simply cannot afford a new technology stove. For $900 you should be able to get a new technology stove.

 

[chrick]

You're right that cash flow is an issue when considering what to do - we want to do the right thing for the environment (low emissions, higher efficiency) while not putting too great a strain on our finances. The wood savings annually won't pay off much in the short term - I think we might save the money back in 10-15 years, depending on how big the difference is between the two stoves (annual heating costs with a broken Resolute = 5 cords, ~$900).

The Resolute rebuild was based on loose figures - $500 in parts, $400 in labour. If I do it myself (not out of the question) it would just be the parts - and whatever I broke in the process.

Getting a Dutchwest is appealing from the low emissions, higher efficiency standpoint, but we're so used to the lovely little Resolute that we'd really only be interested in another pretty stove (both the old and the contemplated new ones are basic black, by the way, no enamel). The Encore NC we're considering is $3100 list, $400 off from a VC promotion, $200 off because someone else bought and returned it after burning it for a week and a half, and there is a $200 rebate from the Nova Scotia government for buying an EPA certified wood stove before the end of March. There are no similar deals on the Dutchwest - except the $200 back from the gov't. So a $3100 stove can be had for $2500 + tax - $200, which is a good reason to jump on it. On the other hand we can spend $500 and some blackened hands to rebuild the Resolute (and a day or two of using the electric heat exclusively) and see how it goes. But the $800 savings on the Encore would be gone then, we'd have to wait for some similar aligning of the planets to realize those savings in the future.

I'm fully tossed up about it. The Resolute has worked thus far, and is a good stove, for the most part. But we do plan to replace it some day, since we don't want to pollute and use more wood than necessary...

Guess I need to sleep on it again!

Thanks again for all of your interest and advice. It sure helps to hear from people who know what they're talking about when trying to make this kind of decision!

Happy New Years all,

Chris

 

[elkimmeg]

In the end you will use less wood, burn cleaner, and notice another level of heat you never got from the old resolute, that never could secondary burn,
You will achieve a productive 8+ hours of 500 degree griddle top temps The new stove will require fewer load ups a lot less fiddling with the air controls.

This is not a one year solution buy a 10 ,15 or more You will be burning at least one fewer cords of wood.
Everbody on this forum will attest I'm one to recomend rebuilding in your case I recomend a new Encore