Replacing Jotul 8 w/ something new

[shood]

To all, I'm new to this forum and appreciate any feed back.
I've been heating our 1700 sqft colonial with a 1985ish Jotul 8 (non-catalytic model) for 4 years now as the primary source of heating. I am planning on upgrading the stove to something newer for a few reasons. Current stove can keep the 1st floor temperature around 70F even on cold days and the upstairs mid 60'sF. With the Jotul we feed it roughly every 1 1/2 to 2 hours and if we don't it cools down fast but basically my wife or I am home most of the day to do this. To replace this stove I'm considering getting a Hearthstone Heritage. Seems like a pretty direct fit size and connection wise to what I have. Does any one know how efficient the Jotul is? The only documents I see state it heats at rates from 12600 to 33000 BTU's. Hearthstone states an efficiency of 81% measured using a lower heating value (LHV) - what does this mean?

Thanks.

 

[shawneyboy]

First off welcome to the forum....... as for heating value...

Gross (or high, upper) Heating Value
The gross or high heating value is the amount of heat produced by the complete combustion of a unit quantity of fuel.

The gross heating value is obtained when

•all products of the combustion are cooled down to the temperature before the combustion
•the water vapor formed during combustion is condensed

Net (or lower) Heating Value
The net or lower heating value is obtained by

•subtracting the latent heat of vaporization of the water vapor formed by the combustion
from the gross or higher heating value.

I think you will be happy with almost any newer stove, Cat or non-Cat. You will probably use less wood, (almost assured) and not have to feed it nearly as often.

Shawn

 

[BrowningBAR]

To all, I'm new to this forum and appreciate any feed back.
I've been heating our 1700 sqft colonial with a 1985ish Jotul 8 (non-catalytic model) for 4 years now as the primary source of heating. I am planning on upgrading the stove to something newer for a few reasons. Current stove can keep the 1st floor temperature around 70F even on cold days and the upstairs mid 60'sF. With the Jotul we feed it roughly every 1 1/2 to 2 hours and if we don't it cools down fast but basically my wife or I am home most of the day to do this. To replace this stove I'm considering getting a Hearthstone Heritage. Seems like a pretty direct fit size and connection wise to what I have. Does any one know how efficient the Jotul is? The only documents I see state it heats at rates from 12600 to 33000 BTU's. Hearthstone states an efficiency of 81% measured using a lower heating value (LHV) - what does this mean?

Thanks.

Some stove stats end up being marketing fluff.

I have no idea what type of insulation you have and how much heat loss you have (draftiness). You might want to think about going larger than a Heritage due to the fact that you are in Vermont with 1700 sq ft which puts you at the upper end of the Heritage's heating capacity for your zone.

What you can expect if the Heritage is large enough for your home:
- 4.5-6 hour burn times per full load when running the Heritage at 500°+. For me that means a 4.5-6 hour cycle of reloading at about 300°-250° raising the temps to over 500° and then easing back down to 300°-250° for a reload.
- Overnight burns: Expect a stove top temp of 150°-250° with plenty of coals for an easy restart.
- The stove holds coals really well. I have been able to restart the stove without a match 21 hours after the last load. (obviously, the stove was not putting out any heat, but the coals were still available)

If your house is well insulated and tight, this should work well for you. If your house is at all drafty or you think it could use more insulation you should go bigger due to the size and location of your house. You might want to go bigger if you are also away from the stove for long periods of time (work, etc). Also, if you are used to a cast iron stove, switching to soapstone is sometimes difficult for owners as it does not have the same searing heat that some cast iron stoves have.

If you like your Jotul, you might want to think about a Castine or an Oslo.

 

[Fsappo]

I agree. Without all the jargen and stuff, I'll say that if you want to upgrade from the Jotul 8 and you like the Hearthstone line, go with the Mansfield. Wicked long burns, noticeably more heat than the 8 and really easy to use.

 

[firefighterjake]

The Hearthstone Heritage was in my Top Three Picks of woodstoves for my home (1,800 square feet, mid-1970s vintage Cape) . . . I suspect that it would be a good choice.

If you elect to stick with the Jotul line up I would suggest the Oslo . . . and incidentally with these newer stoves I highly doubt you'll be loading every 1 1/2 to 2 hours unless your home has no insulation or unless you like it to be 85+ degrees in the home.

 

[begreen]

How open or closed off the flooplan is and stove location will determine size. I would get a 2 cu ft stove like the Oslo if the area is closed off by small doorways preventing a good circulation of heat. If it fairly open, then I would look at a 3cu ft stove like the Mansfield for longer burntimes.

The Jotul Oslo would be a nice step up from the 8 with side loading and greater capacity. In soapstone I would also look at the Woodstock Fireview. It's a cat stove that will burn in a wide range of temperatures. In a hybrid (castiron jacketed steel stove) look at the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6. The castiron mass softens and stores the heat, similar to soapstone. You will be able to burn for hours with it.

 

[shood]

Thanks for the input so far.
My main issue with both the Oslo and Mansfield is the overall dimensions. I'm kind of stuck with a top entry/exit stove. Both of those stoves would interfere in the room too much. That is one nice thing about the Jotul 8, I have it set up with a rear heat shield and a 4ft x 4ft sheet metal shield stood off the wall 1 1/2" and the dual wall stove pipe so it doesn't take up much of the room.
As for the house, it is a modular built home, 2 story center hall colonial, 2x6 framing, well insulated, good house wrap, efficient windows so pretty air tight. The four "boxes" were shipped and assembled on the foundation. I installed the wood stove on an interior wall along the stairway in the LR. Only obstruction on the 1st floor is the stairway (has a half wall in the LR side and full wall toward the dining/kitchen). I get nice flow on this floor with the ceiling fan. On the 2nd floor we get nice warm air in the bath and first 2 bedrooms located at the top of the stairs. The stairway definitely transfers warm/cold air up/down. The master BR is typically cold being at the end of the hall and around a corner. A future project is to add a level to level ventilator between the master and the LR, pushing cold air down into the heated LR. Anyone tried this?

 

[grommal]

Thanks for the input so far.
My main issue with both the Oslo and Mansfield is the overall dimensions. I'm kind of stuck with a top entry/exit stove. Both of those stoves would interfere in the room too much. That is one nice thing about the Jotul 8, I have it set up with a rear heat shield and a 4ft x 4ft sheet metal shield stood off the wall 1 1/2" and the dual wall stove pipe so it doesn't take up much of the room.
As for the house, it is a modular built home, 2 story center hall colonial, 2x6 framing, well insulated, good house wrap, efficient windows so pretty air tight. The four "boxes" were shipped and assembled on the foundation. I installed the wood stove on an interior wall along the stairway in the LR. Only obstruction on the 1st floor is the stairway (has a half wall in the LR side and full wall toward the dining/kitchen). I get nice flow on this floor with the ceiling fan. On the 2nd floor we get nice warm air in the bath and first 2 bedrooms located at the top of the stairs. The stairway definitely transfers warm/cold air up/down. The master BR is typically cold being at the end of the hall and around a corner. A future project is to add a level to level ventilator between the master and the LR, pushing cold air down into the heated LR. Anyone tried this?

Might be worth looking at the new Jotul F50TL Rangeley, which is a top loading stove. I have not seen one in person or looked at the specs in detail, but if it works as well as my Oslo, that would be perfect.