Replacing Jotul F400 Castine but with what??!!

[Souprqt]

Dear Hearth Gods -

Dilemma to solve. My partner and I who live in Maine are trying to find the right replacement for the current setup - a Jotul F400 Castine in a 1500 sq foot (off grid, main heat source) 2 story, home. The stove will be set on a concrete slab, connected to the metalbestos 6" flue. We found the Jotul to be finicky, hard to get going, not drawing well and not enough output to heat the space. We are tired of being cold.

We have looked at a number of options including a Fisher Gramdma bear (concern there is that the 8-6" conversion will create problems but we liked this stove), the Osburn 2200, Napoleon 1900 and Shenandoah (ruled out). We aren't concerned with looks - the unit is not going in a living room so we need an economical stove with long burn time and lots of heat. Love an end loading unit and prefer a top connection design. Do you have any other suggestions? Our heads our spinning and it would be great to get some outside advice.

Many thanks!

 

[webby3650]

My first thought is that the Castine should produce enough heat for you. How is your wood supply? Under seasoned wood is a big show stopper for new stoves. Jotul are a little more picky than other stoves I've ran, but with good dry wood they throw major heat! Maybe we can help you figure out your Castine and you won't need to buy another stove!

 

[begreen]

There are a lot of options depending on the space, location and budget. I would not regress to an old stove like the Fisher. There are better options. The Jotul Oslo is a better choice for 24/7 heating. And Jotul Maine makes the F50 and F55 which would do the job well. All of these stoves have significantly larger fireboxes than the F400. Or you could just get a good quality budget stove like the Englander 30NC.

Can you tell me how the Castine's flue is currently connected? Describe the flue system in detail from stove to chimney top. That may affect the stove recommendation. A picture of the current stove including the flue connection could also be helpful. It would also be helpful to understand the stove location in relation to the rest of the house. Is this in a basement or another area of the house?

 

[begreen]

Good point webby. Also tell us about your wood supply. How long do you season the wood after it is split and stacked and what species of wood are you burning?

 

[Jags]

We found the Jotul to be finicky, hard to get going, not drawing well

This sounds like more of a fuel or install issue rather than the stove being a problem.

 

[firefighterjake]

This sounds like more of a fuel or install issue rather than the stove being a problem.

. . . or c) operator error. How many times have folks experienced with running older stoves had the Eureka moment when they realized that by cutting back the air in a secondary burner that they would get a longer burn AND more heat . . . instead of equating more air with bigger flames and more heat (when in reality the heat will be less and the burn will be quicker?)

That said . . . it is entirely possible that their wood may be primo . . . the install fine . . . and they have a fine grasp on the operation of the Castine. Not knowing where in Maine (northern vs. coastal for example), amount of insulation in the home (is this a super insulated home or a 1970s-1980s home built back when heating oil was cheap), home design (which may affect how the heat moves -- one floor, two floor, open design, closed design, etc.) leaves us with a lot of variables.

It is also worth noting . . . last year was long and cold.

 

[begreen]

Souprqt. Need more info. Waiting for details on the house info (size, open floorplan?, insulation, etc.), the wood seasoning, stove location, and how the stove is run.