Replacing old Franklin with Hampton H300 vs Lopi Rockport vs Jotul F400

[Garraty47]

Hi all, I’m a long time lurker, first time poster. I’d like to thank everyone on this forum for sharing your insights and experience with the community. This site has provided a lot of information, education, and inspiration.

I would appreciate hearing your opinions about these three stoves as compared to each other: Regency Hampton H300, Lopi Rockport, and Jotul H400 Castine.

We are located in western North Carolina and working with a local dealer to replace our existing pre-EPA stove with a more efficient model. We use it mostly for supplemental heat during winter and social warmth in early spring and late fall unless the power goes out for an extended period of time and then it becomes our primary source.

Our older 2-story farmhouse is about 1,000 sq. ft. with a 1970s Franklin style wood stove freestanding on a wide brick hearth in front of a brick back wall in the center of our 290 sq. ft. living room. The existing 8” stove pipe vents straight up to a 90 degree elbow into a lined masonry chimney with another 90 degree elbow up through the interior wall and then vented up to the roof through the second story.

The living room has 8’ ceilings with heat moving out of the room through a wide opening into our kitchen and up the stairs to the second floor. We currently use both ceiling fans and a floor fan placed near the Franklin to move the air around.

Our first choice was a Jotul F500 Oslo, but after much consideration we determined it would most likely be too big of a stove for the small space it would potentially be overheating. The Hampton H300 is our second choice because of how it looks and because it offers a side load door and a blower fan. Plus Regency is offering a free fan promotion which sweetens the deal.

We do also like the Jotul F400 Castine but it doesn’t offer a fan, and the Lopi Rockport is a nice looking stove but I’m not sure we want to mess with a catalytic.

Thanks for reading and I hope I haven’t opened too big a can of worms by asking for opinions.

 

[begreen]

The Hampton is a good choice.

 

[wooduser]

Personally, I'm biased against fans on wood stoves.

In my experience, a box fan provide greater flexibility.

When I stoke up the stove to heat the place up in the morning, I'll often put the box fan pointed at the hot stove, which helps circulate the heat and extract heat off the surface of the stove, especially when the stove is burning HOT!

But most of the time, I leave the box fan in the hallway leading to remote bedrooms. Blowing the cold air near the floor out into the living room where the stove is located causes warm air to circulate back to the bedrooms, and does a good job of breaking up stratified temperature layers in the living room.

Also, box fans are a lot cheaper and easily replaced at low cost if they fail eventually.

During the summer I mount two box fans in a window to exhaust air from the house outdoors, and sucking in outdoor air into the house from any window(s) I care to leave open. I made a simple bracket so that one fan sits on the window ledge at the other is mounted on the bracket above it.

 

[Nigel459]

...The Hampton H300 is our second choice because of how it looks and because it offers a side load door...

Side load door would do it for me too. Plus the Hampton seems to be a great trouble-free stove. A friend has one and loves it.

 

[Garraty47]

The Hampton is a good choice.

The H300 is top contender for our replacement. It's likely we're going with this one.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the Lopi Rockport? Or the Jotul F400.

We aren't afraid of treading into cat territory. And we could go either way with a fan.

It's a big upgrade for us no matter which one we decide on.

 

[Garraty47]

Also, box fans are a lot cheaper and easily replaced at low cost if they fail eventually.

We like to use a combination of both, or one or the other, or neither, depending on the situation. Flexibility is important to us, so an installed blower fan (especially if it's offered as a free option) will give us the ability to use it when needed or desired.

We will continue to experiment with what works best for moving air in our layout. Thanks for sharing your air circulation techniques.

 

[ratsrepus]

I think the Jotul is to small for your application, the fans on my blaze kings are great, Also I would never have another tube stove after having a cat stove, they are not a pain in the butt.

 

[Garraty47]

I think the Jotul is to small for your application

Aren’t the Hampton H300 and Jotul F400 about the same size? I thought the Jotul firebox was slightly larger actually. Maybe I am mistaken?

Also I would never have another tube stove after having a cat stove, they are not a pain in the butt.

The Lopi Rockport is the only cat stove available to us in the size we are looking for. Would that be a better choice than the Hampton H300?

 

[ratsrepus]

maybe some one else will chime in on that one, I cant comment on that stove, but as far as I know they are decent, Im kinda of blaze king guy. I did have the Jotul F500 Oslo and it was a good stove, but it wont hold a candle to the blazeking ashford 30

 

[begreen]

Aren’t the Hampton H300 and Jotul F400 about the same size? I thought the Jotul firebox was slightly larger actually. Maybe I am mistaken?

The Lopi Rockport is the only cat stove available to us in the size we are looking for. Would that be a better choice than the Hampton H300?

The Castine and H300 are a close match in firebox size. Key differences are that the H300 can be side loaded, has a blower option, the firebox is firebrick lined and there is a convective (removable) top. This makes the stove a little faster to get the firebox up to temperature and the stove a bit less radiant. Both are very nice heaters.

I have only seen the Rockport on the store floor. Can't comment on how it runs or heats.

While looking at these stoves have you also looked at cast iron jacketed stoves like the Quad Explorer II and the PE Alderlea T5?

 

[Garraty47]

The Castine and H300 are a close match in firebox size. Key differences are that the H300 can be side loaded, has a blower option, the firebox is firebrick lined and there is a convective (removable) top. This makes the stove a little faster to get the firebox up to temperature and the stove a bit less radiant. Both are very nice heaters.

I have only seen the Rockport on the store floor. Can't comment on how it runs or heats.

While looking at these stoves have you also looked at cast iron jacketed stoves like the Quad Explorer II and the PE Alderlea T5?

Unfortunately those brands are not offered by the dealer we are working with in our rural area.

I’m hoping the H300 won’t be undersized for our home, but from what others have said it is a good working stove for their applications. I’m not sure the Rockport would be much different as far as size goes, but it doesn’t offer a side loading door and that’s something we see ourselves using often. Thanks for the info.

 

[ratsrepus]

Whatever stove you end up choosing, will be an improvement over what you have now.

 

[Garraty47]

Whatever stove you end up choosing, will be an improvement over what you have now.

That's for sure. What's not for sure is which stove we are going to choose.

After double checking all of the clearances required for each stove, and also considering the clearances for a BK Ashford 2.1 or 3.2, we had to eliminate the Hampton H300 (it requires too great of a clearance behind the stove for our installation) and we have come down to making a decision between the Jotul F500 Oslo, F400 Castine or the Lopi Rockport. Those are the three stoves that will fit the existing hearth and still maintain a safe clearance. The Oslo is our top choice and the Rockport is our second choice.

So the conundrum is that the Jotul F500 Oslo offers the side-load door but may put off too much heat into the room it will be in, and the Jotul F400 Castine doesn't offer a blower fan or side-door. While the Lopi Rockport offers a hybrid cat, is EPA 2020 certified, and seems like it's the most efficient of the bunch. But now it comes down to which one to choose.

Decisions, decisions ...

 

[begreen]

Have you looked at the Quadrafire Explorer II?

 

[Riddlefiddle]

I have a Jotul f 400. It's a nice stove and heats well. It does not have a blower so I use a thermoelectric fan that sits on top of the stove. That may be an option for you to look at if you're considering a blowerless stove.

 

[Garraty47]

Have you looked at the Quadrafire Explorer II?

I had not yet considered a Quadra-Fire because our closest dealer doesn’t carry that brand, however we may still be able to special order it through them for installation. I’ll have to check.

Looking at the specs, the Explorer II has much better clearances than these others I’ve looked at. I’m impressed. I have not found too many reviews of that stove on here, but it certainly fits our clearance requirements and checks off most of the items on our wish list.

I’ll look further into this stove, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[begreen]

The Explorer is a cast iron clad stove. The heat will be softer and temp swings less dramatic. The webmaster here has the Explorer III and has been happy with it. The Hearthstone Shelburne may also appeal to you. It is more radiant, true cast iron stove like the Castine and has a blower option.

 

[adrpga498]

I have an older Castine,2 door model. Runs like a tank and the only thing I had to do after 17years was replace door gaskits last month. Great stove 4 me.

 

[Garraty47]

The Explorer is a cast iron clad stove. The heat will be softer and temp swings less dramatic. The webmaster here has the Explorer III and has been happy with it. The Hearthstone Shelburne may also appeal to you. It is more radiant, true cast iron stove like the Castine and has a blower option.

Isn’t the Lopi Rockport also a cast iron clad stove. I know they advertise it as a cast iron stove but I’ve seen posts on here that claim it’s actually a steel firebox. I’m OK with that. I think we would actually prefer a steel firebox clad in cast iron since it will get up to temperature a little faster. It’s currently our top choice at the moment, at least until I can speak with the dealer on Monday to inquire about the possibility of an Explorer II. They would both fit well with our existing hearth.

The Rockport does look like a beautiful stove, and I believe it will be a better size for us than the Oslo. My biggest concern about the Rockport would be the longevity of the cat and how much that will cost to replace over time versus a non-cat stove and how much more fuel we would burn in one of those over time (which must be less than what we are currently burning). I’m OK with a cat and don’t mind the learning curve. It’s the decision making process that is the most difficult.

 

[Garraty47]

Update: we went with the Lopi Rockport and so far, so good. It’s a beautiful stove.

Thanks for all the good info shared on this forum. I want to especially thank those who commented on my original post.

We have been enjoying the Lopi immensely and I will post a proper review at the end of the season.