Stove decisions....

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jasejase

New Member
Sep 16, 2021
12
CT
Hello! First post here. Though I grew up with a Woodstove, this is also my first time potentially owning one.

We're in the process of picking our stove with the help of the retailer. Narrowed it down to....

The hearthstone green mountain 40 and the dauntless flexburn.

The home is a cape, and the stove will be located on the first floor, in the living room. 95% of the time, it will be used for a blend of ambience and to take the bite out of the air in the winter. Essentially in the area of the living room. Having the flexibility to throw some heat throughout the entire house in a pinch is also a plus.

So we narrowed it down to these two. Any thoughts? I seem to like the visual design of the hearthstone a little bit better, but it seems like the Vermont castings model may have some better overall characteristics. I'm all ears!

Thanks in advance
 
Are there any other brands your retailer sells? Narrowing it down to just two options seems tough, especially when you consider the selection of stoves on the market these days! From your two choices, the Hearthstone Green Mountain is probably the one I would use. There are good threads on here about that company and also that stove and people's experiences with it. Regarding Vermont Castings, I would be weary of purchasing anything made by them and more so the Dauntless model which is a fairly new stove in their line up and not too much is really known about it (regarding performance over a winter, etc). Search around the forums for why people should be weary of Vermont Castings but the main points regarding them are stoves that are high maintenance with expensive replacement parts and overall questionable build quality ever since they were bought out who knows how many times now. Yes they still do the casting work in Vermont but something about it all seems way downhill quality wise vs their heyday back in the 80's and early 90's.

Would you be open to ordering a stove online, through a reputable manufacturer such as Woodstock Soapstone? They offer a good selection of stoves for all sizes of homes/rooms and they are super easy to maintain and operate. Going on my 3rd year of ownership with one of their stoves and nothing but good things about it from me. The only con with them is being online ordering only, they ship their stoves via a freight service and you have to pick it up at a shipping dock near your home and will need a pickup truck or trailer that can haul at least 800 lbs. Then there's the matter of getting said stove into your home and completing the install. A good stove shop will be willing to install your stove even if it's not one they sell so that would be one easy way of getting the stove in your house!
 
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Vermont castings model may have some better overall characteristics. I'm all ears!
VC stoves do not have a very good outlook here, while the VC brand has stayed the same, the actual company has changed hands many times over the years, unfortunately for these past companies technology has improved, along with epa regulations, VC has a sleek design, very eye catching of what a woodstove should look like, but the innards of the stove have a bad reputation of failing early and being very expensive to replace if parts can be sourced along with labor from the dealer.
There are a few stoves that got a new and improved inside function for last years 2020 epa mandates, but the jury is still out on how long the actual refractory is going to hold up and if it does fail, how in-depth are the repairs going to take to get the stove functioning normal.
I wouldnt chance it if I were you, I know a dealer is going to say otherwise, but there a dealer and they want to make money.
 
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Thank you both! I had no idea about the vc reputation, then again, today was my first day of research. The dealer quoted the vc but then said, if I have time to wait for restock the hearthstone was his favorite.

I'd like to order from them, as they're doing the install and its a bit of a pain in the rear to boot. It's an outer wall on a cape, and there's dormers above etc.

It's also a small town and id like to give as much to this new community as possible. Earn some Cred with the locals lol.
 
Thank you both! I had no idea about the vc reputation, then again, today was my first day of research. The dealer quoted the vc but then said, if I have time to wait for restock the hearthstone was his favorite.

I'd like to order from them, as they're doing the install and its a bit of a pain in the rear to boot. It's an outer wall on a cape, and there's dormers above etc.

It's also a small town and id like to give as much to this new community as possible. Earn some Cred with the locals lol.
That's completely understandable wanting to support local business! For all my stove needs, I go through a small mom and pop company here in town and have worked with them for a couple of years and they are the only ones I trust for anything stove related. Take time to look at the pros and cons of the Hearthstone stove as well as all the technical info and real world stories about its operation, etc. It makes for a good day (or years) worth of reading :)
 
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Are there any other brands your retailer sells? Narrowing it down to just two options seems tough, especially when you consider the selection of stoves on the market these days! From your two choices, the Hearthstone Green Mountain is probably the one I would use. There are good threads on here about that company and also that stove and people's experiences with it. Regarding Vermont Castings, I would be weary of purchasing anything made by them and more so the Dauntless model which is a fairly new stove in their line up and not too much is really known about it (regarding performance over a winter, etc). Search around the forums for why people should be weary of Vermont Castings but the main points regarding them are stoves that are high maintenance with expensive replacement parts and overall questionable build quality ever since they were bought out who knows how many times now. Yes they still do the casting work in Vermont but something about it all seems way downhill quality wise vs their heyday back in the 80's and early 90's.

Would you be open to ordering a stove online, through a reputable manufacturer such as Woodstock Soapstone? They offer a good selection of stoves for all sizes of homes/rooms and they are super easy to maintain and operate. Going on my 3rd year of ownership with one of their stoves and nothing but good things about it from me. The only con with them is being online ordering only, they ship their stoves via a freight service and you have to pick it up at a shipping dock near your home and will need a pickup truck or trailer that can haul at least 800 lbs. Then there's the matter of getting said stove into your home and completing the install. A good stove shop will be willing to install your stove even if it's not one they sell so that would be one easy way of getting the stove in your house!
Thank you!

Hasn't the dauntless been over for 15 plus years?
 
I quite like my GM 40, we use it as a full time heater and I have a similar house in the same area as you. It’s beautiful and glass stays clear for a good view of the fire, I burn about 2.5 cords a year, so far the stove it’s self has been trouble free. The CAT will need occasional cleaning but other than that it’s easy to operate.

As a side note I would strongly recommend you make sure your chimney is well sorted. It’s every bit as important as the stove and a major safety consideration. Lots of great info here on that topic.
 
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Thanks!

This is a new construction.... The stove shop is handling the flue install accordingly. Pretty reputable shop. Should I be micro managing this part??
 
Thanks!

This is a new construction.... The stove shop is handling the flue install accordingly. Pretty reputable shop. Should I be micro managing this part??
Yes I would be educated if we’re you, I had to deal with some chimney “pros” who wanted to instal things that weren’t right or even up to code. Good news is there are very qualified people here who can help. What are you starting with? Do you plan to build a masonry chimney? Is it already constructed?
 
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Yes I would be educated if we’re you, I had to deal with some chimney “pros” who wanted to instal things that weren’t right or even up to code. Good news is there are very qualified people here who can help. What are you starting with? Do you plan to build a masonry chimney? Is it already constructed?
Not yet constructed. Stainless flue straight up and out. They've quoted code in their estimate. I work in Construction management in essence.... I don't sense any issues. I can't micro manage this project from 4 hours away either way. It's stressful enough lol
 
Here's one of the few videos I was able to find about the VC Dauntless. It was posted last year and that seems about right for how long it's been out. VC made a stove in the past that was also the Dauntless but very different from this EPA certified version.



And here's a photo of the original style Dauntless stove:

download.jpg
 
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That video was cool. Thank you. We're going to the shop next week to see things in person and finalize.

I like that flip out ash tray.
 
The home is a cape, and the stove will be located on the first floor, in the living room. 95% of the time, it will be used for a blend of ambience and to take the bite out of the air in the winter
If it was me I would want something really simple. Something without a catalytic converter and a bypass handle so I could just throw some smaller splits on whenever I wanted the ambiance and not worry about the cat temp and when to throw the bypass handle. Just my thoughts.
 
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Not a bad thought to have. Id like the flexibility to heat up the entire house in a pinch. Winters are tough up there.

Is there a benefit going simple? Maintenance wise etc?
 
Not yet constructed. Stainless flue straight up and out. They've quoted code in their estimate. I work in Construction management in essence.... I don't sense any issues. I can't micro manage this project from 4 hours away either way. It's stressful enough lol
Micromanage and an over 4 hour drive to the job every weekend is pure joy isn’t it?!?! I GC’ed my own but had all sorts of knowledge from work plus the flexibility. One week I left W57 in NYC after a few days then drove up to Moosehead Lake ME. That wasn’t just one long drive but the BS noise and traffic was eye opening.

Got to get the right people all on the page but having a good carpenter makes all the difference. It ain’t no TV show.
 
Is there a benefit going simple? Maintenance wise etc?
No catalyst to clean an replace.


I think real decision should be do you want a catalytic stove. And is the tax credit important. Then start your stove search.

remember stoves are space heaters. Whole house probably won’t ever be comfortable if just heat with the stove. Livable sure. How big is the room the stove will go in? How is it connect to the rest of the house and how big is the house? New construction will mean you should think about an out side air kit. OAK. More thoughts

evan
 
If it was me I would want something really simple. Something without a catalytic converter and a bypass handle so I could just throw some smaller splits on whenever I wanted the ambiance and not worry about the cat temp and when to throw the bypass handle. Just my thoughts.
Both will have bypass operation though the Dauntless is a flexburn stove, it can be operated without the cat. The GM40 is a hybrid with a catalyst.

@jasejase are VC and Hearthstone the only brands the dealer sells? Who is the dealer and in what town?
 
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1800 sq ft for the Intrepid is a stretch. I wouldn't recommend the Intrepid for much larger than a 1200 sq ft area unless it is in a mild climate weather zone.
 
Micromanage and an over 4 hour drive to the job every weekend is pure joy isn’t it?!?! I GC’ed my own but had all sorts of knowledge from work plus the flexibility. One week I left W57 in NYC after a few days then drove up to Moosehead Lake ME. That wasn’t just one long drive but the BS noise and traffic was eye opening.

Got to get the right people all on the page but having a good carpenter makes all the difference. It ain’t no TV show.
Yeah. Building far away from home has its own issues. I have a great gc up there and everything has been good so far. Part of what I do for work, is a lot of construction management.... So that helps. Just not enough time in the day. Especially with kids
 
I almost pulled the trigger on a Dauntless last year, really loved the looks and the top loading but thought it may be to finicky to operate for the wife so opted for the Jotul F45.
 
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Quadrafire is also an option at this retailer :)
Unfortunately, Quad stove options are more limited now. The Explorer I might have been an option pre-2020.
 
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