The "pick Joful's new stove" thread!

[Ashful]

I've decided it's time to let my collection of old F12's go, and upgrade to something more modern. They're not awful stoves, but with me intending to continue pushing 8 cords per year thru my stoves for at least the next 20 years, I figure the time is ripe to transition to something less than 20 years old already.

Currently running the two Firelight 12's, the catalytic equivalent to Jotuls current Firelight 600, has been just about right for this house. I'm still burning about 1000 gal. of oil, and have heat pumps that never seem to stop running, but the rooms actually containing the stoves are about as warm as I can tolerate them. Old house, lots of rooms, so circulation is a limiting factor.

The first two contenders that come to mind are the Firelight 600 (one sexy b!tch), and the Ashford 30. If BK made a larger stove with cosmetics similar to the Ashford 30, this thread would not exist, and there'd already be cash in the hand of my local BK dealer. But that's not the case, and there is one very substantial flaw to the Ashford 30... I don't think it will take the 20" splits, of which I already have 20 cords CSS'd.

The Jotul 600 is similarly not ideal, which too-short burn times, and probably running a littler hotter than I'd prefer in the first 3 hours of the burn. But, I am one who does value cosmetics, and have tolerated many inconveniences in life (my whole house, actually), for something that pleases my eye.

So, I'm opening the floor for suggestions. Which way would you go? One of the above? Something totally different?

Oh, and just in case there's still one person on this forum who hasn't seen the hearths into which they'll be installed:

 

[Dairyman]

I don't know about split length but my choices for cast/cast-hybrids would be.
1: Ashford
2: Aldera t-6
3: Isle Royal
4: Cape Cod
5: f-600
6: Manchester

 

[Hogwildz]

Kuma Sequoia not fancy enough?
Equinox
There is one I can't remember the manufacturer, they are only available refurbished, fancy barrel type but much fancier.
One of the former members here had one, now I can remember it. They were retroing secondary burn in it.

 

[Dairyman]

Kuma Sequoia not fancy enough?
Equinox
There is one I can't remember the manufacturer, they are only available refurbished, fancy barrel type but much fancier.
One of the former members here had one, now I can remember it. They were retroing secondary burn in it.

Elm?

 

[Hogwildz]

Elm?

Thats the one!

 

[tarzan]

what do you mean by the F-600 running hotter than you'd prefer?

I couldn't see lopping two inches off 20 cords of wood nor a steel stove in that house so that would rule the BK out unless it turns out your wrong about the split size the Ashford will take but I think your right.

 

[Ashful]

Lol... Watched Disney Tarzan tonight with my 5 year old! Oh Phil, you have fallen so far.

The F600, being non-cat, probably pushes into the 600's on the stovetop. That's a mighty big stove to be rolling out heat at 650F. The F12's I use now typically run in the 400's during the whole burn cycle, the way I like to run them overnight and workdays.

I will say, tho... if I go non-cat, it would almost surely be the F600. They just look right in there.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I have no idea, but, wouldn't it be better for you to heat with those stove out a few feet more? They look really tucked in to me, I know that your heating a lot of space over there...

 

[dafattkidd]

I think Dairyman hit it on the head with his list. That sucks about the split length eliminating the Ashford. Seems like the easiest transition would be the F600. It's a beautiful stove, but I am partial to the Isle Royale. My buddy has one in the porcelain mahogany. It's a beautiful unit and a beast of a heater.

What's your time frame for the switch?

 

[fraxinus]

The recommended operating temperature for the Jotul F600 is between 400 and 600 degrees. I have never experienced any difficulty at all in keeping the stove within that range at startup, for the first three hours, or any other time. Burn time has also never been an issue. There are so many ways burn time is measured, so many variations according to the wood used and so many differences in the way individuals operate their stoves, that burn time seems to be a rather meaningless measurement.

 

[aansorge]

Why not the Progress hybrid? It takes 22's.

 

[prezes13]

I would go with Ashford 30 or progress hybrid.

 

[brad wilton]

you seem to like your jotuls why not stick with what you like ?

 

[valuman]

Having just seen a newly installed Progress Hybrid stove in action this week, I'd certainly take a long hard look at that stove before pulling the trigger on anything. Wow, is about all I can say. Wow!

 

[tarzan]

Just thinking out loud but this "may be" a good time to buy used at a good price to see if someone comes out with the perfect fit for you in the next few years. Jotul, amongst others, for better or worse, will need to update there product line so who knows what's just around the corner.

 

[Ashful]

Why not the Progress hybrid? It takes 22's.

If I wanted ugly, I'd just buy a BK King, and be done with it! [emoji12]

 

[Ashful]

you seem to like your jotuls why not stick with what you like ?

Two reasons:

1. I'm learning the combo of very large firebox with very small catalytic combustor is a recipe for very short combustor life, if run on large loads 24/7. Each time I cook a combustor, there is other associated damage that costs me time and money.
2. I don't expect any stove to last 45 years, which is how old these stoves will be on my forecast sell date of this house. I will have to buy new stoves at some point, so I might as well benefit from them today.

 

[Ashful]

Jotul, amongst others, for better or worse, will need to update there product line so who knows what's just around the corner.

I asked this question in another thread last week, and received no reply. What do you know?

 

[midwestcoast]

If you're set on one of those two, I'd be taking a tape measure and a few of your normal splits to any dealer you can find with an Ashford 30 & see what real world max split length is.
With your heating setup I think catalytic would be more useful, even if it doesn't have quite the btu output you'd like. A slow heat to take the edge off for your heat pumps & oil would be my preference over too much heat in one room for shorter cycles.

 

[midwestcoast]

If looking at other options, I agree with Dairyman that either PE Alderlea T-6's or Lopi Cape Cods would look nice in there.

 

[valuman]

If I wanted ugly, I'd just buy a BK King, and be done with it! [emoji12]

I guess that old saying still holds true; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[begreen]

Technology is about to make a shift in many major stove lines. I would consider only replacing one stove at this time and see what you think. My guess, and it's only a guess, is the least likely to change stove will be the BK Ashford 30. So maybe just get one Ashford 30 and see what you think. That way you will have a reserve F12 in case the other one develops a problem. Then revisit this question in 2-3 years from now.

 

[Grisu]

Does that not get tiring feeding three stoves? I would look into a wood furnace/boiler that could be tied into your existing system and keep one or two of the stoves you have for occasional supplemental/ambiance heat.

 

[webby3650]

I feel that the Ashford is more geared toward a well insulated space. You do not have that right? It's more of a convective heater in my opinion. With all that stone and a big breezy house I think you need big radiant heat. If you have to run it on higher setting then there won't be much advantage to it over a non-cat. Jacketed stoves just don't offer that big heat that you are gonna need. Just my 2 cents.

 

[begreen]

He's running the F12 at 400F which seems to say that it's not being pushed for strongly radiant heat.