There is one for sale locally. Looks to be in great shape. It’s the biscuit color with doubles doors Andy top loader. Asking price is 350. I don’t know much about the catalysts. Seems like a great deal?
Is it going to be your main heat source? They are pricey and a pain to rebuild and service the cat. They are also good looking and make a great open fireplace with the doors opened and removed with the screen in place. If you want ambiance then the stove is great, if you want major heat with minimum labor and service there are better stoves to chose from.
Beautiful stove, but there were a lot of problems depending on when it was built. Some were great, others really sucked. With a picture of the serial number plate and a few of the stove inside and out I’m sure someone here can help you decide if it’s a good one.
VT castings has been sold so many times it's crazy. Cousin worked at the plant and he couldn't get parts. I would stay away.
Changing the catalyst in one of these is the job from hell, and they do need changing and cleaning. If the stove has ever been over fired the internal plates that separate the catalyst from the firebox will be warped making the job extremely difficult. The Is this one of the top loaders. It's a nice stove when they're working well. I had a Resolute which was a smaller version of basically the same technology.
