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[boiler]

Anyone on here have a polar stove ?     If so what do you think of them

[BeaconWoods]

It is my understanding that these are the people who somehow got ownership of this design / manufacture from Arthur Turple of Wood Doctor fame.  There are many, many posts here about the whole debacle surrounding WD.  Suffice it to say that my WD 8000 has sprung its last leak.  I ordered a Portage and Main BL3444 last week.

[boiler]

Im sure youll be happy happy with  the BL       just got my wd14000 welded this year ,stove was only 4 years old .  Hope it holds, love the stove but cant keep the water out of the fire box. This is my 2nd wd  I will be looking at the BL soon

[dwneast77]

Knock on wood my WD HE10000 has been the least of my worries.  First owner had a leak welded in the bottom combustion area.   I think that weld may lose a little water but very hard to get in there to even look at it and it's been that way since I've owned it.  It's a 2008 model and I got it in 2010.  So far the firebox looks and sounds good when struck.  Does not sound to be getting thin yet.  My CB 2300 had to be re-lined last year as side walls and roof of firebox were warn paper thin with all corrosion on the fire side.  Had a couple weld leaks 2 different years prior to that.  It has been a real headache for me since I've owned it.  That one is also 2008 model.  Granted it was CB's first gasser model and they did offer some upgrades mostly for free.  Doesn't help the corrosion issues though. 

[BeaconWoods]

All the leaks in my WD 8000 have been at welds.  The firebox looks good both inside and out.  I used to have a indoor forced air wood furnace.  I have thought about taking my torch to this one and converting it over.  I have a few extra squirrel cage fans floating around.  Can't seem to pass 'em up at auctions.  I wonder if it's been done before.  Sounds like an adventure.

[Woodboiler]

Polar is the company that use to manufacture the Wood Doctor brand stove and Arthur was the owner of wood doctor.  The whole mess was a domino effect where Arthur and Polar knew of design defects and both parties argued who would cover warranty.  Arthur started looking into manufacturing companies in the states here, but could not find anyone with enough resources or knowledge to manufacture the stoves on a large scale.

I spoke to Polar, Solar Winds as they were once called, but didnt seem to have much faith in dealing with them again.

Overall a decent stove, but as others have mentioned there are more efficient stoves out there.

[john01]

I am also considering a polar. Does anyone have one? What are the pros and cons?

[BeaconWoods]

I am also considering a polar. Does anyone have one? What are the pros and cons?

I have one from when they were called Wood Doctor.  I have had five or six leaks in the past couple years.  The last one was the last one.  I have a Portage and Main BL 3444 on its way.  Before it started leaking it I had no problems.  Oil the motor and door hinges once in a while, change the door seal when it loses flexibility - no problem there.  Got some corrosion / thinning at the bottom of the opening.  I hear that is typical across brands.  People say other brands are more efficient.  I won't argue either way on that other than to say the stack temp seems pretty high which means less heat transferred to the water than possible.  My recommendation would be drive past Polar and keep looking.

[john01]

Thanks of the information.