can anyone help us decide? We have an 1800-ft. house, want to at least cut down on oil heat. I like the looks and side door of the Hearthstone, but Lopi seems to have a better warranty. Any tips on how to decide? Thanks!
can't decide, Lopi Leyden vs. Hearthstone Heritage
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Stay away from the Leyden. Its downdraft secomdary combustion system is finicky, at best. Use the search box in the upper, right corner, and do a little reading on it. Read up on its twin, the Avalon Arbor, as well.
Unless your house is tight and very well insulated, you might want to look at the Mansfield, rather than the Heritage.
If you want a side loading soapstone stove, also check out this one
http://woodstove.com/progress-hybrid
Stay away from the Leyden. Its downdraft secomdary combustion system is finicky, at best. Use the search box in the upper, right corner, and do a little reading on it. Read up on its twin, the Avalon Arbor, as well.
Unless your house is tight and very well insulated, you might want to look at the Mansfield, rather than the Heritage.
If you want a side loading soapstone stove, also check out this one
http://woodstove.com/progress-hybrid
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I know, weird choice, right? I was in one store and was taken with the Heritage. Price offered was $3159, with enamel. Wandered across the street where there was a Lopi dealer, and the Lopi warranty looks better than the Hearthstone's. I've been going crosseyed looking at reviews of just about every brand and model. I'm replacing a 30 year-old VC Resolute.
Thanks. My heart is leaning towards the Hearthstone. Our house is NOT tight and well-insulated; in fact, there's NO insulation under the floor where the wood stove is resting. My old VC Resolute did a good job of keeping us warm for the past 26 years, though. I'm concerned at the low efficiency rating on the Mansfield as compared to the Heritage. So hard to decide.
I added a link to my first post, probably as you were typing.
Don't put to much into efficiency ratings. There is no real standard, and EPA ratings focus on emmisions. Manufacturer ratings and square footage recommendations are only worth the paper they are printed on. Look more at firebox size for an idea on heating capability. You will probably want something in the 2.5-3 cu ft range.
I wouldn't let warranty be too much of a factor. A good dealer is more important here, as that is who has to deal with warranty issues. Research will get you a good stove to begin with.
Woodstock, by the way, only deals directly from the factory. No dealer issues there, and the company is held in the highest regard by its customers
Don't put to much into efficiency ratings. There is no real standard, and EPA ratings focus on emmisions. Manufacturer ratings and square footage recommendations are only worth the paper they are printed on. Look more at firebox size for an idea on heating capability. You will probably want something in the 2.5-3 cu ft range.
I wouldn't let warranty be too much of a factor. A good dealer is more important here, as that is who has to deal with warranty issues. Research will get you a good stove to begin with.
Woodstock, by the way, only deals directly from the factory. No dealer issues there, and the company is held in the highest regard by its customers
As a Hearthstone Heritage owner, I can tell you the stove is not going to heat your whole house even in the Boston area. But if, as you say, you just want to cut down on your regular heating bills and aren't trying to completely replace your central heating, it's a wonderful stove. Unless you're willing to tolerate very cold temps in the AM, you'll need to set your central heating thermostat to come on overnight to keep the house temp at whatever you consider a tolerable level.
I wouldn't put too much emphasis on the length of the warranty. If there's something wrong with the stove, you'll know it halfway into your first heating season. A couple years out, the warranty isn't worth much. These stoves are uncomplicated, so once you know it's OK, there's not much that can "fail" afterwards.
Soapstone stoves don't blast out the heat. They run at a much lower surface temperature than steel or cast stoves. They take a little while to heat up because the soapstone absorbs and stores the heat, but they keep putting it out after the fire has begun to die down. The heat is wonderful, soft and enveloping and gentle.
I heated my 1700 sf of 1963 built home with a heritage for several years. It was very capable of 100% heating our home during our typical week long cold snaps in the teens. Its a great stove except it is not built for long term use. The stove performed to specifications even with my softwoods. The door hinges and latches are small, quickly wear out, and are only replacable with a full stove rebuild. So i dumped it and bought a blaze king. Never been happier.
The good news is that any stove you pic (unless you buy another VC) will be better than your current stove
I had the original Resolute. It was a really nice stove. A modern stove is going to be a different experience, but in a good way once you get the hang of it. See if you can find dealers for the Enviro Boston in your area, or the Jotul F50 or the Pacific Energy Alderlea T5.
As mentioned before, defiantly pass on the Leyden! It's a piece of junk. It's very finicky and can be unpredictable. In fact it's so bad they have been discontinued. Bet the dealer didn't tell you that did they?
Hearthstone has been making a lot of changes their hinges and latches, so they are replaceable. We have Hstones out there that have been burning away for 15 years and have had no issues. Thay make a quality product.
Hearthstone has been making a lot of changes their hinges and latches, so they are replaceable. We have Hstones out there that have been burning away for 15 years and have had no issues. Thay make a quality product.
Thanks for all the info -- this is great! I think I'll go ahead with the Hearthstone.
lumbering on
Feeling the Heat
As a former leyden owner, also wanted to warn you away from the leyden. Very difficult stove.
Switched it for a Jotul and have never been happier.
Switched it for a Jotul and have never been happier.
If you like the look of the Leyden, I would check out the Quadrafire Cumberland Gap/Isle Royale or the Hearthstone Manchester. Both have also larger fireboxes than the Heritage and you may need that when it gets really cold since you say your house is not that well insulated.
Make also sure your wood is dry. Those modern stoves really need dry wood (seasoned for one to three years depending on species) to perform well.
Thanks -- funny, I just was looking at the Cumberland Gap. Will check that one out a bit more today. I like the side door. Still, soapstone vs. cast iron = apples to oranges...so hard to decide.
They will both heat. Make sure you get one that you like to look at for 365 days for years to come. And take your time; you have a whole summer to decide. After reading a bit more about your situation, I would suggest getting at least a stove with about a 2.5 cu ft firebox. You will probably need it.
Theres really not a huge difference between stone and iron. It's almost unnoticeable, i definitely wouldn't choose a stove based on this thought.
I would agree but with a caveat. A cast-iron jacketed stove can behave much like a soapstone stove due to the mass of the jacket and indirect heating. The Cumberland Gap is a jacketed stove like the Alderleas, Enviro Boston, BK Ashford and Jotul F45/50/55. Like soapstone, these stoves will be much less radiant than a non-jacketed cast iron stove. Cast iron stoves like the Isle Royale or Jotul F400/500/600 are much more radiant and heat up more quickly than a soapstone or jacketed cast iron stove.
I agree that jacketed stoves are much less radiant than un-jacketed iron. But I have never thought that soapstone stoves were near as mild of a heat like everyone thinks. The ones I've been around we're throwing some serious heat while running. Then once the fire has died down, it's still warm for a while but not warm enough to make much of a presence in the room. They make nice heat, I just don't see much difference in heat life or output compared to iron. Not enough to base my decision on anyway.
I've only been around other folks soapstone stoves, never owned one. SWMBO does not particularly like the look. But I have noticed that when burning I can hold a hand close to the stone without feeling scorched. Most recent experience was with a Hearthstone I. Maybe that is not true with all soapstones though. The T6's sides even when burning strong are not scorching or hand burning hot. The Castine on the other hand, was quite radiant and not on the sides.
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Hah! I did own a stone stove for several years. I like the look just because I like masonry, and it is a unique material. The performance, well, that part is a fad. In my opinion, the stone does not give you the benefits that the stone stove manufacturers would like you to expect. Sure, they perform differently but not enough for it to be a deal breaker. Long, steady, heat output is better achieved with a long burning fire which is best achieved with a cat stove, not thermal mass.
I am not terribly familiar with the listed iron stoves but I strongly agree with the ideal that the stove should have a welded steel firebox that is decorated with cast iron. Pure cast iron stoves suffer from the need to maintain the gaskets between iron panels, the welded firebox is sealed.
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