Bad Reviews

izzyq · Nov 2, 2014

We own the Mancgester in the brown enamel. Purchased it last fall and were wonderfully cozy all during an incredibly cold winter. Only other heat we needed from November to April was the week we went away for vacation at Christmas. House was toasty, nice long burns and a beautiful stove to look at (I'm the wife that was very important to me!). We are so happy with our purchase and have had no complaints or problems.

northwinds · Nov 2, 2014

I looked hard at the Manchester. It's a beautiful stove You should also look at the Isle Royale, if you can locate a Quad dealer near you. There are pros and cons for soapstone vs. cast iron.

Autorotate · Nov 2, 2014

webby3650 said:
The Manchester has only been out for a couple of years. They had some side door hinge issues or something. It wasn't a big deal. One member bashed them like crazy on the forums, I think this is where the bad reviews are coming from. Hearthstone made it right with him. They gave him a brand new stove.

I think this is the first review I saw when I plugged it in Google. He/She was not happy at all. They also posted a similar response in the reviews section. That's when I came to the forums to follow up.

Autorotate · Nov 2, 2014

northwinds said:
I looked hard at the Manchester. It's a beautiful stove You should also look at the Isle Royale, if you can locate a Quad dealer near you. There are pros and cons for soapstone vs. cast iron.

I actually looked at the Isle Royale today. I did like the look of it, but the price was slightly higher. I am really stuck on this Manchester. Especially after reading the positive reviews from you folks on here. I have written down every model that I looked at and I like the Manchester interior soap stone, the box size, and the fact that the sq ft is comparable to the rest. The Jotuls had a little higher rated sq ft, but from what I understand that is always in perfect conditions.

This stove will be located on my second floor which is an open concept with standard 8 ft ceilings (About 800 Sq Ft). It will be about 10 feet from my upstairs steps so I am hoping the heat sneaks right up. I also have a large return vent about the hearth. As I said, I want to burn 24 hours and like the soap stone holds the heat a little longer.

All these comments and suggestions are priceless. I've looked up a lot of nice stoves since everyone has been telling me to look into them. I am not against the Woodstock, but being such a novice at this I want something I can go in and look at.

Grisu · Nov 2, 2014

Autorotate said:
I have written down every model that I looked at and I like the Manchester interior soap stone, the box size, and the fact that the sq ft is comparable to the rest. The Jotuls had a little higher rated sq ft, but from what I understand that is always in perfect conditions.

Forget the sqft numbers they are at best a rough guideline but nothing to base a stove size on. The size of the firebox is usually the best predictor of the heating capability of a stove.

Autorotate said:
I also have a large return vent about the hearth.

How close? Code says usually 10 ft from the firebox as minimum distance.

Autorotate said:
As I said, I want to burn 24 hours and like the soap stone holds the heat a little longer.

I doubt you will get a realistic burn time of 24 hrs from the Manchester. Maybe if it is still rather warm outside and and you are ok with a 150 F stove. For such a long burn you need to look at a catalytic stove like the BlazeKing Ashford 30.

richmhv · Nov 2, 2014

As to square footage ratings, that can vary based on your local climate and the amount of insulation you have. When I replaced my stove earlier this year, the dealer gave me info of square foot heated based on the climate here. Obviously a stove that can heat 2000 sq ft in NC may heat a good deal less in Maine. Burn times are also often exaggerated. It means you can re-kindle after X hours from hot coals than have to start a new fire, not that it will maintain a warm temp in your house for the same X hours.

Autorotate · Nov 2, 2014

Grisu said:
Forget the sqft numbers they are at best a rough guideline but nothing to base a stove size on. The size of the firebox is usually the best predictor of the heating capability of a stove.

How close? Code says usually 10 ft from the firebox as minimum distance.

I doubt you will get a realistic burn time of 24 hrs from the Manchester. Maybe if it is still rather warm outside and and you are ok with a 150 F stove. For such a long burn you need to look at a catalytic stove like the BlazeKing Ashford 30.

I'm sorry about the confusion. I meant that I wanted to burn for 24 hours. I did not expect the stove to stay warm for the 24 hour period. I am content with it holding overnight.

As for the return, it is about 8-9 feet from the stove. The house was built in 1980 with the return where it is and the wood stove in the same place. I hope that it did not change since then.

northwinds · Nov 2, 2014

Autorotate said:
I'm sorry about the confusion. I meant that I wanted to burn for 24 hours. I did not expect the stove to stay warm for the 24 hour period. I am content with it holding overnight.

You will easily get an overnight burn with the Manchester. Soapstone holds the heat longer than cast or steel. On the flip side, it takes longer to put heat into the room.

Time to start working on your seasoned wood supply, if you haven't already.

webby3650 · Nov 2, 2014

I really wouldn't put too much stock into the soapstone firebricks. They don't make up all that much weight compared to the mass of iron.

Woody Stover · Nov 4, 2014

northwinds said:
Time to start working on your seasoned wood supply, if you haven't already.

Yeah....got dry wood? ==c

It's a bit late to start working on that now unless you have access to small, dead-standers with the bark fallen off. Also, how will the stove be vented, through the roof (probably) or into a masonry fireplace? With an upstairs, I imagine the stack will have ample height?

Autorotate · Nov 4, 2014

Dry wood? Negative. I live in the city so I was going to just start randomly cutting down telephone poles.

I'm hoping that I can find a place that has some I can purchase. There are a few reputable places around me. And I'm going to ask one of the other forum members who lives near me what his suggestions are.

The stack will be about 25 feet or so through my roof. There was an existing wood flue there when the house was built in 1980.

Grisu · Nov 4, 2014

Your best bet for this winter will probably be compressed wood logs like Bio-bricks or Envi-blocks. They run about $300 for a cord-equivalent but are guaranteed dry, easier to store, less messy etc. The wood you should order now is the one for the following winter(s).

firefighterjake · Nov 4, 2014

Autorotate said:
Dry wood? Negative. I live in the city so I was going to just start randomly cutting down telephone poles.

I'm hoping that I can find a place that has some I can purchase. There are a few reputable places around me. And I'm going to ask one of the other forum members who lives near me what his suggestions are.

The stack will be about 25 feet or so through my roof. There was an existing wood flue there when the house was built in 1980.

HehHeh . . . I like this guy's sense of humor.

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