Reality of soapstone heat up time

not much heat for a few hours starting from a cold stove. however, the payback is on reloads. Once my stove is down to coals it stays hot for a long time. Much longer than the cast stoves I have had. This one with a 1.9cu' box stays above 200 for 8-11hrs peaks at about 500. Today at 5:30pm was 175 after a 5:30am load.

What stove is your dealer trying to sell you?

Seriously, a soapstone stove starts to heat as soon as you light a fire. Soapstone absorbs and releases heat slowly (as in you don't burn your hand if you put it on 500 degree stone for a few seconds). A cat soapstone stove (and I think they are all cats?) will be at 300 degrees within half an hour of light up. It is certainly radiating heat at that time, and it has been putting significant heat out of it's glass window from ignition. It is incorrect to say it will take a few hours to start heating.

If you are lighting a fire, even from a cold start, in a relatively warm (as in, heated) home, then you will start to put noticeable heat into the room as soon as you get the fire going. You will not get as rapid a rise in room temp as with a steel stove, from most soapstone stoves, but you also will not get as sharp a drop off in room temp toward the end of the burn, so need to raise the temp less on the new burn.

I would say this is a non-issue, unless you are heating a home in a colder climate that you use only occasionally and keep marginally above freezing the rest of the time. In that situation, where you are trying to rapidly bring temps up 20 or 30 degrees, soapstone isn't your best answer. 42 to 72 generally is not going to happen in one hour with a soapstone stove. 64 to 72, no big deal.

I have to disagree with not much heat from a cold stove for a few hours. In my experience (11 years) a cold soapstone stove only takes an extra fifteen to twenty minutes to get hot. I, for instance, have no problem whatsoever in the shoulder season with my soapstone stove keeping the house nice and warm with one small fie daily, when outside temps are bottoming in the 40's, highs in the 60s (50s if it's sunny). Getting a cold (40's) room hot is another matter. That takes several hours. Once the room is warm, it is incredibly easy to keep it there 24/7 with a soapstone stove.

I repeat, unless you are talking about a space you do not keep heated, soapstone is a non-issue in my opinion. Go with the stove you like the most, that fits your requirements best, without regard to worrying about the soapstone's ability to heat. You will never regret purchasing a soapstone stove, so if you want it go for it. If not, get what you want. You are going to live with it for a long time. It is worth taking the time and asking the questions (as you are) prior to purchase, so you will get a stove that meets your needs.

If you have specific questions about particular stoves or heating issues you have, people here with experience with the different stoves and/or heating situations will be pleased to give guidance. Feel free to ask away.

And good luck. A stove you love is a great addition to a home.

Ditchmonkey said:

My local dealer told me that a soapstone stove can take a couple of hours to heat up fully.

Click to expand...

Not true in my experience. From a cold stove, 1 hour max until the stove is hot and delivering near max heat. My stove is still nice and warm in the morning and after work, so I'm not starting from a cold stove very often.

Ditchmonkey said:

Can I expect the room warming up at least a bit during the first 20 or 30 mins?

Click to expand...

As soon as flames are showing nicely, the radiant heat will start pouring through the glass.

Its a little hard to describe, unless you have experienced wood heat. Its not instantaneous but its worth the short wait.

I have the woodstock progress hybrid. From a dead cold/room temp stove it takes about 2 hours or so to reach 500F stove top, perhaps even possibly 2.5-3 hours. Your supposed to take it slow on a cold start with soapstone to avoid cracking etc. However, on a reload its a different story. I usually aim to reload at around 300F stove top, though i am sometimes too late and end up reloading around 250F stove top. From 250-300ish range it takes me about an hour and change to reach 500F again. Reloading at 300F, i will do a 12-14 hour burn and be reloading again with a stove top around 300F. This can be done a little faster if your shooting for a hot fast burning fire. If I am not reloading it will still be over 200 for several more hours.

As far as when it starts heating, i feel it starts adequately supply heat at or above 300F. It is still obviously heating when its below 300F also, but i feel 300+ is putting out the minimum required amount of heat for my house and set up. My stove usually peaks at 500-550 most days and then settles in and cruises at around 475 for a good 8 hours or so. I'd call it 1 hour to warm up from 300 to 500, 1 hour as it peaks at around 550, then 8 hours at 475ish, then about 2-4 hours as it slowly drops back down to 300. And would stay hot for at least 3-4 more hours even if you didn't reload it. I am usually closing the bypass again on a reload after 5-15 minutes depending on the load.

Agree, but I would point out that the issue of cracking is only on a stove that is not is regular use. The cracking can occur if you drive water out of the stone too quickly. A stove in regular use has no water in the stone. So an occasional cold stove during the burning season does not need to be slowly heated. If a stove has not been in a heated area and has not been used for a few weeks, then I would go slow on the first fire.

Rambler did a good job showing in detail that the soapstone stove never really stops heating your home. There is not a period when no heat is coming off the stove.

Plus, not all soap stoves are cat. Another variable is thickness of the stone. My hearthstone is a non cat and has 1.5" stones. I think woodstock uses thinner stones so they heat up quicker and actually can take higher stove top temp. Woodstock says 700max whereas hearthstone says max 600. True you dont get the spikes like cast. But you will not be hitting 500-700 in first hour like a cast iron or steel. I have found it a non issue as I burn 24/7 so very rarely do I start with a cold stove.

Thank you for the correction. Thought the Hearthstones were cats.

I could be wrong but I don't think any of the hearthstones offer cat. I love the soap stove and had burned cast iron stoves for 30 years or so back to when I was a kid. There are clearly differences between the way soap and cast heat (if the only difference was asthetic not sure many people would shell out the extra cash). One not better than other but for sure different. If you are planning on heating 24/7 I would highly recommend soap. If it is something you are just going to burn at night after work...Not so much

Always could get my cast stove to 600 in less than an hour. Have not gotten the soap that hot in an hour. Not sure how I would even do that??? When it hits 550 it has to be cranking.

Just got back from a couple funerals, was out of town a week. Loaded the stove at 8am, full load, medium sized splits, N/S, 1/2 a super cedar on the floor in front of the doghouse. 66F inside, 20F outside with 20mph wind. Stove top crossed 500F about 40 minutes from start and was already aired down. Cruised at that area for about 4 hours, then started the slow drift down. House was at 71F in about 2 hours. Reloaded with about a half load at 3 pm or so. Stove top was back at +500F in about 20 minutes.

Sorry about the funerals. Hope you are doing all right.

How does cast compare to a steel or Soapstone stove? Is cast basically the mid point between a steel stove and a Soapstone stove.

rideau said:

What stove is your dealer trying to sell you?

Seriously, a soapstone stove starts to heat as soon as you light a fire. Soapstone absorbs and releases heat slowly (as in you don't burn your hand if you put it on 500 degree stone for a few seconds).

Click to expand...

I'd like to see this! You could maybe touch it for a millisecond, but not for long! 500 is 500, it'll burn you just won't leave a scar like steel. It's mild but not all that mild, it'll make tons of heat. Only Woodstock soapstone stoves are catalytic, Hearthstone makes non-cats.

webby3650 said:

I'd like to see this! You could maybe touch it for a millisecond, but not for long! 500 is 500, it'll burn you just won't leave a scar like steel. It's mild but not all that mild, it'll make tons of heat. Only Woodstock soapstone stoves are catalytic, Hearthstone makes non-cats.

Click to expand...

You can actually touch hot soapstone for a brief instant and not get burned. Soapstone transfers heat at almost half the rate of cast for example. While it may be 500F, all 500F surfaces were not created equal. Cast or steel at 500 will leave a mark for sure, have the scar to prove it. Wouldnt recommend touching any 500F surface though, not really the smartest thing to do.

Seems that there are a bunch of hybrid stoves out there now. Both in material and how they burn.
I'm looking forward to getting my new stove tomorrow.

That would make for a good marketing technique... Heat so gentle and soft you can touch it.

I tripped and feel into my stove last year, one evening in the dark when someone had left something by the side of the stove. Landed with my hand on the top. No burn, and was able to keep my hand on long enough to break the fall and not hit my head on the stove. Would have been a disaster in steel or cast.

Not going to argue about amount of time, but you definitely have time to register "this is hot" and get your hand off the stove before you get burned.