Break in fire every year?

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"No wood for you! Come back... 24 hours!"

The wood nazi has spoken. You must do a break-in fire.
 
branchburner said:
"No wood for you! Come back... 24 hours!"

The wood nazi has spoken. You must do a break-in fire.

Really?
 
branchburner said:
"No wood for you! Come back... 24 hours!"

The wood nazi has spoken. You must do a break-in fire.

AAAHHHH, Seinfeld reference...

Why is a break-in fire necessary every year?

I get the break-in requirement for a new stove, but every year there after...why?
 
I know with stone stoves it is to drive out any moisture.. I am going to try just laying a heat lamp in mine for a couple days next week or the week after..
 
fdegree said:
I get the break-in requirement for a new stove, but every year there after...why?

Soapstone will take on some moisture over summer. Not likely to crack, but better safe than sorry.
 
So this annual break-in is specific to soapstone stoves...sorry I didn't make the connection
 
One of the reasons (as much as I love the soapstone styles) I DIDN'T buy a "soapstone" model.

-Soupy1957
 
Yes - at least one break-in fire per year to drive out moisture from the stone. I've done so with my Mansfield last week. I'll also have 2 more medium size fires before I really need heat. It's an expensive stove. For the small pain of lighting a couple low intensity fire, I'll make sure my stove is in great shape for the season. Can't see why this minor issue would be a reason for not owning soapstone. Once you feel the hot rocks after a LONG night's burn, you'd likely forgive the stone for requiring a couple break-in fires! Cheers!
 
NH_Wood said:
Once you feel the hot rocks after a LONG night's burn, you'd likely forgive the stone for requiring a couple break-in fires!

That's what's starting to appeal to me about the soapstone stoves. I easily get all-night burns in my stove, but the stove is not putting out useful heat in the morning. 400º morning temps would make a much more inviting shop than my 150-200º stove now provides.

Managing a cat, or having to give soapstone a tiny bit more consideration than a cast or steel stove would not compel me to choose another stove type. But I'm pretty careful with my equipment compared to most folks, so it fits with my personality.
 
I too wondered about this when purchasing the soapstone stove so called Woodstock.

A break-in fire is recommended for Hearthstone stoves every year.....BUT NOT WOODSTOCK STOVES.
 
fdegree said:
branchburner said:
"No wood for you! Come back... 24 hours!"

The wood nazi has spoken. You must do a break-in fire.

AAAHHHH, Seinfeld reference...

Why is a break-in fire necessary every year?

I get the break-in requirement for a new stove, but every year there after...why?

Because of moisture. So a light fire will dry out the stone and then all is okay. However, see my other post; Woodstock stoves do not require this.
 
soupy1957 said:
One of the reasons (as much as I love the soapstone styles) I DIDN'T buy a "soapstone" model.

-Soupy1957


Another theory debunked.
 
Battenkiller said:
NH_Wood said:
Once you feel the hot rocks after a LONG night's burn, you'd likely forgive the stone for requiring a couple break-in fires!

That's what's starting to appeal to me about the soapstone stoves. I easily get all-night burns in my stove, but the stove is not putting out useful heat in the morning. 400º morning temps would make a much more inviting shop than my 150-200º stove now provides.

Managing a cat, or having to give soapstone a tiny bit more consideration than a cast or steel stove would not compel me to choose another stove type. But I'm pretty careful with my equipment compared to most folks, so it fits with my personality.


There is not much to "managing a cat." As far as morning temperatures, that all depends upon how long you burn the stove and what type of wood you use. It might be anywhere between 200-400 in the morning. Might even be higher if you don't sleep well.
 
Soadrocks said:
Do you need to do break-in fire for a 2nd year castine?

thanks

You shouldn't need a break in fire . . . but usually by its very nature . . . the very first fires you'll be doing in your stove will be in the shoulder season which generally means smaller loads, no reload and most of us use our low BTU (junk) wood . . . my own feeling is that doing a short burn in this manner may be helpful in driving out any moisture from the stove cement . . . but what do I know . . . I'm just a Maine hick. ;)
 
Backwoods Savage said:
I too wondered about this when purchasing the soapstone stove so called Woodstock. A break-in fire is recommended for Hearthstone stoves every year.....BUT NOT WOODSTOCK STOVES.
There's a very good page entitled "The Characteristics of Soapstone" on the Tulikivi site. (Sorry, I can't cut & paste the lengthy URL on my phone.) They say that soapstone is not very porous and is basically impervious to moisture. Must be a Hearthstone thing.
 
Also, if you "touched up" the paint job during the off-season, it might
be good to make the paint cure best.
 
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