Hearthston Castleton Install
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mark cline
Minister of Fire
marajade
Member
thanks. It has been burning great so far. Replaced a Vermont Casting Aspen and have seen a big improvement in economy and burn time with the increased size of the firebox.
That's a very handsome installation. In addition to the longer burntimes with the larger stove you should notice less temperature swing between loads due to the soapstone.
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Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
one other difference I notice is that the stones aren't all the same temp. Back right corner is warmer than center. Sides of stove seem warmer as well. Flue pipe temps seem to be 250-300 while cruising (mag temp on single wall). A bit lower than my previous stove put out.
The heat output has been perfect for us. We like the house a bit cooler than most (comfort range of 63-65deg). It has been really cold here the last week and it has kept roughly 2000sq' at 67-69deg. Our furnace hasnt kicked on at all and the stove has been running 24/7. It is rated to heat 1500sq' but knowing we would be sweating with a stove rated to heat that much space, we went with this one. Gets about 6hours of burn per load but stays hot much longer. Stove top temp was 200 at 7am this morning after last load at 11pm.
One thing that does concern me a little is the significNtly lower pipe temps. Once the secondaries kick in the mag pipe therm drops to close to 150-200 some times. Should I be concerned about creosote buildup at those low temps? Stove temp stays hot. Maybe just different than my last stove.
It is 6" non insulated single wall. Every place I called said it was not necessary in our area to do insulated. The pipe temp has been the only thing that has fluctuated. Most times it is near 250-300 but sometimes it is as low as 150. The mag therm is about 14" above stove but it is a rear flue exit from stove so not getting any radiant heat from the stove on the pipe therm. Very little visible smoke out the chimney and stove performance and burn seems to be fine. Clean glass, good secondaries and proper stove top temps are all easy to attain. Wood is same as I was burning in my other stove and is seasoned properly. When should I check for buildup? It has only been up and running less than a week.
Is the thermometer on the side of the pipe? If so, try moving it to the top of the pipe. That's where the flue gases will be the hottest. If the wood is seasoned you should check for buildup after the first cord has been burned. But now harm in checking earlier if it is convenient and you want to know how it's doing.
that would require me putting the therm right as the pipe comes out of the back of te stove. pipe comes out 11" to a tee and then it is a straight shot up chimney. I will move it there and see what it reads tonight.
It is a three flue masonry chimney on the south west side of a cape cod style house.
liner goes through the center flue. one side is basement stove, other side is oilfired furnace.
liner goes through the center flue. one side is basement stove, other side is oilfired furnace.
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If it were my house I would have insulated it unless there were serious obstacles. If you have access and an IR thermometer it would be interesting to know the temp of the flue gases as they exit the chimney.
ArtDeco
Member
Glad you are happy with your stove - I really liked the look of the Castleton and was planning to buy one but the fact that it was new on the market and lacked reviews made me go to the Heritage in a similar fireplace install. I really like the gentle heat of the soapstone.
See what temps you get on the top of the connecting pipe. If they are 100F hotter then it could be ok. This is of course assuming the thermometer is accurate.
Tenn Dave
Minister of Fire
I may just end up replacing the current liner with a insulated one. How hard is it to feed the liner up from the bottom in an offset flue with the insulation on. My chimney is so high that I dont want to try dropping it down from above. I will need to cut the damper out etc...
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