getting a new Hearthstone installed tommorrow. any tips for this stove? new to the soap stone thing. had small insert, just wasn't happy with it. wife liked the soapstone look, and the over all look and style of the Hearthstone Also rated to heat 800 sq ft more with the same BTU's
Hearthstone Homestead... any tips on this stove?
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jpl1nh
Minister of Fire
Light it and keep it lit. :coolsmile: With soapstone you stop thinking about, "gee, its cold in here guess I'll crank up the stove" and you start filling your wood box to keep the house at the temp it is now for the next 6-10 hours. If your cold now, too bad, you'll have to wait an hour otwo to warm up so you don't let that happen and it's easy to stop that from happening once you get the hang of it. Congratulations and enjoy!
jpl1nh
Minister of Fire
You won't need one. The heat coming off soapstone is more subtle than cast or steel. You'll get your house up to temp and just coast and coast right there give or take 3-4 degrees. There are times I wonder how my stove keeps my house so comfortable. When I walk by its warm, but it's never really hot, yet the house is always 68-73 and its always just..comfortable! My stove is just slightly undersized for our heating needs but works great all by itself in all but the coldest weather. With your over rating, you should be fine.
swestall
Minister of Fire
Agree with all that. Also, once you learn to get the secondary burn right, try it damped down as it will burn hot and long that way.
Soapstone is wonderful: of course everyone knows that...
Soapstone is wonderful: of course everyone knows that...
swestall
Minister of Fire
Learned another thing last night, don't load on top of an already ripping fire. I did that and the thing took off like a scared rabbit. My stovetop kept going up and approached 650 when I plugged up one of the secondary air inlets (they are in the bottom back underside of the stove) to calm it down and that worked.
I have been told to put on a few splits and let it burn all the way prior to reloading, but was trying to get loaded up for bedtime. In the future I'll plan the load out a bit better.
I have been told to put on a few splits and let it burn all the way prior to reloading, but was trying to get loaded up for bedtime. In the future I'll plan the load out a bit better.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I don't care what other folks say, when you can't stop your stove from getting hotter and hotter despite shutting the air control down completely you have yourself a runaway stove. The term runaway has little to do with the actual max temperature reached as much as it has to do with the fact that the fire is OUT OF CONTROL. Usually I can keep any fire controlled to a 450 stove top temp with the minimum air setting, if that wasn't the case then a flue damper would be installed immediately.
The heritage, and I suspect all the smaller stoves, have a single air inlet for both primary and secondary air that could be covered to 100% stop combustion air. My inlet is hooked to outside air.
I bet that mansfield was making you sweat at 650. Really throwing some heat.
The heritage, and I suspect all the smaller stoves, have a single air inlet for both primary and secondary air that could be covered to 100% stop combustion air. My inlet is hooked to outside air.
I bet that mansfield was making you sweat at 650. Really throwing some heat.
Vic99
Minister of Fire
The homestead is a great little stove. This is my first season. Started Dec 1st. My floor plan is not open, 1550 sq ft. When heat wasn't moving around where I wanted I had a ceiling fan installed and always have it rotating clockwise. Even though I have an 8 ft ceiling it worked like a charm circulating air.
I also found that bringing my insulation level up to about average helped immensely . . . and it's extra noticeable on days above freezing.
If you plan on burning 24/7 you will love it even more. I get 6-7 hour burns when I stuff it and then have coals for several more hours, which help with an easy start. I think next year I'll do even better when all my wood is 1 year seasoned minimum . . . currently running 6-7 monthseasoned . . . works for willow, but not as good for harder wood.
Don't expect stove top temps consistantly above 500. Probably not realistic unless you feed the thing nearly hourly. I find that at 300 it starts to give off reasonable heat, but when it cruises above 500, it really kicks butt.
Good Luck.
I also found that bringing my insulation level up to about average helped immensely . . . and it's extra noticeable on days above freezing.
If you plan on burning 24/7 you will love it even more. I get 6-7 hour burns when I stuff it and then have coals for several more hours, which help with an easy start. I think next year I'll do even better when all my wood is 1 year seasoned minimum . . . currently running 6-7 monthseasoned . . . works for willow, but not as good for harder wood.
Don't expect stove top temps consistantly above 500. Probably not realistic unless you feed the thing nearly hourly. I find that at 300 it starts to give off reasonable heat, but when it cruises above 500, it really kicks butt.
Good Luck.
swestall
Minister of Fire
Highbeam said:
OH YEAH, I was sweating drops and bullets. On the Mansfield there are two small inlet holes, ovals, under the backside of the stove toward the rear. These provide secondary air to the manifold and then to the tubes. I plugged one of them off and the air tubes immediately reduced their flaming. It was the secondary burn that was running away as I had put splits on top of a hot fire and the new splits were close up to the burn tubes, IT was indeed a runaway fire. I was very relieved when I plugged one hole and it calmed down, the stove started to drop back to just under 600 and the house, as a byproduct, was very toasty. I can keep it to 450-500 no problem; it was clearly operator error on my part. That's why I wanted to let others know what I did wrong.
I still love this baby and wouldn't trade it for another.
Todd
Minister of Fire
Ditto what everyone else says. One tip is watch that ash drawer. It tends to not seal well and cause an overfire situation. I ended up taking out the circular ash grate in the firebox, replaced it with firebrick and shoveled the ashes out.
Lignums
New Member
In the beginning, the urge to feed the beast will be great, but with patience and a little learning curve, you will see that one firebox will heat you house for long hours. When it gets down to around 5 in my area, I have to fill it up around every 4-5 hours, but when the temps are around 30 to 40, one fire in the morn, and one at night, and all will be good.
DriftWood
Minister of Fire
One thing to check is the EPA tag Btu output it will be considerably lower than the manuals stated btu. If and a big "if "your home is very air tight and very well insulated the owners manual Sq. foot rating may be achievable. If on the other hand you may need to up grade the insulating and tighten up the air leaks in your home and or replace things like windows and doors to get close to the "factory rating".
Carefully read the manual and follow the brake in fire procedure.
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/documents/Homestead8570Manual.pdf
Dont expect instant heat or to be roasted out of the stove room. To really get a stone stove going it is going to take some learning. This video will set you straight on the handling of a secondary burn tube stove.
This video helps kickthe heat out.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/default.asp?lang=En&n=8011CD70-1
That is a nice looking dog
Is it a big male???
Carefully read the manual and follow the brake in fire procedure.
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/documents/Homestead8570Manual.pdf
Dont expect instant heat or to be roasted out of the stove room. To really get a stone stove going it is going to take some learning. This video will set you straight on the handling of a secondary burn tube stove.
This video helps kickthe heat out.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/default.asp?lang=En&n=8011CD70-1
That is a nice looking dog
Is it a big male???
tradergordo
Minister of Fire
swestall said:
I hate to say this again, but with pretty much all modern stoves, there shouldn't BE anything an operator can do to get a runaway condition like that. OK so you are never going to stuff the firebox full again on top of an already hot fire, we'll see about that... The fact that doing this causes an overfire condition is a sign that you need the ability to restrict airflow better in your particular installation. Again the Florida Bungalow Syndrome. Has nothing to do with the particular stove.
well, I have been buring it now for three days, and I'm already VERY impressed with the heat produced. and yes I did break it in very slow. burned three small fires, letting it go completely down to room temp before starting another.took awhile, but she should be very well season ! and yes Driftwood, he is a male "Bruno" he's a 95lb lap dog !!
swestall
Minister of Fire
That is great! You'll find that it only gets better as you get to know it. One thing I discovered by accident is that once you get it up to 450 or so and the secondaries are hot, you can shut it all the way down and it will maintain that temp using very little wood.
hi everybody
Got a Hearthstone homestead in November and have run it by the book BUT and this could be a very BIG BUT there seems to be a crack on both of the lower side stones. From examining the location these cracks are in line with the cast iron support on the in side of the stove. Has anyone encountered this before.
As I said we have run the stove by the book from the start with a thermometer on top and the thing has never gone above 550. Any suggestions or are these surface cracks as described in the manual.
Thanks
Got a Hearthstone homestead in November and have run it by the book BUT and this could be a very BIG BUT there seems to be a crack on both of the lower side stones. From examining the location these cracks are in line with the cast iron support on the in side of the stove. Has anyone encountered this before.
As I said we have run the stove by the book from the start with a thermometer on top and the thing has never gone above 550. Any suggestions or are these surface cracks as described in the manual.
Thanks
swestall
Minister of Fire
Can you feel them with your fingernail or are they just white lines. White lines are common and are the stone itself. If you feel the crack with your fingernail and its very minute; that would be the surface cracks. If you can see it from the inside or you aren't sure, I'd call the dealer and have them look; that's what they are there for.
Hillheater, our homestead did the same thing the first month of burning it last year. I called Hearthstone about it and they said not to worry about it, but it is covered under warranty if we wanted to have it repaired. I just kept an eye on them and they never got any worse so last summer I cleaned up the channel and rod with a wire brush and slathered on stove cement, just in case, when the stove is cold I cant even see the cracks, when its hot they open up enough to see them but only by shining an led flashlight on them at a 45 deg. angle to the side of the stove. Even with this small defect we love our stove!
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/4595/
Here's the thread I started on cracked stones last year.
Here's the thread I started on cracked stones last year.
Thanks for the Reply,
I can feel the cracks with a finger nail but they are not visable on the inside.
One of the cracks runs up towards the top of a stone but there is no sign of the stone being cracked the whole way through.
I'll give the dealer a call as a heads up and take a few pictures.
I can feel the cracks with a finger nail but they are not visable on the inside.
One of the cracks runs up towards the top of a stone but there is no sign of the stone being cracked the whole way through.
I'll give the dealer a call as a heads up and take a few pictures.
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