Hearthstone soapstone stove doesn't seem to heat as well

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jearnst

New Member
Jan 4, 2006
2
We purchased a Hearthstone soapstone in 1998 and used to heat our 1900 sf house. Since then we have moved to TN and have the stove in our new house. It just does seem to heat the living area as well as when we first got it. Is there something that we could check, replace in the stove? Could we have damaged somthing internally when moving it? We tried to be very careful with it, but one never knows. Any suggestions that you could give us is greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds to me like the variable is the chimney. Is the new chimney lined? Insulated? Properly sized? Connected properly? Correct height?

Go through all these chimney related issues, and I'll bet you'll find your "stove" performance problem.
 
Is the blower working? What kind of wood are you burning? Are the firebricks in correctly?

Don't get me wrong. I agree entirely with Warren. Just wanted to be as complete as possible, just in case.

Joshua
 
if the chimney is at fault a bad draft would make a lazy slow burning fire that would last longer.
or to much draft would make a fast burning fire that would not last as long. am i right here guys?
some more info we need to know is was there a thermometer on the stove and is there any difference in temp. readings? i've taken apart my hearthstone II for rebuilding. no fire bricks in there but there are metal plates for protection and ash can build up behind these plates and act as a insulator. also check the the stoves baffle for warpage if your stove has a upper baffle like mine it warps and sags and the damper won't work as well as it should and more heat go's up the chimney than into the stove.

hope this helps
get back to us and tell us how you made out
 
Hey all, thanks for the replies to the post. I do not believe that the chimney is the problem. We use tri-wall pipe and have it extending at least four to five feet above the roof. Also, it is at least two feet above anything within 10 feet. This is basically the same setup that we used in Georgia.

The stove does not have a blower on it. Maybe should have bought a model that does.

We can control the burn rate by opening the door where the ash pan is. Also adjusting what we call the damper gives us control on the burn rate. We are burning mostly locust, ash, some oak and yellow sassafras. I will have to check all the things suggested in the posts and certainly do appreciate the information.
 
jearnst said:
We can control the burn rate by opening the door where the ash pan is. Also adjusting what we call the damper gives us control on the burn rate. We are burning mostly locust, ash, some oak and yellow sassafras. I will have to check all the things suggested in the posts and certainly do appreciate the information.


You shouldn't have to open the ash pan to control the burn. When my ash pan is open on my stove, I get a run away fire. Sounds like a draft problem to me. Maybe the weather has been too warm for a good draft?
 
Does your model have a catalytic element that might have broken during transit? If not, could an upper baffle have been pushed out of place and maybe spoiling your smoke path and heat transfer? Some baffles have insulation on top that blocks the smoke as well, but you'd notice significantly reduced draft.
 
HI,

Check what Todd says. I tried to light my stove here in NY when it was 45 degrees out and forget it. No draft. The delta T is not large enough to get a good draft so it took forever to get the fire to light and keep burning.

It looks like that and the chimney design are at fault. Especially since the stove and wood seem OK. And you should never have to open the ash door. That is a sure sight of poor draft. Dangerous too.

Carpniels
 
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