Looking to upgrade from my dutchwest to a hearthstone. Stuck between a mansfield or Manchester. My primary concern is spring and fall heating. Being able to start a fire after work around 3, heat the house and let it go out by morning. How long does it take most people to get a good amount of heat from a mansfield? Would it be that beneficial to have a Manchester with a listed ability to extract heat faster? Long and consistent heat output is also a priority. I have a 3500 older construction house. Looking to put my propane furnace to rest during the late fall, winter and early spring months.
Manchester vs Mansfield
- Thread starter Bigt3004x4
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Which model Dutchwest is getting replaced? How did it do for heating? The Manchester will have a similar quality, radiant heat.
I have a 2478. Middle size stove. It failed to heat the house unless we were home nursing it along. The 40,000 btu and smaller firebox didn't hold up. In order to get 8 to 10 hours of burn time so we could keep the stove going, heat output wasn't there. We'd often lose 8 to 10 degrees in the house overnight or while gone to work. Thankfully the stove did heat quickly. In the morning or after work we could fill it up and let it roar. Rake coals and re fill before going go bed or work. Unfortunately once shutting the stove down for a long burn the heat output diminished.
3500 sq ft is a large area to heat with wood. To heat the entire place you will probably need 2 stoves. Have you looked into air sealing and insulating? That'll help regardless of the fuel used.
Yeah, stoves have a fixed load of fuel. In order to get long term heat output the amount of heat put out has to go down. Even cat stoves have to be turned down to get the real long burn times. As you demand more heat, that batch of wood needs to be burned faster.
Yeah, stoves have a fixed load of fuel. In order to get long term heat output the amount of heat put out has to go down. Even cat stoves have to be turned down to get the real long burn times. As you demand more heat, that batch of wood needs to be burned faster.
Yes, 3500 sq ft is a lot of space to heat with one stove, especially with older construction. Is there a basement? Would a wood furnace be an option?
The Manchester will heat like the Dutchwest but with a larger fuel capacity. The downside is that it is an E/W loader so one can't really load the stove full to capacity. The Mansfield has a deep firebox that can be loaded N/S, fully, without worry about the wood rolling up against the glass. The soapstone will continue to release some heat after the fire has died down. The con is that it will warm up slower and they tend to send a lot of heat up the flue. Are other alternatives a possibility?
The Manchester will heat like the Dutchwest but with a larger fuel capacity. The downside is that it is an E/W loader so one can't really load the stove full to capacity. The Mansfield has a deep firebox that can be loaded N/S, fully, without worry about the wood rolling up against the glass. The soapstone will continue to release some heat after the fire has died down. The con is that it will warm up slower and they tend to send a lot of heat up the flue. Are other alternatives a possibility?
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