When I had my Heritage delivered, two men wrestled it down the stairs (can't even imagine it being an upstairs delivery) of my deck, and on another day, it took two men and me to get it gently settled onto the hearth. If two men delivered and installed the Heritage and Equinox on the same day, then now I know what all those NFL players do in their spare time to stay in shape.
I was fortunate enough to be able to pick the stove I wanted out of the selection they had at the stove store, and I picked the one where the stones seemed most carefully matched for color and grain, and the signature of the builder was done in a careful Spencerian script. I figured if he was a detail guy on the outside, the same probably held true throughout. It turned out that the stove I picked had been built a few years earlier, thus stone was cut earlier, paint had cured longer. I don't know if that would make a difference, but I got virtually none of the `new stove' smell I had expected. Didn't have a thermometer at time of break-in, either, so I seat-of-my-pantsed it. (I'd been told I didn't need one w/soapstone, but I ended up going back for one later, and consult it regularly throughout cycle.)
In terms of ease of operation, this is the easiest stove I've ever lived with. I was almost swayed by the `soapstone takes so long to heat' concern, but I've wanted soapstone for many years, and I find it's nowhere near as long heating up as I'd thought. I find that it's throwing off enough heat to warm me within very short order, while I'm still in the kindling-to-splits process, because a lot of heat is radiated through the glass, and the stone starts to warm up shortly thereafter. It does take a bit of awhile to heat a room, and longer to heat the whole house, but that's almost part of the charm--I appreciate the ebb-and-flow pattern. I can plan ahead for warming the place--I mean, it's not like I don't *know* that it's winter--I'm not burning fires on sudden impulse.
Was very swayed by the Fireview stoves, but since I'm not the only one operating it, it's probably for the best that I am not going the cat route. Teenthings on the whole tending it very responsibly, but I'm still thinking this is for the best.
You're going to enjoy the view--beautiful large window, hypnotic afterburn viewing. I like it enough to clean it whenever needed--sometimes that's just a quick dusting of ashes, sometimes a wipedown with Rutland glass cleaner and paper towels. I've heard lots of people use ash with no problem, but have seen other people posting questions on here about small scratches in glass. I tried the ash, and felt a little grittiness in it, so wasn't feeling lucky, and didn't try that again. A bottle of the glass cleaner lasts me a long time, so I just chalk that up to maintenance costs that I can live with--prefer to err on the side of caution, if err I must. Once I got a creosote kind of buildup on the glass, and white vinegar took it off easily.
Resist the addictive temptation to use the ash-drawer door as a fire-started booster. It looks like a flame-thrower in action, but I was cautioned that it functions like a bellows, and that's what smiths and farriers use to bend metal, yes?
I was told that the way to burn this (and manual says essentially the same thing) is to `load it up, heat it up, shut it down, let it burn'. Alack, I went through a lot of wood before I realized that for my uses, a moderate fire heated stone, and then the stone heated the downstairs, and gradually circulated heat upstairs. I have learned that on moderate fires I can now maintain the upstairs and downstairs at about the same temps, which is a handy trick.
Hoped for supplemental heating and a warm zone in the stove room and a bit beyond, but instead I am heating a 2Ksf, two-story house with the Hearthstone in Interior AK, to my happy surprise. House is still comfortable upstairs at 8 a.m. from yesterday afternoon's fire (had a very sunny day, too, though, so that probably helped with heating). Will probably amble downstairs shortly and fire off the stove again. Or go back to sleep for awhile--undecided at this point.
I've got a boiler I run for supplemental heating when the floor seems extra chilly, to heat the garage, and to heat domestic water. I've burned 150-ish gallons so far this year, and hope to use only another 150-250 for the rest of the winter, if my wood supply holds. This is my first winter with it, so still learning. It's also hands-down the most comfortable winter we've spent here. With two stoves, I assume that you're using that for 100% of your heating needs.
I put in a granite hearth, and it works very like the soapstove does--soaks up heat and releases it slowly. Works out well. FWIW.
If you don't have one, I'd encourage you to consider a fan in the vaulted ceiling if it will help with circulation to room below. But having stove offset into kitchen rather than directly under the vaulted ceiling will help with circulation, warming rooms above, etc. I'd wait and see what's needed.
So there's my `all about me' post--lol--just trying to share what I know, will leave you to sort out what might be useful to you. I know you'll enjoy these very much. Welcome to the world of warm . . .