Cast Iron or Soapstone???

[Mike M.]

Hi - new member here I am looking to purchase a new stove for the main floor of my home - approx 2000 square feet in WI, not so well insulated and the house has many large single pane windows. After reading on this site (thanks to all it is a great resource!) I purchased my first wood stove insert this summer and used it to heat my basement all winter. However, the insert in the basement will not heat my upstairs if it is really cold. I am not looking to burn 24/7, I mostly burn at night after work and dont ever load the stove in the morning. The location of the new stove will be in my dinning room so I want it to look really nice - pushing me toward soapstone. I have a Hearthstone dealer like 2 miles from my house and he has a Phoenix in stock. Does anyone have experience with this stove? Is it too small for my house? The cast iron models I am looking at are the Napoleon 1400C and the PE Alderlea T5 or T6. Does anyone have feedback on the PE extended burn technology? Also would starting the Hearthstone from cold each day be a challenge with no heat produced for the first few hours? I am not really interested in the fans for any of the models. The stove will be adjacent to my bedroom and I dont want to hear it rattling all night. Will any model require a fan to produce good heat?

 

[kingquad]

2000 sqft, not so well insulated/single pane windows, in WI, I'd be looking in the 2.5-3.0 cuft firebox. Oslo/Rangely, Mansfield, Woodstock PH, or T6. Is your floor plan pretty open? A large stove in a small room in an odd layout could be difficult.

 

[Mike M.]

2000 sqft, not so well insulated/single pane windows, in WI, I'd be looking in the 2.5-3.0 cuft firebox. Oslo/Rangely, Mansfield, Woodstock PH, or T6. Is your floor plan pretty open? A large stove in a small room in an odd layout could be difficult.

 

[kingquad]

Hi - new member here I am looking to purchase a new stove for the main floor of my home - approx 2000 square feet in WI, not so well insulated and the house has many large single pane windows. After reading on this site (thanks to all it is a great resource!) I purchased my first wood stove insert this summer and used it to heat my basement all winter. However, the insert in the basement will not heat my upstairs if it is really cold. I am not looking to burn 24/7, I mostly burn at night after work and dont ever load the stove in the morning. The location of the new stove will be in my dinning room so I want it to look really nice - pushing me toward soapstone. I have a Hearthstone dealer like 2 miles from my house and he has a Phoenix in stock. Does anyone have experience with this stove? Is it too small for my house? The cast iron models I am looking at are the Napoleon 1400C and the PE Alderlea T5 or T6. Does anyone have feedback on the PE extended burn technology? Also would starting the Hearthstone from cold each day be a challenge with no heat produced for the first few hours? I am not really interested in the fans for any of the models. The stove will be adjacent to my bedroom and I dont want to hear it rattling all night. Will any model require a fan to produce good heat?

I'll address as many questions as I can directly.
Not too many Phoenix owners around here. The Heritage and the Mansfield are the more popular models.
Do a search on PE EBT. Basically, it's not a game changer and should push you toward or deter you from the purchase of a PE.
If you want quick heat, then I'd stick to cast or steel.
Convective stoves will better distribute their heat with a blower. In fact, most any stove will distribute heat better with a blower. Most blowers are multi or variable speed, so they are pretty quiet.

Also, the Enviro Boston 1700 Free stander would be up to the task. Might come in at a lower prices point than the PE or Jotul too.

 

[Mike M.]

The stove will be in a room that is 400 sq feet that is completly open to the living room which is about 500 sq feet. I am not to worried about heating the rest of the house but I guess it would be nice if the stove did. Would the larger 3.0 cu stove take alot more wood? I have acess to about 2 or 3 cords a winter.

 

[kingquad]

The stove will be in a room that is 400 sq feet that is completly open to the living room which is about 500 sq feet. I am not to worried about heating the rest of the house but I guess it would be nice if the stove did. Would the larger 3.0 cu stove take alot more wood? I have acess to about 2 or 3 cords a winter.

If you don't mind me asking, why only 2 to 3 cords?

 

[Mike M.]

If you don't mind me asking, why only 2 to 3 cords?

Sorry sould have clarified. The 2 or 3 cords are what I can get free from around the yard, friends, ect. After that I would have to purchase wood, which is okay but a gamble.

 

[begreen]

Welcome to the forums Mike. First word of advice, get the place insulated and put up storm windows. That will be an investment that will pay off for the rest of the life of the house, 24/7, 365 days of the year.

As for the stove, you are on the right path. The cast iron stove listed are actually steel stoves with a cast iron jacket. They work very well. I think you should look at at least a 2.5 cu ft stove if the intent is to heat 24/7 with wood in the dead of winter. If just evenings and weekends, then a 2 cu ft stove might suffice. A bigger stove is not going to use more wood unless you load it fuller. Most all 3 cu ft stoves cruise nicely with a half-load of wood. In stone I would look at a Hearthstone Mansfield or a Woodstock Fireview. In steel with a cast-iron jacket I would look at the PE Alderlea T6, the Jotul Rangeley, and the Enviro Boston 1700.

 

[kingquad]

Sorry sould have clarified. The 2 or 3 cords are what I can get free from around the yard, friends, ect. After that I would have to purchase wood, which is okay but a gamble.

Can you purchase a chainsaw and maul and process your own wood? The only reason I ask is cause quite often the intention to burn part time or to supplement fuel oil/gas/electricity turns into that person enjoying wood heat and wanting to do it 24/7. You'll see tons of posts about people looking to upsize stoves for this reason. You'll see far less posts about people who oversized their stove. Not saying it doesn't happen(my dad oversized his stove and regrets it), but it happens far less. When in doubt, go big. That's what I based my initially brand/model advice on.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Mike.

I'll also recommend insulation and anything else you can do to the house, like new windows, doors, etc. I usually agree with BeGreen but this time on one stove I have to disagree. Although we love our Fireview, in your case I do not think it a big enough stove. However, the Progress Hybrid would indeed do the trick. Also, you mentioned cast and soapstone and if you get a Woodstock soapstone stove, you have the best of both worlds. In addition, if you buy from Woodstock you automatically get a 6 month guarantee with the stove. In six months if not happy, you get a full refund. If you insist on Hearthstone then I would recommend the Mansfield.

As for heating only nights and weekends, you will never get the full benefit of a wood stove by doing that and you will constantly be building new fires which is not the best thing to do. (If you insist, get some Super Cedars and you can get some free samples just for the asking.)

Most folks do not find it difficult to find free firewood. You may have to do the cutting and splitting for most of it but that is excellent exercise and a great way to provide for your family. It is difficult to tell how much wood you will need for your house but definitely more than 2-3 cord. I also hope you are talking a full cord and not a "face cord."

Be sure to visit The Wood Shed here on hearth.com for many pointers on putting up wood and also there are many on that forum how simply scrounge for wood every year and they do very well. I would also warn you about buying wood. If you do that, then you should be buying wood a year in advance! Wood needs time to dry. If you cut and burn, you will always have problems. If you cut, split and then stack out in the wind and leave it the proper time (time varies with species of wood) then you can heat extremely well with wood. We've done this over 50 years now and would really hate to be without our wood heat.

Good luck.

 

[NH_Wood]

I can only comment on the Mansfield - I've been very pleased and can typically heat my 3000sqft (well insulated) home on three full loads per day when temps are above 10* or so. That said, if you can plan to at least have a large fire in the morning before you leave for work - you'll likely have enough coals for a warm start in the late afternoon when you return - get a medium size load then and burn it a little hot, so you are ready for a big load by bedtime. I think you'll find an ability to reduce your overall heating by at least 2/3 (although I don't know just how bad off you are with insulation, etc.), and if you insulate, etc., perhaps almost all of your heat can be from the stove. Good luck and welcome! Cheers!

 

[Mike M.]

Thanks for the feedback. I am new to stoves but have been cutting, splitting, seasoning and burning wood for a few years. My house had an open fireplace which I converted with an insert and ss liner last summer. I have enjoyed the insert but it is not enough to heat my house, which is why I am looking for a new stove. I have to ask - why is it a problem to always be starting new fires? I can get pallets for free and I use them for startup. My insert is a Nap 1402 so with that burning I thought that another meduim stove would be enough to heat me out of the house? Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

Ah, that changes the prescription a bit. With two stoves, not restarting becomes a greater benefit. But you may well do fine with a 2 cu ft stove if it is supplemental to the insert. Which stove would you want to carry the load when the weather is milder?

 

[Mike M.]

When the weather is mild, for sure I would use the insert. It is in the lowest level of the house and provides the upstairs with some heat but no to much. The upstairs stove would be used in Dec, Jan, and Feb when the insert cannot keep up. The primary heat source for my house is a fuel oil boiler which is costly to run. This winter I had the boiler tuned up and filled with glycol to hopefully avoid problems from it not running much. Honestly the heat from my insert is much better than the boiler and that is why I am looking for another wood stove.

 

[begreen]

In that case you may be fine with a 2 cu ft stove. That would make the Alderlea T5 or Hearthstone Heritage a better choice, though I would still consider the Enviro Boston 1700. In addition to the Nappy 1400C, other contenders would be the Quadrafire Cumberland Gap, Hampton H300, or perhaps a Hearthstone Shelburne.

 

[Flatbedford]

I can only speak for the Woodstock Fireview and it may work for you. I can usually load mine once a day with enough coals to start the next fire. You'd get a good 8 hours of overnight heat to supplement the insert downstairs and it would still put out a little heat all day. You could load it with a few smaller splits at night, give them 10 - 15 minutes to get going and then fill it for another overnight. Burned this way, you should expect the stove to be throwing nice heat again in less than an hour.

 

[Mike M.]

Thanks all for the feedback. I guess at this time I am looking away from soapstone because of the long time to produce good heat. I typically burn the insert at around 500 to 600 degrees and like the quick heat that it puts out. Does anyone have experience with older fireplace design? My fireplace has 4 air ducts built in the masonry. Two ducts are above the fireplace with one in the adjacent room and one in the garage by the floor. What is the purpose of these? Are they intended to bring in external air to the fire? It seems like the one in the garage throws the most heat while the other 3 have cold air coming out. Since converting to the insert shoud I seal all of these ducts or leave them open?

 

[pen]

Mike, if you could post a few pics of these vents and your setup, I think it would help folks here give you a better answer about what to do w/ them when installing the insert. This is especially true if you think they may bring cold air back to the firebox somehow.

pen

 

[Flatbedford]

I guess at this time I am looking away from soapstone because of the long time to produce good heat.

That is a myth.

 

[Mike M.]

Link Removed Link Removed
Could only attach two pics, hopefully this will help...

 

[BrowningBAR]

That is a myth.

It's not a myth, it's just exaggerated.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

I know I can have the Mansfield from room temp to +500 in 40 minutes. Does my sisters Oslo get there quicker? Yes. But it certainly doesn't take HOURS to get either of the soapstone stoves that have been in my living room up to temperature.

 

[mfglickman]

IMO there are lots of nice looking stoves out there that will heat 2000 SF. Do any appeal to you by looks more than others? I would not rule out soapstone due to its time to heat up - agree with Dakotas Dad that it does not take that long to get a soapstone stove up to temp (and mine is 20+ years old). On the flipside soapstone is unlikely (I think?) to roast you out of your house.

Are there any other decision makers in your home? It seems on these forums that SO's (significant others) often have strong opinions one way or the other as to how the stove looks, particularly if it's placed in a main living space...few weeks ago someone was here set on a Jotul and then his wife saw a Hearthstone and it was all over...both great stoves and I'm sure he'd have been happy either way...but his wife wanted soapstone all the way.

 

[BrowningBAR]

On the flipside soapstone is unlikely (I think?) to roast you out of your house.

A soapstone stove can make you too warm just like any other stove.

Are there any other decision makers in your home? It seems on these forums that SO's (significant others) often have strong opinions one way or the other as to how the stove looks, particularly if it's placed in a main living space...few weeks ago someone was here set on a Jotul and then his wife saw a Hearthstone and it was all over...both great stoves and I'm sure he'd have been happy either way...but his wife wanted soapstone all the way.

Allowing your significant other (male or female) to have too much sway in the decision based on looks is not the greatest plan in my opinion. In the example you provided the decision was between a Heritage and an Oslo. Those are not equal stoves. The Oslo has a much larger firebox.

 

[MishMouse]

Besides doing stove research do research on the dealer also. Make sure that the dealer stands behind what they sell and offers service after the sale.