Fireside Franklin review...

[Tar12]

35 years ago I made a decision to burn wood and wood only until the day came that my body said I needed to throttle back a bit...seems that day came way to fast! lol Visiting my grandsons who dont live close was also a deciding factor as well as traveling with my son to waterfowl hunt everywhere......and I wanted to cut my wood consumption by half...I think that this is going to be easily obtainable...I will run it during the shoulder season and weekends and when ever I feel lazy!I started off by purchasing a new 500 gallon tank and pouring a concrete pad for it to sit on...I work for a concrete company so this was free....there is a gentleman close by who was gracious enough to let us see his Franklin in action....this sealed the deal for me! It is a beautiful piece of art! The cast iron and soapstone really compliment each other! This combo is also very HEAVY! As a result this thermal mass continues putting off heat long after the unit shuts down..the install was uneventful and went smoothly...I went with the thermostat/remote option and really like it! It is fully programable for each day of the week and 3 periods of each day...the instructions were easy to understand...it is accurate to within +/-2 degrees..the install was completed 2 months ago and has been running flawlessly...the folks at Woodstock were a absolute pleasure to deal with! A side note of humor here..my wife is from San Diego...and had never experienced real cold until she moved to Indiana to go to school where I met her.. so all she has ever known for heat has been a wood boiler..and the last 4 years our BK Princess..after the install of the Franklin and it running on and off for most of the day she said she was cold? I looked at both thermostats in the house and they both read 75 degrees and pointed this out to her..she says it sure does not feel like the woodstove...lol...no love it does not...I had to explain to her about the temp swings regarding the Franklin vs the steady output of the Princess...its all good now!

 

[Alexx]

You made me check my e- mail for a ship date. I ordered the same gas stove to replace a wood stove. We are after something that looks ok and will work when the power goes out. I’m not really wanting something with too many whistles but will probably put in a Millivolt thermostat. Was planning on a review of it also. Hopefully it gets here in the next week or so. The Fireside Franklin seems like a good value for the money.

 

[Tar12]

I am very happy with it so far...let me be very clear...this sucker is HEAVY! I got it up on moving dollies purchased from harbor freight and laid plywood down on the carpet and this worked out pretty good for moving it around...it was all 2 of us could do lift it off of the moving pallet and get it in place.

 

[Alexx]

The weight is not an issue. Hopefully it’s in all the right places. I did not realize the Fireside Franklin could come in different colors if the one one sale is not wanted. Pulled my 4” liner down the chimney pipe yesterday. Not sure what keeps flue gas condensation from eating up that aluminum liner over time. Ive seen a few aluminum liners ruined after years in a masonry chimney, but maybe they came disconnected first. Will check it annually. Wish the flue came out the top of the heater so I could move it closer to the wall without spending hundreds on those direct vent fittings. Still waiting for the stove to ship before running the gas pipe so I can see how to hide the pipe some. I might be doing some gas meter clocking to compare it to my 80% efficient furnace.

Tar, your pictures look better than any I have seen.

 

[Tar12]

Not sure what you mean by different colors...if you are referring to my pics...it is the lighting as my stove is pretty uniform in color...I think they each one will be unique as I believe they try to "match" soapstone pieces for a uniform look...yes the direct vent stuff is salty...

 

[Alexx]

Oh, I mean I did not realize the cast iron parts could be green or whatnot until I called to order the stove.
Charcoal works the best here though.

Our stove is in and going. The thing is heavy and not quite balanced. Surprised to see the cast iron heat exchanger as opposed to steel. Waiting for the paint stink and such to go away now. So far I like it. A thermostat might happen sooner than later. Doing some math tells me that burning it continuously for 30 days on low would use about 165 CCF of gas which is the most gas we use a month including the water heater.

 

[Tar12]

Glad you like it! IMO...the thermostat is a must...I have the remote thermostat and l Iike it! You can program any portion of the day that you wish to maintain what ever temp you have chosen...mine has worked flawlessly..the remote also means that it dosent have to be hard wired ...this has been a blessing already as we experienced a power outage not long after the install...I checked my propane usage yesterday and the tank gauge was at 69%...down from 80% when filled...at this rate I am going to easily cruise through a winter on one tank fill...mind you my BK Princess is pulling the vast majority of the heat load but I have ran the Franklin strictly by its self and it has no problem heating this place..