First fire experience with HearthStone Homestead

[mendes9]

First, I'm a total amateur. I got my wood stove up and running this weekend. As the manual states on the first day I created a fire just to the point where it felt warm on the soap stone. Later on that night I created a 2nd fire and I let it get a little hotter, warmer than the first fire.

Sunday morning I woke up and made my first real fire. I installed a new class a chimney duravent plus triple wall. The stove has good draft, chimney is about 18ft total height. There is absolutely no smoke in the house when I open the door to put in another piece of wood (my sister has this problem). The stove really smokes well, which was my biggest fear. I also thought that maybe I would have issues when my forced air heating system kicked in as it pulls allot of air from the room when the blower kicks on. But again, no issue, and I won’t need an OAK, air supply is no problem. I have a little experience with my sisters cast iron stove (which is where I got the idea of installing a wood stove), and my soap stone per the reviews was supposed to take a long time to heat up. I've only done 1 real fire so far, but it didn't take that long, maybe 15 min, and stone is warm, 20-40 min and it's hot... and man does this thing pump out the heat, it's amazing. I had it up to about 450-500deg. I was going to buy the blower option, really there is no need. All the reviews were correct, it puts out nice even heat. My sisters cast iron if I get close I can feel it, almost difficult to put in wood at times, but this soap stone unless I open the door, I can get kind of close and it doesn't blow me away. All I can say is that the reviews on these soap stones appear to be in line with my experience so far. Also after the fire was out, the stone was warm I would say for about 2 1/2 - 3hrs amazing.

I’d like to hear from other owners of this model stove, but I was expecting the draft control to be a little more responsive. If open or close all the way, is there is difference in flame, YES… is there a huge difference no. My dealer actually has one on his floor I may go check it out to see if it behaves the same. Now, if I pull the ash tray a little out, wow it almost acts like a blow torch. If I slightly crack open the door it also has an effect on the flame, but when I slightly open the ash pan, wow it really opens up the fire. I have a split level house, and it warms downstairs and upstairs, I have to put in an open register in the wall from family room to my kitchen to get some of the warm air in there, after I do that I think I’m set! Too bad it’s warm here in eastern PA, I’m dying to burn some wood!

 

[shawneyboy]

First off welcome...

Second DO NOT use ash door to increase flame. You can seriously damage stove. Using the ash door is a REALLY, REALLY bad idea.

I have a blower on my Mansfield. Makes a big difference in my house.

I have a different model of Hearthstone so I will let others speak to specific operation of this stove.

 

[begreen]

Congratulations. It sounds like you may be experiencing lazy draft due to the mild weather. If there are 90 deg turns in the smoke path, that will slow down the smoke by reducing draft. Depending on how it is connected and how much vertical rise there is in the flue system, the stove may not draft strongly until the temps get below 40F. Don't use the ash pan door to compensate. That can damage the stove and will void the warranty.

 

[mendes9]

Thanks for the responses, and I appreciate all the advice. My manual does say "do not use ash pan", and my air control does work but maybe not as response as I thought it would be. Only the first fire so far, so I have to get used it.

 

[shawneyboy]

Thanks for the responses, and I appreciate all the advice. My manual does say "do not use ash pan", and my air control does work but maybe not as response as I thought it would be. Only the first fire so far, so I have to get used it.

There is a learning curve,...Lets see if we can help you through the curve a bit.

If you can describe your setup and take pics we can maybe give you some feedback on that.
The most important thing about these stoves is having good fuel. Do you buy wood, or harvest (scrounge) yourself. When was it split, how is it stored ?
Do you have a thermo in the flue? I have one on the stove top (center stone) and one in the flue (I have double wall stove-pipe).
Anything else you can add will always help.

Also these rocks are slightly different that metal stoves, so make sure you know what kind of stove someone has before you take their advice.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

It helps to know more about your setup, as far jogs/bends/etc in the pipe.. surround/hearth setup, etc..

I don't know what you mean by responsive in regards to the draft control.. It is designed to NOT be able to cut the air to zero.. so if you think it should respond by cutting the fire out completly, well it won't. With a full stove and a hot chimney, it will (on mine) allow me to run really scary with it full open, or long and slowish with it at about 80-90% "closed", again, even at "full closed" it doesn't stop all the air.

I have found our stove does much better with 2 year seasoned wood..

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the responses, and I appreciate all the advice. My manual does say "do not use ash pan", and my air control does work but maybe not as response as I thought it would be. Only the first fire so far, so I have to get used it.

I think you'll find it much more responsive at 35°F than at 55°F outside. For an explanation here's some good reading:

http://www.woodheat.org/all-about-chimneys.html

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/chimneys_an_unexact_science/

And here is an uber-link to lots of good posts on Hearth.com, sorted by topic:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/65174/

 

[snowleopard]

I also have a different model Hearthstone, so can't address that, but will articulate a general principle that you are actually well on the way to learning: make haste slowly. If it's not broke, don't fix it. If you haven't used the system long enough to know if it's broke, don't fix it. Don't go hunting a mosquito with an elephant gun. Make as small a change as necessary to fix the problem--if there is one. Take a deep breath and relax.

You found out that you don't need an OAK by waiting to see if you need one. You've gotten a great fire out of your new stove (very pretty, btw). Stove did what it was designed to do. Wait and see if there's a need before you go fixing on things.

Reread your manual, and highlight all the `don't's. I think if your dealer has a working stove of this model on the floor, and you went there and opened up the ash pan door to see what would happen, you'd have employees RUNNING your direction. If you've already got a good fire out of it, why crack the doors? BTW, I don't even use the ashpan in my stove. I open the door, scoop dead ashes with a rubbermaid dustpan, and use a wallpaper paste brush to sweep ash out of the corner and into the dustpan. I take a retired turkey roaster and stick it partially in the stove door, and dump the ashes in it. Airborne ash goes up the chimney, anything that spills goes back on the floor of the stove to be picked up in the next scoop. Much quicker.

Then I crumple some newspaper, put some kindling on it, lay a few bigger pieces across the top, and light the paper. I shut the door, walk away, and come back later and add some bigger pieces of wood. A little later, I put the big stuff in, and shut the air intake down a about halfway. When that's fully engaged, I shut it down almost all the way.

If I'm not in a hurry to get heat, I build a top-down fire and then come back later and shut the air intake. However, the first method I described spills heat into the house a lot more quickly, as the heat is coming out through the glass, instead of up the chimney in the top-down approach.

I also clean the glass as needed, as I'm fond of the fireplace-view of the flames I get with a clean window. Not that you asked about that.


I had so many plans for things that needed to happen in order for my stove to function effectively. I talked to the installer about a blower and an OAK, and he said, "I'll put them in if you really want me to, but I recommend waiting and seeing if you need them first." I did, and I didn't. We sometimes see messes on here created by an enthusiastic new stove owner who rushed outside, jumped on his horse, and galloped off madly in all directions. Have patience, watch, analyze, reflect, read, learn, listen--and then act. Putting in a stove and all that is involved is an invasive procedure in your house. Houses and their heating systems and ventilation systems function as a unit, and I try to consider the overall impact of changes when I make them. Since I can't know that, I try to not go out on a limb and saw it off behind me.

There. This post probably gets some kind of maximum-platitudes-per-word award. But just give it a little time, learn your stove, and hang out here on the forum for awhile. You're already most of the way there . . .

 

[Milton Findley]

The primary air control only controls a percentage of the combustion air on Hearthstones, so the difference between full on and full off is probably only the difference between 60 percent and 100 percent in my best estimate so far. Hearthstone could give you actual values if you ask them. Leave the ash tray closed. It will heat the stove up very quickly if you open it, and soapstone might crack, and will spall if there is too much temperature differential through it. This will not be likely in normal operation as it heats gradually.

Nice looking stove and I am glad you are happy with it. We love ours.

 

[mendes9]

Thanks everyone for all the advice, I'm a neebie and I have lots to learn. Much appreciated!