I have been looking at hearth mounted stoves (vent thru existing fireplace). Went to a local dealer (Central NH) who carries, and has recommended, the Jotul F400 and the Hearthstone Homestead. Are there other manufacturers that you might recommend? Looking in the 50,000 to 55,000 BTU range. Fireplace is 29" high.
Hearth Mounted Stoves
- Thread starter Grady223
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
firefighterjake said:
House is a 1,600 sq ft seasonal home only used May thru October. Have electric heat, I want something to help keep those bills down.
CarbonNeutral said:
The hearth is 17" deep by 74" wide and has no elevation from the carpeted floor. I realize that, depending on the unit I choose, I may need to extend the hearth.
Grady223 said:
Normally I advocate figuring out the space in a home and then find a stove that fits in those specs and go one size up . . . however in this case I think you would be fine sticking with a stove that meets the spacing needs (such as the Castine or comparable stoves) based on the fact that this is seasonal and only used in the late-Spring and early-Fall where you will most likley not need to really run the stove hard.
firefighterjake said:
Thanks, that what the local dealer suggested - go with the stove sq. ft. rating. Apparently those ratings are based on installation in Virginia.
Grady223 said:
I wouldn't install the Castine (F400) in that situation, ESPECIALLY iif you're not using it during the colder season.
The door opening is too high - above the baffle - & you WILL get smoke back into the house unless you vent off the top.
The Castine is a GREAT stove vented vertically, but iffy with a rear exit.
The Homestead is a nice stove as well, but it's a 24/7 November to March burner.
It may take too long to heat up for your tastes...
YMMV
DAKSY said:
My same thoughts on any soapstone unit, for the most part we will need heat on a chilly night. Several here recommend Woodstock but that's also soapstone.
If I used the shorter legs with the Castline could I fit it with top venting? It would reduce the unit height to 26" against a 29" fireplace. I have a rather unusual fireplace which has a concave chimney making the lintel setback in the center 6" (12" at the edges). Fireplace size: 38" (w) X 24" (d) X 29" (h).
Grady223 said:
I am curious why you are against the soapstone stoves? Is it the part that people love to post that it takes longer to heat up? If so, might I add that although it take "longer" that is a vague term or idea. It is like saying one car goes from 0-6 in 8 seconds and the other is slower because it takes 9 seconds to reach that same speed. Or, it is like saying you will burn only oak because it is the best for heating whereas some will burn only ash. It is not quite the btu rating as oak for sure but it will still give you the same heat that oak will. Oak gains by giving you more coals at the end of the cycle where you are getting smaller amounts of heat. Ash burns just fine.....in fact there are many factors that rate ash higher than oak.
So I suggest not ruling out a soapstone stove. Take a good hard look. Here is one factor you will not find anywhere when comparisons are made. Before we purchased our soapstone stove we had a steel stove. In that steel stove we burned an average of 6 cords of wood per year. In the soapstone we burn an average of 3 cords. So you see there are advantages and disadvantages. I can give you many more advantages but will stop right here for now unless you are interested.
Backwoods Savage said:
I am not "against" soapstone units, just not sure it is right for my needs. This is a seasonal home in NH used May thru October. We need to heat May, 2nd half of Sept. & Oct (2 1/2 months). The highs then will run 50s - 60s, lows 30s - 40s. Seldom need heat once we go to bed, in fact often open a window and get under the down comforter. But want something to heat up fast in the morning to take the chill off. My understanding is that steel & cast iron stoves take about 1 1/2 hours to heat up and soapstone about twice that. I am new to this, so any advise is welcomed.
Yes, that seems to be the popular opinion on heating up these rocks. However, the only people you usually hear stating this supposed fact are the people who have no experience with them.
We heat 100% with our soapstone stove and I guarantee you that if my stove took 3 hours to heat up, it would be in the junk heap fast! No, we are usually cranking out the heat even before the hour is up. Also, steel and cast iron should not take 1 1/2 hours to heat up. I will say if you want the fastest, then steel would be the correct answer. But it does not take cast nor soapstone that much longer.
One other advantage to you with a soapstone like Woodstocks is that you can turn them down, way down, and let the catalyst do the heating. The advantage of this is first that it burns smoke; that is, you have a much cleaner burning stove (recall how often we have to clean our chimney) and another huge advantage is you use a lot less wood. We burn only 50% of the wood we used to burn in our steel stove.
We heat 100% with our soapstone stove and I guarantee you that if my stove took 3 hours to heat up, it would be in the junk heap fast! No, we are usually cranking out the heat even before the hour is up. Also, steel and cast iron should not take 1 1/2 hours to heat up. I will say if you want the fastest, then steel would be the correct answer. But it does not take cast nor soapstone that much longer.
One other advantage to you with a soapstone like Woodstocks is that you can turn them down, way down, and let the catalyst do the heating. The advantage of this is first that it burns smoke; that is, you have a much cleaner burning stove (recall how often we have to clean our chimney) and another huge advantage is you use a lot less wood. We burn only 50% of the wood we used to burn in our steel stove.
Backwoods Savage said:
I heard is that catalyst stoves are more complicated to run - as an example, would the wife be able to keep it running properly?
You must have talked to Highbeam! lol
No, they are not complicated to run at all and my wife is fully capable of running out stove. Now, if you think moving 2 levers rather than one is complicated, then it is.
Simply put, this is how the stove is run. Before or just as the wood is burned down to coals we always try to turn the draft to full open. This is with any stove and it helps to keep the coals burned down lest the firebox become too full of them. Now for the reload. As you know, any stove needs the draft full open and wait a bit before opening the firebox door. This gets more heat up the chimney to create the draft you need. So the easiest way to run the stove is to flip that little cat lever also before you open the firebox door.
After filling the stove, you naturally leave the draft open full. When the fire gets established you start dialing down the draft (with all stoves). Woodstock recommends 10-15 minutes before turning the cat on. We also go by making sure the wood is charred. But at that point, the draft usually needs dialing down for your regular burn. At the same time you change the draft you also flip that lever for the cat. End of "complications."
Even more simple, Woodstock sent us a stove thermometer when we bought the stove. We watch that and when the stove top reaches 250 degrees, the cat can be turned on. You never actually have to turn it off until you reload. Also, with the cat, you can dial down the draft a lot more than with most stoves because it is smoke that the cat burns and you get more smoke with the fire burning slower. That is what a cat likes! Slow burning. Yet, you get some amazing fire shows with the Fireview. The fires you get with this are amazing to watch.
So no, they are not complicated at all. We too feared that but no longer believe it because we see it with our own eyes.
No, they are not complicated to run at all and my wife is fully capable of running out stove. Now, if you think moving 2 levers rather than one is complicated, then it is.
Simply put, this is how the stove is run. Before or just as the wood is burned down to coals we always try to turn the draft to full open. This is with any stove and it helps to keep the coals burned down lest the firebox become too full of them. Now for the reload. As you know, any stove needs the draft full open and wait a bit before opening the firebox door. This gets more heat up the chimney to create the draft you need. So the easiest way to run the stove is to flip that little cat lever also before you open the firebox door.
After filling the stove, you naturally leave the draft open full. When the fire gets established you start dialing down the draft (with all stoves). Woodstock recommends 10-15 minutes before turning the cat on. We also go by making sure the wood is charred. But at that point, the draft usually needs dialing down for your regular burn. At the same time you change the draft you also flip that lever for the cat. End of "complications."
Even more simple, Woodstock sent us a stove thermometer when we bought the stove. We watch that and when the stove top reaches 250 degrees, the cat can be turned on. You never actually have to turn it off until you reload. Also, with the cat, you can dial down the draft a lot more than with most stoves because it is smoke that the cat burns and you get more smoke with the fire burning slower. That is what a cat likes! Slow burning. Yet, you get some amazing fire shows with the Fireview. The fires you get with this are amazing to watch.
So no, they are not complicated at all. We too feared that but no longer believe it because we see it with our own eyes.
Backwoods Savage said:
You don't see that "anywhere when comparisons are made" Dennis because the wood usage in a thirty year old Ashley isn't a valid comparison of wood usage between any new stoves. No matter what material they are made of. Cat or non-cat for that matter. I have a big honkin non-cat steel stove and my usage dropped from six cords a year to three after replacing my old steel stove.
Steel and cast iron will heat up faster but I don't think a soapstone stove takes twice as long. There is also a lot of iron in the makeup of soapstone stoves. You will be burning in the shoulder seasons where a combination between soapstone and a cat would make perfect sense.
BrotherBart said:
Exactly - I find it hard to believe that if I got rid of my Olympic at 4.5 cords per year that I would only burn 2.25 in a comparable soapstone stove.
- Status
Similar threads
