Hello everyone. I just joined so let me explain my background and then pose my questions. I tend to try to explain things clearly so excuse the lengthy nature of this posting.
I have heated 2 homes in northwest Connecticut exclusively with wood. I use my furnace for hot water and perhaps 3 or 4 times a year for heat when the stove is impractical to use. My 1st house was 1200 sq feet. I started with a new Hearthstone soapstone non epa rated stove. It was beautiful but hard to regulate and burn time was a very poor 6-7 hours. That stove was returned after 1 season in exchange for a new Vermont Castings Defiant Encore in March 1993 that has a catalytic combustor (CC). Used the VC for 6 seasons in that house then built a new well insulated 1500 sq ft house, where it has been used since fall 1999 to today. This house is almost identical as the prior house - lots of glass on south and west side (for passive solar) with an open floor plan, 725 sq ft living room/kitchen (south end and west side of house) where the stove is vented via a thimble into a 2 flue central chimney made of brick, 10 ft ceiling with 2 fans then a central hallway with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathroom all with normal ceilings, all on 1 floor. This stove heats the rest of the house fine. I use 3.25 to 3.5 cord of hardwood per year in new house.
So I am totally familiar with this stove, how it functions and how to heat with wood. I love the look of soapstone stoves and their heat is very soft, much nicer than cast iron. The bad experience with the Hearthstone has deterred me from considering another soapstone stove (never another Hearthstone I suppose that leaves Woodstock?). I thought my VC would last 50-100 years! It's cast iron, what's to wear out I thought!
Well it's worn out! I intend to keep using this stove until it is not possible to do so. Here's the list of it's current problems I am dealing with and why I realize I will need to replace this stove some day. Therein lies my questions to you.
The mechanism that closes the door to engage the CC has a worn or warped gear or linkage. The door became a problem to open when the stove is hot about 2 years ago. I have found that if the handle will not release the CC door so that I can open the top to add wood, if I use my poker to gentle nudge the door while holding the handle it will open. I got thru all last winter like this and still I have no problems using this method. I was going to have the guy that cleans my chimney repair this problem because the problem is between and exterior and interior pieces of cast iron. To save on the labor I told him I'd remove the fireback and the side piece exposing the interior to have it ready for him. I can't remove the fireback because it or the interior side wall is warped. I tried, what should have been a 2 minute job took 30 minutes and it was just not possible to get the fireback out. So the linkage for the door can't be repaired. Warping of internal parts (and possibly other parts?) is a problem in this stove.
The CC is original! From fall 1993 to spring 1999 I burned 5.5 cord per season (always cleaning the CC each spring from 1994 to 1998 when the cat started to go south) and now from fall 1999 to spring 2005 3.25 to 3.5 cord - this stove has been used. I never have noticed an increase in wood usage when it was new to 5 years old or since in this house. The CC is basically gone, cracked and disintegrated! The white material that sits on the top of the CC is also disintegrating. At $150 for a CC I decided around 1996 or 1997 it was too expensive and wood was cheaper to burn. Yet, as mentioned, I don't see an increase in wood usage (at each house the wood usage remained constant for that house) so I think I made the correct choice by not worrying about replacing it.
As you can see my stove is not worth repairing so that is why I intend to use it until there is a reason to stop. If it lasts 15 years functioning as it does today then I will use it but I am looking for a replacement in case I have to dump it this year or next. This is where you come in.
I looked at the 1st 20 pages of topics in this forum trying to learn what I want to know without success. I did searches and looked at FAQ to no avail. I am try to learn on my own but I am stuck at this point. I need advise from people with experience.
What are the pros and cons of cast iron vs plate steel wood stoves? What do I look for and what do I avoid?
Are soapstone stove inferior to either cast iron or plate steel. Why pick 1 vs the other excluding the beauty of soapstone?
What are the pros and cons of a CC vs non CC stove. I prefer a non CC stove as it is 1 less thing to replace or worry about.
I know these topics must have been debated ad nauseaum but where? I know you get what you pay for so I am not looking for cheap. At the GardenWeb Fireplace forum last winter (which is how I found this place the other day), Harmon plate steel stoves were highly recommended by a fellow that sold all types over the past 25 years. He is not in my area and will not sell me a stove. His point was that cast iron can warp while plate steel doesn't or is far less likely, therefore plate steel was better. He loved Harmon. I understand a stove with the same thickness cast iron or steel has the same heat retaining qualities. I did love the heat and looks from the soapstone stove.
So rather than 5 sentence answers can you point me to detailed discussions or documentation where I can ponder the pros and cons of these questions and then decide?
Also is there a glossary for terms used here like PE, PPE, NC (I assume that is non catalytic?)?
Thanks!
Tom
I have heated 2 homes in northwest Connecticut exclusively with wood. I use my furnace for hot water and perhaps 3 or 4 times a year for heat when the stove is impractical to use. My 1st house was 1200 sq feet. I started with a new Hearthstone soapstone non epa rated stove. It was beautiful but hard to regulate and burn time was a very poor 6-7 hours. That stove was returned after 1 season in exchange for a new Vermont Castings Defiant Encore in March 1993 that has a catalytic combustor (CC). Used the VC for 6 seasons in that house then built a new well insulated 1500 sq ft house, where it has been used since fall 1999 to today. This house is almost identical as the prior house - lots of glass on south and west side (for passive solar) with an open floor plan, 725 sq ft living room/kitchen (south end and west side of house) where the stove is vented via a thimble into a 2 flue central chimney made of brick, 10 ft ceiling with 2 fans then a central hallway with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathroom all with normal ceilings, all on 1 floor. This stove heats the rest of the house fine. I use 3.25 to 3.5 cord of hardwood per year in new house.
So I am totally familiar with this stove, how it functions and how to heat with wood. I love the look of soapstone stoves and their heat is very soft, much nicer than cast iron. The bad experience with the Hearthstone has deterred me from considering another soapstone stove (never another Hearthstone I suppose that leaves Woodstock?). I thought my VC would last 50-100 years! It's cast iron, what's to wear out I thought!
Well it's worn out! I intend to keep using this stove until it is not possible to do so. Here's the list of it's current problems I am dealing with and why I realize I will need to replace this stove some day. Therein lies my questions to you.
The mechanism that closes the door to engage the CC has a worn or warped gear or linkage. The door became a problem to open when the stove is hot about 2 years ago. I have found that if the handle will not release the CC door so that I can open the top to add wood, if I use my poker to gentle nudge the door while holding the handle it will open. I got thru all last winter like this and still I have no problems using this method. I was going to have the guy that cleans my chimney repair this problem because the problem is between and exterior and interior pieces of cast iron. To save on the labor I told him I'd remove the fireback and the side piece exposing the interior to have it ready for him. I can't remove the fireback because it or the interior side wall is warped. I tried, what should have been a 2 minute job took 30 minutes and it was just not possible to get the fireback out. So the linkage for the door can't be repaired. Warping of internal parts (and possibly other parts?) is a problem in this stove.
The CC is original! From fall 1993 to spring 1999 I burned 5.5 cord per season (always cleaning the CC each spring from 1994 to 1998 when the cat started to go south) and now from fall 1999 to spring 2005 3.25 to 3.5 cord - this stove has been used. I never have noticed an increase in wood usage when it was new to 5 years old or since in this house. The CC is basically gone, cracked and disintegrated! The white material that sits on the top of the CC is also disintegrating. At $150 for a CC I decided around 1996 or 1997 it was too expensive and wood was cheaper to burn. Yet, as mentioned, I don't see an increase in wood usage (at each house the wood usage remained constant for that house) so I think I made the correct choice by not worrying about replacing it.
As you can see my stove is not worth repairing so that is why I intend to use it until there is a reason to stop. If it lasts 15 years functioning as it does today then I will use it but I am looking for a replacement in case I have to dump it this year or next. This is where you come in.
I looked at the 1st 20 pages of topics in this forum trying to learn what I want to know without success. I did searches and looked at FAQ to no avail. I am try to learn on my own but I am stuck at this point. I need advise from people with experience.
What are the pros and cons of cast iron vs plate steel wood stoves? What do I look for and what do I avoid?
Are soapstone stove inferior to either cast iron or plate steel. Why pick 1 vs the other excluding the beauty of soapstone?
What are the pros and cons of a CC vs non CC stove. I prefer a non CC stove as it is 1 less thing to replace or worry about.
I know these topics must have been debated ad nauseaum but where? I know you get what you pay for so I am not looking for cheap. At the GardenWeb Fireplace forum last winter (which is how I found this place the other day), Harmon plate steel stoves were highly recommended by a fellow that sold all types over the past 25 years. He is not in my area and will not sell me a stove. His point was that cast iron can warp while plate steel doesn't or is far less likely, therefore plate steel was better. He loved Harmon. I understand a stove with the same thickness cast iron or steel has the same heat retaining qualities. I did love the heat and looks from the soapstone stove.
So rather than 5 sentence answers can you point me to detailed discussions or documentation where I can ponder the pros and cons of these questions and then decide?
Also is there a glossary for terms used here like PE, PPE, NC (I assume that is non catalytic?)?
Thanks!
Tom
