Two seasons into owning the Manchester and it is by far the most irritating stove I've ever used. Talk about buyer's remorse!! The catalyst aspect of the stove is kind of a pain even though it does make the wood last longer, and especially so if you burn a lot of wood during an extended cold spell. For one, with daily fires the catalyst will clog severely in about 3-4 weeks which then requires a shop-vac to properly clean them, and of course you have to let things cool off comnpletely to get in there. I tried just brushing off the cats but the shop-vac does a much, much better job. A brushing seemed to clear things up for 2 weeks at best but the shop-vac clears it up for another month.
Secondly, the front door of the stove must remain closed while in operation or smoke will instantly billow into the room. Even with the bypass open, damper open, a freshly cleaned chimney, and a roaring fire--the smoke pours into the room if the front door is opened more than a 1/4 inch. I've never used a stove with that deficit before--maybe it's more common than I assume. I only burn seasoned oak and madrone.
And thirdly, there is absolutely ZERO customer support. I've tried many times to contact the manufacturer and get nothing in response. Never before have I dealt with a company that clearly does NOT stand behind their product. Absolute bull puckey is what Hearthstone stoves is worth in my opinion. In 25 solid years with a plain old plate steel Regency I never once had the issue with smoke pouring into the room if I dared to open the front door while the stove was in use. Personally I would avoid a Manchester stove at all costs and I would think twice before settling on Hearthstone as they, in my experience, do not stand behind their product at all.
Secondly, the front door of the stove must remain closed while in operation or smoke will instantly billow into the room. Even with the bypass open, damper open, a freshly cleaned chimney, and a roaring fire--the smoke pours into the room if the front door is opened more than a 1/4 inch. I've never used a stove with that deficit before--maybe it's more common than I assume. I only burn seasoned oak and madrone.
And thirdly, there is absolutely ZERO customer support. I've tried many times to contact the manufacturer and get nothing in response. Never before have I dealt with a company that clearly does NOT stand behind their product. Absolute bull puckey is what Hearthstone stoves is worth in my opinion. In 25 solid years with a plain old plate steel Regency I never once had the issue with smoke pouring into the room if I dared to open the front door while the stove was in use. Personally I would avoid a Manchester stove at all costs and I would think twice before settling on Hearthstone as they, in my experience, do not stand behind their product at all.
