I need some help from other soapstone owners. The stove is on the first floor heating aprox 900sqft and using a fan to circulate warm air to the 2nd floor hall and 1 bedroom. I built the house in 2005 (lots of insul very good windows). Stove built in 1996 bought used 1.5 years ago. Aprox 30ft of masonary chimney center flue 6"dia. Wood was cut 3 years ago stored covered.Last years supply was cut to length and split late summer,this years cut to length and split springtime. THE PROBLEM: the stove is great when we are home on weekends feeding it all day, during the week it gets loaded early am and we keep it loaded after work to bedtime.I cannot keep a good hot fire going in it once it cools down.The house is cold during the week. I dont want to get rid of this stove. Any thoughts or ideas? thanks
Mansfield help
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Wood does not fully dry out until it is split, usually people split and stack wood 2 years ahead of time for best performance.
Do you have a probe thermometer in the pipe above the stove? 30' chimney is to long and I bet you are overdrafting the stove and it is burning to fast. My chimney is 25' 5.5" and I installed a dampner as I had reduced burn times. When my stove is up to 500 degrees on the surface thermometer I close the stack dampner almost all the way and then it cruises for several hours. If I ran it without the dampenr being closed down it would not last very long.
30' with out a dampner is to much chimney for this stove. Some cases two dampners are needed per the manual.
30' with out a dampner is to much chimney for this stove. Some cases two dampners are needed per the manual.
I think Struggles points about chimney are really good things to look at. Other questions for you, what type of wood, ie; oak, pine, silver maple, what size is it split to? You say you can't keep a good hot fire goin once it cools down, does that meam it gets hot really quick and burns out or that you can't get it hot inthe first place? Mansfields a big stove and a big firebox. Assuming you have the stove set up so you have good control over the burn and you have good high rated BTU wood split in somewhat large sizes, like 4-6", you should be able to have a nice bed of hot coals 8-10hrs later I would think.
If I under stand you right. You can not restart a fire on a cooling or cold stove.
If you have coals add wood sooner to avoid a restart fire.
Getting heat out of a cold stove takes some time with a cold stone stove. Steel and cast stoves get heat out faster. To get heat out faster from your stove Build a hot fire when restarting a cold stove. If it is a secondary burn model shut down the primary air as soon as possible to really get the heat out faster.
If you have coals add wood sooner to avoid a restart fire.
Getting heat out of a cold stove takes some time with a cold stone stove. Steel and cast stoves get heat out faster. To get heat out faster from your stove Build a hot fire when restarting a cold stove. If it is a secondary burn model shut down the primary air as soon as possible to really get the heat out faster.
Im burning oak split med size. I still have coals in the firebox after8/9hrs. But it takes a long time to get up to temp on the center stone (which is everyday after work). Will having better seasoned wood this season help or should we have gotten a cast stove for our type of burning?
When you burn unseasoned wood most of the energy of the fire goes into boiling out the moisture. If the wood sizzles like when cooking bacon then you have a problem.
I have a Woodstock soapstone stove. I know that Woodstock uses 2 layers of soapstone with an airspace between them, I'm not sure if Hearthstone is one layer or two. I switched from a very quick heating steel stove. With the soapstone I have to think ahead a bit, a fire I start now will give me reasonable heat output in an hour and then for many hours afterwards. If i let it burn down very low, the stove is still warm but again its a 1/2 hour or so before I'm getting really good heat. On the other hand, with a good load of good wood, my house is warm on one load for 8-9 hours or longer. That it takes longer to get it hot again is somewhat irrelevant because my house is still comfortable from the first load. Because of that I'n not so concerned that my stove top is hot-hot all the time except I imagine in the coldest weather which I have yet to go through with this stove. It levels the heat release into my home, asorbing much when the fire is hottest and still giving off lots while the fire is starting to cool. Don't know if this gives you any info you didn't already know but it's what I really like about the soapstone stove. It just has taken some getting used to.
Jimmy what type of top temps are you getting on full loads of wood after secondary takes over and the wood is charred and you dampen it down?
I think without a doubt you need an in line dampner installed a your pipe above the stove.
Tonight with mine full of wood and the pipe dampner closed and the air intake on the bottom closed I hit 600 on the center stone and pipe internal temp probe ran around 600 as well and then steadily dropped off to around 400 degrees.
If the pipe damner was not there I could have gone higher on the top temp. I am considering putting in another.I have also found there to be a learning curve on how big of peices to put in the stove as after a good coal bed is established if I put to many small pieces in the stove just gobbles them up. So I try to mix in at least on large piece in there if not two when filling it up completely full.
DO you have a manual for the stove?
I think without a doubt you need an in line dampner installed a your pipe above the stove.
Tonight with mine full of wood and the pipe dampner closed and the air intake on the bottom closed I hit 600 on the center stone and pipe internal temp probe ran around 600 as well and then steadily dropped off to around 400 degrees.
If the pipe damner was not there I could have gone higher on the top temp. I am considering putting in another.I have also found there to be a learning curve on how big of peices to put in the stove as after a good coal bed is established if I put to many small pieces in the stove just gobbles them up. So I try to mix in at least on large piece in there if not two when filling it up completely full.
DO you have a manual for the stove?
When starting the cold stove or even a slightly warm stove I go for a fairly large amount of small splits in an effort to get a big blast of heat into the stone. The stone takes the heat well and without the kindling load I find that it saps so much heat out of the fire that it takes a long time to get into the efficient burning mode. My advice is use more kindling and smaller splits to get it up to temp and then use your medium splits for the cruises. Seriously, lots of smaller 3 inchers.
I have a really hard time getting my stove top to 500. It really starts gobbling wood once the temps hit 450 but at 450 the hosue is gaining temp fast. Also, the stove responds very well to a completely shut down primary air control. The soapstones are more supposed to be more suited to steady cruise type burns instead of the type of burn that you need to heat the house from 60 to 75 right away when you get home from work.
I have been burning 100% western red cedar 24/7 (or as close to it as possible with the heritage) since middle of september.
I have a really hard time getting my stove top to 500. It really starts gobbling wood once the temps hit 450 but at 450 the hosue is gaining temp fast. Also, the stove responds very well to a completely shut down primary air control. The soapstones are more supposed to be more suited to steady cruise type burns instead of the type of burn that you need to heat the house from 60 to 75 right away when you get home from work.
I have been burning 100% western red cedar 24/7 (or as close to it as possible with the heritage) since middle of september.
Sounds like a combination of too large of chimney and lack of air control with either the flu damper or the air flow valve(if it has one). I have a Hearthstone Homestead soapstone stove and the center stone tile gets hot after about the time the kindling is running out and the bigger pieces are catching. It is my primary heat source and a good fire with the proper wood and air control is amazing. On Christmas day last year I filled the box up at 10AM and left the house and didn't get back until midnight. There was still some( a few...) good coals left. The oak was seasoned around 2 years and it only took about 5 minutes to get another good fire kicking again. All day, night, good air flow, good wood(and it really doesn't matter which kind just as long as it is seasoned well(2 years of more)).
Certainly well seasoned wood helps a lot. Oak takes longer to season than most woods, most members here have found its best after 2 years of seasoning. Otherwise too much of the heat energy is consumed just getting the wood dried out in the firebox keeping your firebox temps lower than you would like.jimmymq said:
Thanks for all the help and input. Its hard to reach stove top temps in the 450-500 range. About the damper, are you guys saying that I have to much draft and its not retaining the heat in the stove for complete afterburn? Wood: a little sizzling, not to much,not all the time. If I correct these problems will this stove warm my house up in a reasonable time? I have a generous offer from someone the buy the stove but the extra $$$ for a new Jotul I dont want to spend if I dont have to.
Well first you need to get good wood, if it is sizzling at all you are wasting the energy of the fire and getting much less heat. I have seen this many times at customers homes.
jimmymq said:
You should'nt have any problem getting that stove up to 450-500 or more with a full load of wood. Maybe the draft is a little sluggish because of the relatively warm fall temps? Maybe you should wait til it gets colder and see how it burns. If you think your firewood is the culprit, try buying some of that kiln dryed firewood bundles they sell at big box stores and gas stations, and see if that makes a difference from your own wood.
Soapstone isn't for everyone, it's still going to take an hour or so to get that stove up to temp and put out heat, you need to think ahead when building fires. Soapstone is great for 24/7 burners, if you don't plan on burning 24/7 this winter and just want a quick heat or evening fires, sell it and buy a steel or iron stove.
jimmymq said:
Yesterday I put a couple of pieces of wood that I thought were dry and they were not. They sizzled some and the stove suffered greatly in the warm up process as a result of the damp wood.
It is a must to have very dry wood with these stoves. Performance will suffer.
I do think the dampner does allow for more heat to be held into the stove. If I can I will post you a picture tomorrow of where our dampner is installed and the temp probe as well.
Must have dry wood.
You have a generous offer because you have an excellent stove. Jotul makes great products as well, personally I'm partial to soapstone and I think the Mansfield is a gorgeous stove. Your issue is not the stove. Its the fuel, (too wet?, not seasoned well enough?) the chimney, or operator error. Once you get the issues resolved you'll be a VERY happy camper. PS, even a little sizzle from your wood, even if its only some of the time, is not good.. Todd's suggestion about buying a bundle or two of gas station wood, it's certainly well seasoned, make sure it's not wet, is a great idea. Hang in there, you'll get it figured out and love it :coolsmile:
Ohhh, the wood is wet. When I have had to burn the 20 or even 22% moisture wood there is no sizzle, no foam from the ends, and no extra steam. It just burns slower and doesn't heat as well. To actually hear and see the water being boiled out of the wood indicates very high moisture. The 0-350 degree heat up process is pretty energy intensive for the soapstone so it really slows down with wet wood. You're looking for a firebox full of flames even with the draft turned down half way.
Jimmy, I also have a Mansfield and heat a 2100 SF place. I've been very impressed with how well the stove works and retains heat. I'll load the stove in the morning and run it hot while I have breakfast, then damp it most of the way down for the day, soapstone retains heat well enough that the house is still above 60 when I get home (11 hours or so). There is usually enough warmth (not hot by any means) in the stone such that the stove will draw well when I get home. A modest size fire (3-4 splits) brings the house up around 3-5 degrees in the first hour when burned hot. 2-3 more splits at bed time has her set for the night. I find this to be a very easy stove to start, though I do leave the ash drawer open for about 5 minutes at a cold startup; it doesn't have the extra air control for startup air that some stoves do.
In short, I think you have more issues with the wood supply or possibly flue than with the stove. I hope you can get her working the way you like, once you do I think you'll be happy.
edit to add:
I find that I have better luck keeping the stove burning well when I pretty well load the firebox (3-4 splits) and then let her burn down and reload with another pretty fair firebox, as opposed to just tossing in one split at a time-these things have a pretty big firebox and need a decent load to really keep secondary combustion going well. The soapstone provides a gentle enough heat that this works well for me. Not sure about your burning technique or if it would make a difference. I'm mostly burning red fir, so I don't get the nice base of coals that hardwood burners do, this may not be necessary for you.
In short, I think you have more issues with the wood supply or possibly flue than with the stove. I hope you can get her working the way you like, once you do I think you'll be happy.
edit to add:
I find that I have better luck keeping the stove burning well when I pretty well load the firebox (3-4 splits) and then let her burn down and reload with another pretty fair firebox, as opposed to just tossing in one split at a time-these things have a pretty big firebox and need a decent load to really keep secondary combustion going well. The soapstone provides a gentle enough heat that this works well for me. Not sure about your burning technique or if it would make a difference. I'm mostly burning red fir, so I don't get the nice base of coals that hardwood burners do, this may not be necessary for you.
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