Mansfield or Leyden?

[jdinspector]

I’ve looked at reviews, searched threads and can’t really find a definitive answer about the Lopi Leyden wood stove or some specific information about the Mansfield.

A short story… I have been looking seriously at soapstone stoves and actually went to a dealer to make the purchase. I was going to purchase a Hearthstone Mansfield. I was a little disappointed about one thing that the Mansfield didn’t have. (more about that below) He had a Lopi Leyden operating and showed me some of the features. The two that stuck out were the long burn times and the 73,000 btu. This pretty closely matches the Mansfield. It’s a great looking stove and the price he had it at is over $1,000 cheaper than the Mansfield. So… I’m thinking about switching horses in mid-stream. However, I have my doubts that a 2.3 cubic foot firebox can produce 73K btu. (The Mansfield is 3.2 cf rated at 80,000 btu and the 2.3 cf Heritage is 55,000) I don’t really expect 12 hour burn times (although they would be nice), so I have discounted that pretty much. Heck, even 8 hours of burn with another 2 hours of hot stove temps would be fine.

Here are my questions.
1. Does the Leyden really provide 73,000 btu of real heat when needed?
2. The Mansfield that he had on the floor did NOT have side load. I could have sworn that I’ve seen a side loading Mansfield at another dealer. Is this an option? Was I looking at an old stove somewhere else or possibly not a Mansfield model? Was this dealer’s floor model an old stove (I didn’t look behind it at the data plate- it weights 475 lbs.!)

 

[yukiginger]

I don't think the Mansfield has ever been side loading. At least one of its predecessors was (the Hearthstone 1 or 2, etc.). I think one of the medium Hearthstones might be side loading (check their website).

Adding to your process here I would suggest you give some consideration to waiting for some ruling on what models if any will qualify for the new 30% tax credit for biomass stoves (discussed here on this site).

MarkG

 

[Highbeam]

The 3.2CF mansfield is more stove than a 2.3 CF Lopi will ever be, you're reqally comparing apples to oranges. Peak btu output is really pretty meaningless in actual life and the average output is far more important. Both stoves are non-cat and if anything, the HS will burn longer since it can hold more wood.

1) Who cares? Max output is meaningless.
2) Mansfield does not have side load. I love side load. The heritage has it and the larger equinox has it.

What size of house? What you should be doing is comparing a 3+ CF Lopi to the mansfield. I think the Lopi Freedom is bigger. If your heating needs put you into a mansfield size stove then a 2.3 CF Lopi will disappoint.

 

[wellbuilt home]

I don't think the Leyden will but out as much as the mansfield . I agree with high beam. I have the Equinox with the side load and i don't really use it much . The front door on the mansfield is plenty large . The leyden looked small to me . Biggers got to be better .

 

[jdinspector]

What size of house? What you should be doing is comparing a 3+ CF Lopi to the mansfield. I think the Lopi Freedom is bigger. If your heating needs put you into a mansfield size stove then a 2.3 CF Lopi will disappoint.

Thanks Highbeam, The house is about 2500 sf, but I'm not able to heat the whole thing because of the layout and stove location. I am, however, able to make a huge dent in the gas bill with my current stove. Nevertheless, I am going to upgrade for next year. Who knows, maybe I can heat the whole place with a larger and better stove?

I think you all give good advice on the 2.3 vs. 3.2 firebox size. I'm just concerned about the front load. I've been spoiled with top loading for 12 years now and front loading seems to be dirty. I guess with the option of N/S and E/W loading with the larger mansfield firebox, it might not be that big of a deal.

Along the same lines, I've read many threads about how the soapstones are able to store heat better. Somebody said (in jest) that they store heat in the broom closet and release it when it's needed. I like the idea of being able to store heat and not be so "peaky". What happens, does all of the furniture heat up along with walls, personal belongings, etc. and then just not take as long to heat up? Currently, I find that my kitchen counters (stone) that are about 30 feet from the stove are COLD in the morning. It takes all day to heat back up. Would the soapstone keep this up at a better temp 24/7 and keep the house warmer as a result?

 

[Highbeam]

The soapstone certainly takes much longer to cool down after the fire goes out. It slowly cools down from the max temps to 300 and then from 300 to room temp takes a long long time. During that 300 to 70 time frame is when you reload to maintain the constant heat output that is so pleasant. If you wait too long and the stove is at 70 then you are punished with a half hour of warm up time before significant heat output. The max temp is only about half of the max temp of an iron stove which makes the stove very comfortable to be around.

Once the stove gets hot then it acts like any other radiant stove and heats the surrounding furniture and people in a line-of-site fashion just like the sun would. The closer the object, the hotter it gets. Those hot objects then heat the air by convection.

Kitchen counters aren't likely to receive any of this radiant heat since they are horizontal and aren't being "shined" on by the stove. You'll need to depend on room air temp to heat those counters. All houses heated with wood are subject to heating and cooling cycles. If you are able to keep the stove burning 24/7 then you can seriously reduce the swings in air temps. I believe that the soapstone stays warmer longer so the stove is always putting out some heat which helps maintain house temps better than the hot/cold nature of an iron stove.

2500 is a pretty big home. Too big for any woodstock and too big for my heritage. The mansfield is rated for 1800-2500 SF so you will be at the top end of the ratings. The average output is just over 41000 btus which is about the same as the PE summit at 43,500 and the summit is rated for 2000-3000 SF so I think you will be OK with the mansfield. There are many owners of the mansfield on this forum that can help give you some confidence about the rated heating area.

You can majorly dent the utility bill with the mansfield.

 

[begreen]

jd, have you looked at the Quadrafire Isle Royale? It's a nicely made cast iron stove. Good looking, top loading and 3 cu ft capacity.

 

[struggle]

JD you will not regret the Mansfield. One can never have to much stove.

I am on my third year with mine and looked closely at the Lopi but am so glad I went with the Mansfield.

 

[jdinspector]

jd, have you looked at the Quadrafire Isle Royale? It's a nicely made cast iron stove. Good looking, top loading and 3 cu ft capacity.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies. The explanation of radiant and convective heat makes perfect sense. I understand the two concepts, but didn't take into account the convective heating of the previously radiant heated contents of my house (people, furniture, etc.) Thanks for clearing that up.

As for the Isle Royale... I saw one of these at a stove shop about 6 months ago. Nice looking stove. The top loading is really nice. The salesperson was speaking highly of them. But, I didn't like the "flip" up burner tubes. They remind me of the flip up bypass damper on my VC Resolute. I've had a few problems with the damper- none huge, but they do require me to let the stove cool, adjust, and hope for the best. Along with the other parts that my stove seems to wear out, it is another nuisance that I'm not willing to deal with. I've decided that the less moving parts the better. Particularly, on an appliance that runs the range of 70 degrees to 800 degrees. The reviews of the Isle Royale are decent. However, I think the K.I.S.S. of the soapstones is best for me.

I know, I know, I originally asked about the Leyden, which also has a bypass damper. I guess I was really most curious about the ability to produce 70,000 BTU out of a medium sized stove. That was answered. I guess in stoves, there is no substiture for the ability to put lots of wood in the firebox. It would be nice for some sort of real world stove spec. comparisons so that all is "apples to apples" comparisons.

 

[begreen]

Can't argue with k.i.s.s. That's why I have stuck with Jotul and now the Alderlea.

 

[pumiglk]

I have a 2500 sq foot home +/- with a pretty open floor plan and pretty good insulation. It has high ceilings (10 ft) in main living area and a few other places as well as lots of windows. I was looking at the Mansfield and the quad isle royal. I had the same issues with the quad - cool concept, wasn't sure if I wanted to think that much or have hot pieces of metal flipping around. Also knew it was going to be very close to main sitting area and I thought soapstone might soften the intensity. Was pretty set on the Mansfield, however, In the end I opted for the equinox. At the time it was only a few hundred more than the mansfield and it seemed better to have too much stove than too little - at least given that I was on the upper end of the mansfields range. The EQ also has the side load which I prefer (less ashes). It is a beast and I never want to move it but it burns sweet and it heats the whole house (Furnace has not come on except when away for a few days) even on the coldest nights (-15 or so a few times). Load at 10 pm, reload at between 6 and 7 am routinely.Warmer weather - less fires. Soapstone stove top can be 500 and you can still sit 4 ft from it comfortably. It burns through some wood but for the winter as a sole source I will probably be through 5.5 cords through the end of this month- mid april (about4.5 used now) burning since Oct. Not sure where your from but if it is a cold weather locale this might be another option.