Manual: Not a Primary Heat Source

[benthosMT]

Hey everyone,

I'm strongly considering a Hearthstone Shelburne. Page four of the User's Manual says, "Your Shelburne 8372 woodstove burns very efficiently, and produces a large amount of heat. However, you should not consider your Shelburne 8372 the primary heat source for your home. The Shelburne 8372’s large glass window allows you to enjoy the fire from a variety of locations in the room." All the Hearthstones seem to have this language.

Why would they write that it shouldn't be considered a primary heat source? Does it have something to do with the "large glass window?"

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Sounds like lawyers put their 2¢ into that line, then marketing followed with a sweetener. If nothing else, it gives them a way out for some warranty claims, though a dumb one considering it's also in the big Mansfield manual. With that caveat, maybe consider a lower maintenance stove that is fine to burn 24/7.

 

[benthosMT]

Sounds like lawyers put their 2¢ into that line, then marketing followed with a sweetener. If nothing else, it gives them a way out for some warranty claims, though a dumb one considering it's also in the big Mansfield manual. With that caveat, maybe consider a lower maintenance stove that is fine to burn 24/7.

Thanks. That makes sense.

I have a constant fire going from November to April. I thought this stove would be fine for that. What makes you feel like it wouldn't?

 

[begreen]

Note that I said there are lower maintenance options, not that it wouldn't work. The design is not great since the cat was added. Internally, it shares this design with the Green Mountain 60. With the cat sitting under the flue outlet, a lot of heat is lost up the flue. Additionally there are comments of the cat needing frequent cleaning to keep it free of ash. And there are reports of the bypass gasket frequently falling off. It's a beautiful looking stove, one of the nicest. That said, my bias is toward a stove that looks good and is also low maintenance, especially if burning 24/7 for 5 months.

 

[benthosMT]

Right on. I've been reading these forums for two months now and really thought I had this figured out. My bias too is for a stove that looks good, and I like the red and green ceramic options I'm seeing. Not wild about the ubiquitous brown ceramic.

• The Vermont Casting Encore and Defiant are gorgeous, but the stove shop guy said that having the cat on the bottom leads to weird draft and fire-quality issues, and they run more expensive.
• I like the Alderlea, but it doesn't get the tax credit and isn't as efficient. (I'd like to reduce my pollution output and wood consumption.) Also, spendy.
• I was hip on the Jotul Oslo F500, but folks said they burned hot and the cat needed frequent cleaning. (No red or green option, I know.)
• BK Ashford and Lopi Rockport seem like great units, but all other things being equal, I like the look of the Hearthstone for the aesthetics. The Ashford is more expensive.

Which of these, or other comparable units, has the best engineering (meaning, is durable and low maintenance), in anyone's experience? Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

In real world useage, the difference of a few percent efficiency is not going to be greatly noticeable. The Alderlea T5 is slightly less efficient and thus not making the arbitrary tax cut off, but amongst those mentioned, it's the lowest maintenance and lowest operational cost over time. VC stoves are good looking and the cat versions are decent heaters, but they are complex and often need a rebuild in 5-10 yrs. The BK Asford and Lopi Rockport are good choices for a cat or cat hybrid. Figure on a cat replacement every 3-5 yrs depending on the amount of hours on the cat. The BK has the advantage of thermostatic output and a time-proven design.