Got my stove Hearthstone Homestead installed on Thursday. Woo Hoo! Now that I have run it for a weekend, I was hoping to get some advice to better my situation. This is my first stove.
MY SETUP:
Soapstone stove venting out of a brick centrally-located chimney on the first floor. Non-cat, 2.0 cu. Ft. firebox. Passed town inspection. Everything seems put together properly.
Two-story, 5 room home. ~1,600 square feet. All 8 ½ foot ceilings except one upstairs bedroom (11 ft. cathedral with a ceiling fan). I plan to get a ceiling fan installed over Christmas.
Unfinished, uninsulated basement.
INSULATION:
Ceiling: R-38 Fiberglass
Walls: Whole house wrapped in 3/8" blue board under vinyl siding (R-2 if I'm lucky), then ~70% of walls are filled with either cellulose or vermiculite(R-13 and R- 8 respectively) . . . the other 30% have neither . . . I'm in the slow process of trying to get some cellulose in that 30%.
Windows: Nearly all are double hung with either 2 glass panes or a glass pane and a glass storm. Two are single pane, French doors are double pane gas filled.
WOOD:
I'm using mixed woods most seasoned 1-2 years. Since I scrounge wood, I take what I can get, but most are oak, willow, maple . . . . and some 80 year old pine that I salvaged from tearing down 2 walls.
PROCESS:
After 3 break-in fires, I started experimenting. Tried to burn 24 hours Sat & Sun.
SATURDAY, when I shut the gas heat off, the house was between 65-67 degrees depending on where in the house you were. I got the stove to peak at 525 degrees in the morning. Most of the day it ran between 350-450. I was home and able to monitor. The living room was mostly in the 80s with the adjacent hallway 70 and the other 2 ground floor rooms at 66-67. Upstairs was 65-66.
Used 2 floor fans in 2 rooms. First blows air into second room. Second blows air into room with stove, but not at the stove.
Outside temp was 25 F, but wind gusted at 30 mph.
I consider this pretty good.
Overnight, stuffed firebox, damped down all way.
SUNDAY, woke up with stovetop at 90 F, and good coals inside, but no wood. Cleaned out the ash pan and put it back properly.
Living room temp 60, Kitchen 52, Dining 54, Upstairs 54 (I know the kitchen insulation is bad and am trying to fix it)
Couldn't get the stovetop above 450 F. Although the living room temp reached 78 ish, all the other rooms only warmed by 2-3 degrees.
Outside temp was 23 F, but no wind.
Tried with and without fans.
MONDAY morning, stovetop was 130 F. Similar situation.
I know I can do better than this . . . . What can I do better?
Many thanks.
MY SETUP:
Soapstone stove venting out of a brick centrally-located chimney on the first floor. Non-cat, 2.0 cu. Ft. firebox. Passed town inspection. Everything seems put together properly.
Two-story, 5 room home. ~1,600 square feet. All 8 ½ foot ceilings except one upstairs bedroom (11 ft. cathedral with a ceiling fan). I plan to get a ceiling fan installed over Christmas.
Unfinished, uninsulated basement.
INSULATION:
Ceiling: R-38 Fiberglass
Walls: Whole house wrapped in 3/8" blue board under vinyl siding (R-2 if I'm lucky), then ~70% of walls are filled with either cellulose or vermiculite(R-13 and R- 8 respectively) . . . the other 30% have neither . . . I'm in the slow process of trying to get some cellulose in that 30%.
Windows: Nearly all are double hung with either 2 glass panes or a glass pane and a glass storm. Two are single pane, French doors are double pane gas filled.
WOOD:
I'm using mixed woods most seasoned 1-2 years. Since I scrounge wood, I take what I can get, but most are oak, willow, maple . . . . and some 80 year old pine that I salvaged from tearing down 2 walls.
PROCESS:
After 3 break-in fires, I started experimenting. Tried to burn 24 hours Sat & Sun.
SATURDAY, when I shut the gas heat off, the house was between 65-67 degrees depending on where in the house you were. I got the stove to peak at 525 degrees in the morning. Most of the day it ran between 350-450. I was home and able to monitor. The living room was mostly in the 80s with the adjacent hallway 70 and the other 2 ground floor rooms at 66-67. Upstairs was 65-66.
Used 2 floor fans in 2 rooms. First blows air into second room. Second blows air into room with stove, but not at the stove.
Outside temp was 25 F, but wind gusted at 30 mph.
I consider this pretty good.
Overnight, stuffed firebox, damped down all way.
SUNDAY, woke up with stovetop at 90 F, and good coals inside, but no wood. Cleaned out the ash pan and put it back properly.
Living room temp 60, Kitchen 52, Dining 54, Upstairs 54 (I know the kitchen insulation is bad and am trying to fix it)
Couldn't get the stovetop above 450 F. Although the living room temp reached 78 ish, all the other rooms only warmed by 2-3 degrees.
Outside temp was 23 F, but no wind.
Tried with and without fans.
MONDAY morning, stovetop was 130 F. Similar situation.
I know I can do better than this . . . . What can I do better?
Many thanks.
