Opinion on Soapstone

[Dakotas Dad]

I have definitely seen this soap REQUIRES a full load of smaller wood to perform at its best. It doesn't like a half load nor large splits. My highest temps are full loads of smaller splits and branches. That may be the case with all EPAs, I don't know.

This baffles the hell out of me as I have seen and used soapstone stoves with one or two splits and they still shoot off a nice load of heat.

It does seem strange how the experiences and performance can differ. During the day, we put 2-3 splits in, air full open, stove top stays about350-375 with the blower on med-low or so, house 69-70. Run that way all day, loading 2 or 3 times. Then about bed time fill her up, let it get fully involved, air down to 25-30%, I get up about 4-5 hours later and reload.. house stays above 68. usually in the low 70's. I hate it that you are running the same stove hotter, in nearly half as much house and it can't keep up.

 

[REF1]

To be honest, after installing the steel flue, buying a moisture meter and racking my brain over this since mid December I am wondering if something is internally blocking air flow and /or exhaust in the stove itself, like some big glob of stove cement. The dealer stated visible cement in the firebox would flake off. Not so. Still there. So, who knows. Friday afternoon, Monday morning stove. I don't know. Doesn't matter. Fusion is ordered. It will work better for this house in a number of ways, including the operator. If no one buys the Homestead I may put it out in the barn to office/music room renovation I did. No heat out there at present, save for ceramic heaters when I go out there. I need heat out there, so maybe I'll put the Homestead out there. I'd rather just sell it, though.

Right now the stove is doing pretty well on a 3/4 load. But it still takes a long time to heat the place up each day. And I rarely load it up myself during the day. I just throw splits on as needed to keep a fire going because the house will get too warm on a sunny day. Oddly enough, even when I do not see smoke exiting the stove, my wife immediately mentions she can smell it on the other side of the house in just seconds, so if it isn't smoke, volatile gases are spilling out and the whole thing is just dangerous.

 

[Slow1]

One thing that I learned from my first stove experience - didn't really realize it until time had passed - is that once you lose confidence in your stove it is likely going to be very hard for it to regain standing. I was in love with my first stove in the beginning. I was then disappointed (although didn't want to admit it for a while) with the performance. When I found hearth.com I started to realize that I was not alone in this disappointment and that there were happy folks with my stove who were willing to help me learn it. So I took the "I'm going to learn it" approach. I did learn it well enough, but the confidence was lost somewhere along the way. The wife was not at all happy (her confidence was shattered pretty early on and my learning curve didn't help). So replacing it was the right thing for our household. Really doesn't necessarily mean that stove was bad as such, although I don't think a stove should be that challenging to learn in any install.

My point here being that if you have lost confidence in your stove and tried as much as you are able, there is nothing wrong with replacing it - looking back you are likely to be happier and live a less stressful life. This of course goes more than double if the wife goes from unhappy to happy

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I have definitely seen this soap REQUIRES a full load of smaller wood to perform at its best. It doesn't like a half load nor large splits. My highest temps are full loads of smaller splits and branches. That may be the case with all EPAs, I don't know.

This baffles the hell out of me as I have seen and used soapstone stoves with one or two splits and they still shoot off a nice load of heat.

It does seem strange how the experiences and performance can differ. During the day, we put 2-3 splits in, air full open, stove top stays about350-375 with the blower on med-low or so, house 69-70. Run that way all day, loading 2 or 3 times. Then about bed time fill her up, let it get fully involved, air down to 25-30%, I get up about 4-5 hours later and reload.. house stays above 68. usually in the low 70's. I hate it that you are running the same stove hotter, in nearly half as much house and it can't keep up.

I have never seen any stove that would require the air full open and usually it is a terrible waste as most of the heat just goes up the chimney. Once the fire is established if you even cut the air to half you will realize much more heat from the stove.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

I have definitely seen this soap REQUIRES a full load of smaller wood to perform at its best. It doesn't like a half load nor large splits. My highest temps are full loads of smaller splits and branches. That may be the case with all EPAs, I don't know.

This baffles the hell out of me as I have seen and used soapstone stoves with one or two splits and they still shoot off a nice load of heat.

It does seem strange how the experiences and performance can differ. During the day, we put 2-3 splits in, air full open, stove top stays about350-375 with the blower on med-low or so, house 69-70. Run that way all day, loading 2 or 3 times. Then about bed time fill her up, let it get fully involved, air down to 25-30%, I get up about 4-5 hours later and reload.. house stays above 68. usually in the low 70's. I hate it that you are running the same stove hotter, in nearly half as much house and it can't keep up.

I have never seen any stove that would require the air full open and usually it is a terrible waste as most of the heat just goes up the chimney. Once the fire is established if you even cut the air to half you will realize much more heat from the stove.

I am sorry, but I do open the air fully, and then once those splits take well, I do lower the air to about 1/2. My point really wasn't about how I am burning my stove, but about the fact that he can't get/keep his house warm with the same stove and method that is doing fine for me, and the fact that it shows just how variable installations can be. As compared to the firebox size, when I throw 2-3 splits in there, it's about 20% full at most, and he said he couldn't get a good flame or heat without loading his to the gills.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dakota, no offense intended but when I saw the air fully open it set off warning lights. It seems that lately we have learned about more and more folks who leave the air fully open for hours or even through the entire burn which is totally wrong. Glad yours is working well and I have no doubts about the Homestead.

 

[REF1]

I can keep the house warm once it gets warm. It's getting it warm that is the issue. Right now the stove is cruising at half open, which is normal, and the house is pretty warm. But, it's also fairly decent outside, and it's 4:00, too.