Looking to hear other people's experiences with the Pleasant Hearth woodstove rated for 2200 square feet. Model LWS-130291. $900 at Home Depot.
I've been heating 100% with firewood for 40 years. Mostly in central NY but I'm now in northern Michigan. The climate seems similar. 8 months of wood burning, more-or-less. More very-low temps in NY (30 below) and more steady cold here in MI. In NY - I heated a very large old farmhouse with two wood-burners. One was a Meyers Woodchuck wood-furnace (largest model they sell). Forced air. That got used when temps were very cold and steady. For off-and-on cold or more moderate temps we heated with a Hearthstone Mansfield woodstove. I have never been greatly impressed with the Mansfield. Pretty stove but tough to get a good fire going in and firebox is small. Might be all that can be expected from an EPA burner though. I grew up with "old school" stoves that burned a lot hotter and easier. I've heated my barn for 30 years with an old Thermocontrol stove and it's like a blast furnace. Largest the made in the late 70s and it's been great athough it's burned out the steel baffle a few times.
Here's my present situation. In an old farm house now and fire has been going going for two weeks steady. Lopi Answer stove. Works pretty well for now. In December we will be taking over another house. Much larger - maybe 2500 square feet. Super insulated and only 15 years old. That being said we lived there last winter and heated only with propane (we weren't paying the bill). It cost a fortune to heat that place. Probably near $3000. HF 90% efficient propane hot-water furnace. This year we are in charge of heat and I'm installing wood burners. I already put in a Hot Blast hot-air furnace (wood burner) for the extreme cold temps. I need something though for times when temps are more moderate. Plus I have no idea how well this house is going to heat with wood.
Now to my main question. I still have my Hearthstone Mansfield (in storage). I'm debating whether to install it in this house we'll be in - or buy a new Pleasant Hearth 2200 SF rated unit. The Pleasant Hearth has a larger fire-box and its EPA ratings are similar to the Mansfield. On paper - it looks as though the Pleasant Hearth will put out more heat and hold more wood. But I hate the idea of finding out "the hard way" if it does not. These stoves are not in stock and I won't even get to actually see one unless I order it.
Pleasant Hearth model LWS-130291 EPA rated 37.5K BTUs and 63% EF. Firebox 20"H X 23.75" W X 27.5" D. Home Depot rates the max heat output at 77K BTUs. Rated to heat up to 2200 square feet.
Hearthstone Mansfield EPA rated 29K BTUs and 63% EF. Firebox 16" H X 20" W X 20" D. Note that the Hearthsone company rates it at a max of 80K BTUs and up to 2500 square feet.
On paper - I can't tell if there's really much of a difference when it comes to heating.
I've been heating 100% with firewood for 40 years. Mostly in central NY but I'm now in northern Michigan. The climate seems similar. 8 months of wood burning, more-or-less. More very-low temps in NY (30 below) and more steady cold here in MI. In NY - I heated a very large old farmhouse with two wood-burners. One was a Meyers Woodchuck wood-furnace (largest model they sell). Forced air. That got used when temps were very cold and steady. For off-and-on cold or more moderate temps we heated with a Hearthstone Mansfield woodstove. I have never been greatly impressed with the Mansfield. Pretty stove but tough to get a good fire going in and firebox is small. Might be all that can be expected from an EPA burner though. I grew up with "old school" stoves that burned a lot hotter and easier. I've heated my barn for 30 years with an old Thermocontrol stove and it's like a blast furnace. Largest the made in the late 70s and it's been great athough it's burned out the steel baffle a few times.
Here's my present situation. In an old farm house now and fire has been going going for two weeks steady. Lopi Answer stove. Works pretty well for now. In December we will be taking over another house. Much larger - maybe 2500 square feet. Super insulated and only 15 years old. That being said we lived there last winter and heated only with propane (we weren't paying the bill). It cost a fortune to heat that place. Probably near $3000. HF 90% efficient propane hot-water furnace. This year we are in charge of heat and I'm installing wood burners. I already put in a Hot Blast hot-air furnace (wood burner) for the extreme cold temps. I need something though for times when temps are more moderate. Plus I have no idea how well this house is going to heat with wood.
Now to my main question. I still have my Hearthstone Mansfield (in storage). I'm debating whether to install it in this house we'll be in - or buy a new Pleasant Hearth 2200 SF rated unit. The Pleasant Hearth has a larger fire-box and its EPA ratings are similar to the Mansfield. On paper - it looks as though the Pleasant Hearth will put out more heat and hold more wood. But I hate the idea of finding out "the hard way" if it does not. These stoves are not in stock and I won't even get to actually see one unless I order it.
Pleasant Hearth model LWS-130291 EPA rated 37.5K BTUs and 63% EF. Firebox 20"H X 23.75" W X 27.5" D. Home Depot rates the max heat output at 77K BTUs. Rated to heat up to 2200 square feet.
Hearthstone Mansfield EPA rated 29K BTUs and 63% EF. Firebox 16" H X 20" W X 20" D. Note that the Hearthsone company rates it at a max of 80K BTUs and up to 2500 square feet.
On paper - I can't tell if there's really much of a difference when it comes to heating.
