snowleopard said:
:lol:
Helpful, funny, and clever--hard to beat.
I'd say that you have too much time on your hands, but I don't want to be struck by lightening.
Replace Hearthstone Mansfield with Jotul F600
- Thread starter MF1529
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
:lol:
Helpful, funny, and clever--hard to beat.
I'd say that you have too much time on your hands, but I don't want to be struck by lightening.
For me, the visible flame display varies greatly but the heat output is consistent. At times, my secondaries when fully damped are ridiculous - rolling bowels of hell coming down the glass. Other times my secondaries are wispy blue flames that don't look very impressive. It doesn't seem to matter what they look like, though, if the wood is seasoned heat output is good.
johnstra said:
Funny how similar our (and Shawneyboy's) stove behave. Same here - sometimes unbelievable secondaries rolling 2/3 of the way down the glass, sometimes nice rolling secondaries on top of the load.
Anywho (for Curious George):
1) the OP seems to have is primary opened quite a bit normally.
2) As the initial load catches, I make sure the whole load is in flame - not just the front of the splits (I burn N/S mainly), but all along the top surface of the load. At that point, I begin the ~ 4 step down primary air adjustments. As state above, the final secondary show is variable - sometimes intense (usually I'd say) and sometimes less intense - but as johnstra stated, final stove top temp is usually consistent. Cheers!
Is the OP still around?
MF1529 said:
You have other issues than a stove issue if you cant heat a 1700 sq' house with the Mansfield... My home is 3300 sq' and it heats it just fine with a few of the back rooms cooler than I would like. Yes, I have gas heat that might kick on in the mornings, but that is it. Sorry you are not enjoying the Mansfield.
Hey everybody I had been away for a few days. Maybe I explained my initial problem ineffectively, but I'm not really having any problems heating my house with the stove. It is a 1700 sgft log home. I was having a problem with how I had to burn the stove to get it to heat the house. I also do have a pipe damper that I added for extra control since my draft is so strong.
Since my last posts I have been using drier wood(still not dry enough) and trying the burning methods suggested by other members. I now fill the fire box, keep the primary wide open, let the fire get burning very strong, and then gradually close the primary, until it's almost closed or fully close. Today I was able to have the stove top temp at or slightly above 500 degrees using elm, maple, and birch. I am happy with this as I have not been able to get those temps with the primary shut before. I think this has to do with drier wood and also using the burning techniques suggested by other members in this post. Now I still don't think I will see high temps until I can ensure I have properly seasoned wood. I recently ordered a moisture meter and I am awaiting its arrival to basically confirm that my wood is not properly seasoned.
I also found some good info on this site -- (broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/library.htm) Much like this site there was a lot of valuable information. One point I read that made a lot of sense how much wet wood can effect the heat output of a stove. I know this is obvious from what everyone has written to me here. What he mentioned that I never thought about was wet wood causes steam, this steam then rises and extinguishes the secondary burn that should be occurring thus preventing max temps. It all comes back to my poor wood. I stacked it in the spring but I stacked it tight and three rows deep. It is my fault and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to provided information that got me to the real issue. I'm looking forward to preparing properly and really working the stove. Thanks again everbody. You all saved me from making a mistake.
Since my last posts I have been using drier wood(still not dry enough) and trying the burning methods suggested by other members. I now fill the fire box, keep the primary wide open, let the fire get burning very strong, and then gradually close the primary, until it's almost closed or fully close. Today I was able to have the stove top temp at or slightly above 500 degrees using elm, maple, and birch. I am happy with this as I have not been able to get those temps with the primary shut before. I think this has to do with drier wood and also using the burning techniques suggested by other members in this post. Now I still don't think I will see high temps until I can ensure I have properly seasoned wood. I recently ordered a moisture meter and I am awaiting its arrival to basically confirm that my wood is not properly seasoned.
I also found some good info on this site -- (broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/library.htm) Much like this site there was a lot of valuable information. One point I read that made a lot of sense how much wet wood can effect the heat output of a stove. I know this is obvious from what everyone has written to me here. What he mentioned that I never thought about was wet wood causes steam, this steam then rises and extinguishes the secondary burn that should be occurring thus preventing max temps. It all comes back to my poor wood. I stacked it in the spring but I stacked it tight and three rows deep. It is my fault and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to provided information that got me to the real issue. I'm looking forward to preparing properly and really working the stove. Thanks again everbody. You all saved me from making a mistake.
I'm with NH, what is the layout of your house? Great room w/vaulted ceiling...how high or low? What's the measurements of the stove's room? Basement?
Also, is all of your firewood covered(not with a tarp, but a roof)?
I ran a Heritage in a 20x28 great room with a 22' vaulted ceiling on a log home. We usually had to crack a window to keep from sweating unless it was down below the teens.
Right now I am running my big Mansfield predcessor the Hearthstone I, my wood was uncovered and laying in a big pile since late summer. It's a mix of white oak, red oak & shagbark hickory, so I am guessing a pretty high moisture content. The surface temp is 571 center of the stove's top. This wood does make a lot of coals, I just deal with it...put on the long welding gloves, rake & shovel them out every couple of days while they are still hot as Hades.
Also, is all of your firewood covered(not with a tarp, but a roof)?
I ran a Heritage in a 20x28 great room with a 22' vaulted ceiling on a log home. We usually had to crack a window to keep from sweating unless it was down below the teens.
Right now I am running my big Mansfield predcessor the Hearthstone I, my wood was uncovered and laying in a big pile since late summer. It's a mix of white oak, red oak & shagbark hickory, so I am guessing a pretty high moisture content. The surface temp is 571 center of the stove's top. This wood does make a lot of coals, I just deal with it...put on the long welding gloves, rake & shovel them out every couple of days while they are still hot as Hades.
Looks like you've found your problem. When you are able to finally have a full supply of well seasoned wood, you'll have even hotter temps. You are not alone in having issues with poor wood - it is one of the major issues we see on this forum. Try to get 2 or 3 years ahead on your wood supply - painful at first, but then not bad to manage - you only need replace what was burned during the winter. In addition, all concerns about your wood quality will be gone - you'll love managing your stove with well seasoned wood. Glad you figured this out before going through the hassle and cost of switching out the stoves. Sorry for the folks that were looking forward to your 'Mansfield for sale' post ;-) ! Best wishes! Cheers!
Rich L said:
Two and a half bags in? Is this a typo? I cant imagine spending $20 to load the stove once.
snowleopard said:
Maybe some of that Poplar is over seasoned. I let mine sit for a year and it was well below 20%. Its not quite what Id consider a hardwood so shouldnt take more than a year to season if split and stacked. We burn it pretty often in the shoulders.
- Status
Similar threads
