I am curious if there are any other RSF Topaz owners on the forums these days. If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on the fireplace.
I moved last October into a log home in the Lakes Region of NH (over near Sunapee and Mount Kearsarge) and it came with the Topaz. I was a bit skeptical when the previous owner claimed to heat the home exclusively with it, but I heated the entire first and second floor (about 1800sqft) with this tiny little fireplace that seems more like a wood stove. Mine has the blower kit.
It may not technically yield “overnight burns,” but they were close enough for me. On -18dF nights with even lower wind chills I never once needed to stoke it in the middle of the night. Usually enough coals the next morning to easily start the next fire.
The biggest shock to me coming off using a cat stove was how incredibly easy it was to operate and how much heat and reasonably long burn times we got from the wood even in a supposedly less efficient design (it does have a secondary burn system). Dealing with less than ideal wood was soooo much easier, and there was almost nothing to sweep at the end of the season, so it burned very cleanly.
Being able to slide the door inside and leave it wide open is a surprisingly fun option, though most of the time I left it sealed closed for efficiency.
Looking forward to firing the Topaz up again soon.
I moved last October into a log home in the Lakes Region of NH (over near Sunapee and Mount Kearsarge) and it came with the Topaz. I was a bit skeptical when the previous owner claimed to heat the home exclusively with it, but I heated the entire first and second floor (about 1800sqft) with this tiny little fireplace that seems more like a wood stove. Mine has the blower kit.
It may not technically yield “overnight burns,” but they were close enough for me. On -18dF nights with even lower wind chills I never once needed to stoke it in the middle of the night. Usually enough coals the next morning to easily start the next fire.
The biggest shock to me coming off using a cat stove was how incredibly easy it was to operate and how much heat and reasonably long burn times we got from the wood even in a supposedly less efficient design (it does have a secondary burn system). Dealing with less than ideal wood was soooo much easier, and there was almost nothing to sweep at the end of the season, so it burned very cleanly.
Being able to slide the door inside and leave it wide open is a surprisingly fun option, though most of the time I left it sealed closed for efficiency.
Looking forward to firing the Topaz up again soon.
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