We need some buying advice...

[leslimi]

Hi there,
We live in a two storey, 2000 sq ft, well insulated home in the country that has a propane furnace.
Last month we installed a Pacific Energy Summit on the lower level (not a basement) and found that it was too hot!! We then had an hvac guy install a new cold air return above and it really helped take the heat out of the lower level and distribute some to the upper level using the fan.
Now, here's the dilemma...
WE LOVE BURNING WITH WOOD, so we would like to shut off the furnace all together at night and get a second insert on the upper level.
The upper level has four large sliding glass doors so we get a fair bit of solar heat - even in the winter.
We like the Hearthstone large viewing area and wonder whether we should go for the Morgan or the Clydesdale. WE would like it for both heat and ambiance...
The concern we have is that we find the Pacific Energy quite fast to start-up and generate heat, but hear that Hearthstone is harder to get going and not as good for intermittent use.
So, we are trying to decide whether to get a smaller Pacific Energy or the Hearthstone Morgan/Clydesdale.
What do you think?

THANKS!

 

[leslimi]

We really like it!! It performs as expected and produces quite a bit of heat.
The only thing that I would change is a larger viewing window... Otherwise it exceeded our expectations.

 

[wg_bent]

We really like it!! It performs as expected and produces quite a bit of heat.
The only thing that I would change is a larger viewing window... Otherwise it exceeded our expectations.

Large viewing window you say?...That's a big reason why I bought an Osburn.

 

[Sandor]

I just started using a Woodstock Soapstone this year.

I can say, compared to 4 other steel/iron stoves I have used regualy before, the soapstone unit is a bit harder to start when COLD. And its easier to restart when warm. The soapstone takes almost two hours to start producing good heat, while the steel ones will be hot rather quickly, say about 40 minutes.

I don't think I would recommend a soapstone stove for casual use. For continual use, the soapstone wins hands down.

Obviously, this is just my opinion.