Weight on top of Jotul Castine

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I have some extra soapstone tiles that I am going to arrange on top of our stove. I have read many of the opinions on whether or not this has any effect, and am going to give it a try myself. I have weighed the tiles and found that it will add 110 pounds to the top of the stove. The weight will be evenly distributed across the cook top. I can't find anything in the manual that states there is a limit on weight on the stove top. Here is my question: does anyone think this is too much weight for the stove top? The stove sits on a concrete slab at ground level so overall weight is not a concern. My stove dealer's knee jerk reaction was that it should be no problem, and I feel the same way.

Thoughts?

 

[xman23]

I stand on my Oslo fro time to time. So a 100 LBS would't be an issue. What I would be concerned with is damaging the stoves finish with the stone on it heating and cooling. It may not work as well as you think. It may just hold the heat in the fire box.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I stand on my Oslo fro time to time. So a 100 LBS would't be an issue. What I would be concerned with is damaging the stoves finish with the stone on it heating and cooling. It may not work as well as you think. It may just hold the heat in the fire box.

Thanks for the feedback.

After reading how others approach it, it seems like the best way to do it is to leave air channels between the tiles so the stone doesn't act like so much an insulator but more like radiator fins. The tiles I'm using are more like brick sized pavers so I can create space between them rather than a single slab, directly in contact with the entire top plate.

 

[webby3650]

Thanks for the feedback.

After reading how others approach it, it seems like the best way to do it is to leave air channels between the tiles so the stone doesn't act like so much an insulator but more like radiator fins. The tiles I'm using are more like brick sized pavers so I can create space between them rather than a single slab, directly in contact with the entire top plate.

The stone itself is an insulator though. All the stone will do is prevent heat from escaping from the stove.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

The stone itself is an insulator though. All the stone will do is prevent heat from escaping from the stove.

I understand how this may be the case if the entire top had one huge slab sitting flat across it. What I'm proposing doing is more of a crosshatching with air between each brick. The idea would be similar to how the bricks are arranged on the inside of Tulikivi Stoves.

As I understand it, the net heat output of the stove is the same but instead of it all being thrown out quickly, the stone mass absorbs some and becomes more of a low temp radiator for longer.

 

[firefighterjake]

My Oslo is pretty much set up in the way you describe it . . . big slab of soapstone on top with a few slate pieces to allow the stove to "breathe" so to speak.

I've noticed zero difference in heat retention.

My conclusion: the only way to truly get soapstone stove like performance is to have a soapstone stove since a single slab of soapstone just doesn't have the mass.

That said the soapstone looks nice and my wife likes the idea that it may not be so hot in case one of our cats decides to jump on the stove . . . so I keep the slab there.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

My Oslo is pretty much set up in the way you describe it . . . big slab of soapstone on top with a few slate pieces to allow the stove to "breathe" so to speak.

I've noticed zero difference in heat retention.

My conclusion: the only way to truly get soapstone stove like performance is to have a soapstone stove since a single slab of soapstone just doesn't have the mass.

That said the soapstone looks nice and my wife likes the idea that it may not be so hot in case one of our cats decides to jump on the stove . . . so I keep the slab there.

That is pretty much the result I'm expecting.

We live less than ten minutes from one of the biggest soapstone quarries in the country. The stuff is so plentiful that I just can't pass up the opportunity to do yet another project with it. My whole hearth is built from it and the heat retention with that is fantastic. I'm assuming another 110 pounds of it can't hurt.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

My Oslo is pretty much set up in the way you describe it . . . big slab of soapstone on top with a few slate pieces to allow the stove to "breathe" so to speak.

I've noticed zero difference in heat retention.

My conclusion: the only way to truly get soapstone stove like performance is to have a soapstone stove since a single slab of soapstone just doesn't have the mass.

That said the soapstone looks nice and my wife likes the idea that it may not be so hot in case one of our cats decides to jump on the stove . . . so I keep the slab there.

Also, what would you estimate the weight of your soapstone slab to be?

 

[Simonkenton]

You will add some mass to the stove. The stone will absorb heat, and slowly give it out. The weight will be no problem.
Give it a try!

 

[firefighterjake]

Also, what would you estimate the weight of your soapstone slab to be?

I'm pretty bad at estimating weights . . . in my mind I only weight 160, but my wife says I am off . . . by a lot.

I would take a wild guess and say maybe 25-30 pounds on the stone. It's the size of the top of the Oslo, about 1 inch thick.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I'm pretty bad at estimating weights . . . in my mind I only weight 160, but my wife says I am off . . . by a lot.

I would take a wild guess and say maybe 25-30 pounds on the stone. It's the size of the top of the Oslo, about 1 inch thick.

Got it. I'll give an update here after I use the stove a couple of times. I ended up using 12 eight pounds blocks, each measuring about 12x5x2 inches. I built an alternating crisscross pattern, much like with a firewood stack. It ended up being four levels high, with room in between each brick for air.

Pictures to come.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Here it is. All said and done, I figure about 110 pounds of total mass added to the stove.

 

[begreen]

The heat will still be in the house. It may be a little less dramatically reactive, being slower to warm up, but then releasing heat as the fire dies down. When we had the Castine, temp swings in the house due to the burn cycle were notable so I will be curious to see how this works out for you. Keep us posted.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

The heat will still be in the house. It may be a little less dramatically reactive, being slower to warm up, but then releasing heat as the fire dies down. When we had the Castine, temp swings in the house due to the burn cycle were notable so I will be curious to see how this works out for you. Keep us posted.

That's one of the big reasons why I am trying this. The temperature swings we get are very extreme as well. I'm trying to even it out a bit.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Result:

I burned the stove last night for the first time this year. I found that it took longer to heat the house and consumed more wood to get the house up to temperature (3 loads instead of 1). Yes, the stone retained a lot of heat but it wasn't really hot enough to be useable heat. I ended up with a cooler house and warm soapstone tiles.

Also, those who suggested the added stone would insulate the firebox were absolutely correct. I observed that I could barely get near the stove because the sides and front were pumping out so much more heat than normal. My theory is that, since it couldn't escape as well through the top plate, it had to either go up the pipe or be radiated to a higher degree out other parts of the stove.

I took all the tile off and am back to the normal set up.

 

[webby3650]

Result:

I burned the stove last night for the first time this year. I found that it took longer to heat the house and consumed more wood to get the house up to temperature (3 loads instead of 1). Yes, the stone retained a lot of heat but it wasn't really hot enough to be useable heat. I ended up with a cooler house and warm soapstone tiles.

Also, those who suggested the added stone would insulate the firebox were absolutely correct. I observed that I could barely get near the stove because the sides and front were pumping out so much more heat than normal. My theory is that, since it couldn't escape as well through the top plate, it had to either go up the pipe or be radiated to a higher degree out other parts of the stove.

I took all the tile off and am back to the normal set up.