I am intereseted in these stoves and living in Maine i can ride down and pick 1 up.The loading door looks quite low and small.Does anyone have any info on the stoves? Thanks
Woodstock soapstone wood stove seemingly small loading door.
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Some of the side doors are a bit small, but adequate. The front doors are plenty large though. Great stoves, IMO. I've installed a few and am always impressed. Good customer service too!
the door gives you the same feeling as road rage,other than that its a good stove...if your house is large,you might want to consider a different stove.
I have no idea about the size of a Woodstock side loading door however the small side loading door was the biggest complaint I had about my old Dutchwest. It was so frustrating at times trying to get that last big split in and if you don't believe me just ask my wife she could tell you a few stories.
In a small home you should do fine with their Keystone or Palladian stove. You won't be loading 10" splits, but that size fuel isn't appropriate for this size house.
We burn a Keystone, SIL burns a Fireview. You can load 'em easily enough. I've got a 10" long log to sit on when I load the stove...
It hasn't for me. I ran a Dutchwest with both front and side doors. The front door was nice for cold starts, but if you open it with a fire in there, it's like a blast furnace.Bub381 said:
If you're new to wood heat, you have a lot of research to do. There are pluses and minuses with any stove you may choose. Weigh them carefully.
I know what ya mean and believe me i have,it's drivin me nuts.lol
Not new to wood burning but as far as some of these new stoves and their options i am. What are your pluses and minuses of the Woodstock. I like the fireview but no ash pan.
Not new to wood burning but as far as some of these new stoves and their options i am. What are your pluses and minuses of the Woodstock. I like the fireview but no ash pan.
You can go with a top-loader...Bub381 said:
I'm burning a Keystone as I said, but only for a month. I'm just learning to run the stove and the weather hasn't been cold, so I don't know how much heat it will toss into this drafty house with uninsulated walls. I got another combustor stove because I figured that as long as I have an extra combustor and gaskets on hand, I should be good to go. Not much else to go wrong, it doesn't seem. But there are a lot of seams on those stoves. Every piece of stone needs a gasket or cement, and those seams will eventually start to leak air. With a plate steel stove there are fewer seams and those are welded. You can get a stove with a plate steel box and a cast shell to combine durability and looks. Then there's radiant vs. convective heat. Before I burn up any more bandwidth with my ramblings, I'll say that the soapstones like Woodstock or Hearthstone are certainly pretty, and it's kinda cool having a stove made of rock. The Keystone has huge glass. The fire speaks, saying "Gaze into my eyes, and become one with me." Reburn tube stoves aren't the only ones with mesmerizing light shows. You can easily see the combustor, which I like. Both of my stoves have ash pans, but many people get by fine without one. This stove seems solidly built from quality materials and I expect it to be quite durable. The heat-even quality of the stone is good for this time of year, when we're only burning one fire a day; We don't care now weather it's a little slow to start throwing heat because the house isn't really that cold, and when the fire burns out the stone keeps giving off heat.Bub381 said:
Your decision will also be based on the layout of the space to be heated, how well it's sealed and insulated, how long the stove must be able to burn to give you easy reloads with a good coal bed, and so on.
I found out late about last year's tax credit, and I wanted to buy a stove to take advantage of it. I didn't have time to learn all I would have liked to about everything that's out there. Seeing as we're nearing the end of the heating season, it would seem that you have plenty of time to research things in depth before taking the plunge. I don't know how long you've been at hearth.com, but there's a lot of good info here which can help you decide. The announcement link at the top of the page, "Please read and understand before posting "Which stove should I buy" questions
!" has a message from Craig, and he's got some valuable links posted in his signature. You can use the search engine here to find lots of good info; Chances are that a lot of your potential questions have been asked and discussed here at one time or another. The stove reviews have lots of good hands-on info. If you had the time to read them all, you might even find some stoves that you didn't know about that would be a good fit. Take your time, learn as much as you can, and if you can't find the answers you need, don't hesitate to ask. There are lots of good folks here with a wealth of experience who would be happy to help shed some light. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
I have been through these posts as far as page 5 and read anything and everything that i thought would help.I had some time to think last night and may hold onto the Vigilant and save the money for insulatingI'll keep reading and check into what Craig has posted.I have read some of his posts, thanks again. I drove out to Hutsonville Ill to pick up a few hounds 3 yrs back. I notice you were from Southern IN.
While I'm a great admirer of Woodstock's stoves, I ended up with a Hearthstone Heritage, and am really happy with it. One of the things I like is having two loading doors. The side one is decent, the front one is terrific. The stoves are designed to be filled up, burned down, and then reloaded, so I don't tend to open mine much when the fire is roaring--so the blast furnace effect isn't really an issue for me. The big glass door provides for a great view of the fire.
As far as the ash pan is concerned, I have one but I don't use it. It's a lot more convenient to just open the front door, scoop ashes with a dustpan, and dump them into a container (I use a turkey roasting pan). I poke the pan about halfway into the stove and dump the ashes, so anything airborne goes neatly up the stack. Cleanest, quickest way to manage ash removal that I've found.
As a reminder, if you're at this point in the decision-making process, it would be wise to start getting firewood seasoning. I'd aim for cutting at 16", since almost all mid-size stoves are going to accept that. It might be short, but I can promise you that you'll be happier with short, seasoned wood than with green wood that's the perfect length.
As far as the ash pan is concerned, I have one but I don't use it. It's a lot more convenient to just open the front door, scoop ashes with a dustpan, and dump them into a container (I use a turkey roasting pan). I poke the pan about halfway into the stove and dump the ashes, so anything airborne goes neatly up the stack. Cleanest, quickest way to manage ash removal that I've found.
As a reminder, if you're at this point in the decision-making process, it would be wise to start getting firewood seasoning. I'd aim for cutting at 16", since almost all mid-size stoves are going to accept that. It might be short, but I can promise you that you'll be happier with short, seasoned wood than with green wood that's the perfect length.
You may want to call Woodstock and see if they have any refurbished stoves left over from people that send their stoves back from the 6 month warranty. I just bought a refurb Keystone last month for $1600 and it looks like a brand new stove.
As far as the doors go, I use to think they were a tad on the small side but basically they are all about 8x10" give or take and you really don't need to burn huge splits to obtain long burns. 3-6" splits is what I use and I have no problem with 12 hour burns. Filling the box is not a problem unless your trying to squeeze in larger splits. Another advantage of Woodstock's side load only door is it only requires 8" of front clearance instead of 16-18" for a front loader.
As far as the doors go, I use to think they were a tad on the small side but basically they are all about 8x10" give or take and you really don't need to burn huge splits to obtain long burns. 3-6" splits is what I use and I have no problem with 12 hour burns. Filling the box is not a problem unless your trying to squeeze in larger splits. Another advantage of Woodstock's side load only door is it only requires 8" of front clearance instead of 16-18" for a front loader.
As a counterpoint, one thing I've noticed with a big front loading door is a lot less burns on my hands. I rarely use gloves anymore.
Bub381, good to hear you've considered the Woodstock stoves.
Pros and cons: Pro for us has been the beauty of the stove, the fact that it has kept us a whole lot warmer during the winter months and....we now use only half the amount of wood we used to use. So half the wood and we stay warmer! Another big point is the chimney cleaning. We were accustomed to cleaning our chimney 3-4 times every winter. We did clean our chimney after two years use and got about a cup of soot and no creosote. This stove burns super clean....as long as you put good fuel into it. The glass does get some ash on it but does not turn black. I'm sure it would though if someone tried to burn half seasoned wood or freshly cut wood but that is silly.
We too wondered about the lack of ash pan. It turned out to be a non-issue and we actually like it without the ash pan now. The firebox door did seem small at first but it was only for the first few times we loaded the stove. Funny that I remember lots of burns on my arms with other stoves. Rarely do I get anything from this stove. I got one this year but it was totally my fault. I was actually more in front of the stove and opened the door and reached around to throw something in. Touched the wrong spot.
The heat is a radiant heat so it will definitely feel different. We regularly burn over 600 degrees but never get that harsh feeling heat. I can come inside after working out in the cold and stand quite close to it and it feels great. I can also get real close to it when burning hot and although it is pretty darned warm it is not uncomfortable. I was told it is a "soft heat" that you get from the soapstone and I scoffed. Now I know what they were talking about and it is different.
The stove, like most today is built low. My wife and I no longer look forward to bending our bodies so we built a 16" raised hearth and it has worked out great. We have a chair by the stove and simply sit while loading the stove. I works much better this way.
Another nice thing is the way my wife does so much cooking on the stove. Hardly a day goes by when she doesn't have something on the stove, even if at times it is only leftovers. This means we are also saving energy by not using the cook stove.
The company: It gives me great pleasure knowing there is still a company around that does business the way it should be done. Even looking at one point is enough to tell the story. Use the stove for 6 months and if not satisfied, get your full dollar refund. Can you find another company that would do this? We also compared Woodstock to Hearthstone because Hearthstone does have some beautiful stoves. Now we know more about both companies, we are very satisfied that we went the right direction.
Con in most people's book is that the stove is a bit low. Some say it is complicated to operate. I assure you if it were complicated, my wife could not operate it! However, she does operate the stove almost as much as I and sometimes even more than I. The complication factor has always been associated with the engaging of the cat. Well, there are two levers. The normal draft and then the cat. Not complicated in my book. After all, there are many who also put a damper in the flue. Complicated? I think not.
But wait, that cat has to be cleaned every so often. Right, it does. We've found that if we clean it once when we have a warm spell in late December or January and then do it again during the normal spring cleaning that is enough. Is it a difficult thing to clean the cat? You decide. I do not let the stove cool completely but wear welder's gloves. I simply lift the top lid (it doesn't even have a latch), reach in with one hand and lift out the cat. Go out on the porch and wipe it with an old pain brush. Set the cat back in and close the lid. Total time required for this is about 2-4 minutes maximum. Yes, the cat does have to be replaced every so often. It can last from 3 to 15 years and cost around $100. That is cheap maintenance.
Another con is that soapstone does scratch easily. That can be taken care of by using some 0000 steel wool.
Do yourself a favor and get some literature from Woodstock or go onto their web site and look around. Look at other stoves too, then make your decision. Good luck to you.
Pros and cons: Pro for us has been the beauty of the stove, the fact that it has kept us a whole lot warmer during the winter months and....we now use only half the amount of wood we used to use. So half the wood and we stay warmer! Another big point is the chimney cleaning. We were accustomed to cleaning our chimney 3-4 times every winter. We did clean our chimney after two years use and got about a cup of soot and no creosote. This stove burns super clean....as long as you put good fuel into it. The glass does get some ash on it but does not turn black. I'm sure it would though if someone tried to burn half seasoned wood or freshly cut wood but that is silly.
We too wondered about the lack of ash pan. It turned out to be a non-issue and we actually like it without the ash pan now. The firebox door did seem small at first but it was only for the first few times we loaded the stove. Funny that I remember lots of burns on my arms with other stoves. Rarely do I get anything from this stove. I got one this year but it was totally my fault. I was actually more in front of the stove and opened the door and reached around to throw something in. Touched the wrong spot.
The heat is a radiant heat so it will definitely feel different. We regularly burn over 600 degrees but never get that harsh feeling heat. I can come inside after working out in the cold and stand quite close to it and it feels great. I can also get real close to it when burning hot and although it is pretty darned warm it is not uncomfortable. I was told it is a "soft heat" that you get from the soapstone and I scoffed. Now I know what they were talking about and it is different.
The stove, like most today is built low. My wife and I no longer look forward to bending our bodies so we built a 16" raised hearth and it has worked out great. We have a chair by the stove and simply sit while loading the stove. I works much better this way.
Another nice thing is the way my wife does so much cooking on the stove. Hardly a day goes by when she doesn't have something on the stove, even if at times it is only leftovers. This means we are also saving energy by not using the cook stove.
The company: It gives me great pleasure knowing there is still a company around that does business the way it should be done. Even looking at one point is enough to tell the story. Use the stove for 6 months and if not satisfied, get your full dollar refund. Can you find another company that would do this? We also compared Woodstock to Hearthstone because Hearthstone does have some beautiful stoves. Now we know more about both companies, we are very satisfied that we went the right direction.
Con in most people's book is that the stove is a bit low. Some say it is complicated to operate. I assure you if it were complicated, my wife could not operate it! However, she does operate the stove almost as much as I and sometimes even more than I. The complication factor has always been associated with the engaging of the cat. Well, there are two levers. The normal draft and then the cat. Not complicated in my book. After all, there are many who also put a damper in the flue. Complicated? I think not.
But wait, that cat has to be cleaned every so often. Right, it does. We've found that if we clean it once when we have a warm spell in late December or January and then do it again during the normal spring cleaning that is enough. Is it a difficult thing to clean the cat? You decide. I do not let the stove cool completely but wear welder's gloves. I simply lift the top lid (it doesn't even have a latch), reach in with one hand and lift out the cat. Go out on the porch and wipe it with an old pain brush. Set the cat back in and close the lid. Total time required for this is about 2-4 minutes maximum. Yes, the cat does have to be replaced every so often. It can last from 3 to 15 years and cost around $100. That is cheap maintenance.
Another con is that soapstone does scratch easily. That can be taken care of by using some 0000 steel wool.
Do yourself a favor and get some literature from Woodstock or go onto their web site and look around. Look at other stoves too, then make your decision. Good luck to you.
Ohhh believe me,i've been on their site and studied all their stoves. I myself would prob go with the Hearthstone if it weren't for the price. I like the soapstone but may go with their Shelburne. I like the idea of the Harmans and the grilling they offer, the beauty and long heat of the Fireview,the Rangeley but it's too big.Damn i liked the looks of that stove. See it last winter.I also have seen some of the top loaders that you could barely fit a piece of wood into.I have heard the stainless 2nd burns plug, the catalysts plug with slow burn, expensive catalysts,poor clearances, small loading doors. I'm 6'2" this could suck.I have a 4 inch raised hearth i suppose i could raise with a little figuring.Pros and cons, pros and cons.lol Gotta love it huh guys.I'm just gonna have to go to NH and look at 1 of those stoves regardless of what i get. The old lady awfully likes em.She sure likes the looks of that soapstone. can't blame her and you know darned well if she sees 1 it's all over.
Bub, if you go to the factory there will be stoves there of different colors. Be sure to look for a color you like!
Don't put too much into the plugged cat thing. The only way I can see that you would plug them is by burning green wood. On the slow burns, that is what the cats do best! We can dial ours down to the point where you can't even see hot coals but the cat will be glowing red and the stove top can be around 600. Those cats are not expensive either. We are hoping to try out one of the newer steel cats, maybe next year.
On the wife liking the soapstone. It does mean a lot to many of the ladies to have a really nice looking stove rather than a big black box. Well, we do try to please them on most of these things.
Take a trip to Woodstock. Tell them Dennis sent you. lol No, I do not work for them but most know who I am.
Don't put too much into the plugged cat thing. The only way I can see that you would plug them is by burning green wood. On the slow burns, that is what the cats do best! We can dial ours down to the point where you can't even see hot coals but the cat will be glowing red and the stove top can be around 600. Those cats are not expensive either. We are hoping to try out one of the newer steel cats, maybe next year.
On the wife liking the soapstone. It does mean a lot to many of the ladies to have a really nice looking stove rather than a big black box. Well, we do try to please them on most of these things.
Take a trip to Woodstock. Tell them Dennis sent you. lol No, I do not work for them but most know who I am.
Woodstock has used ceramic cats and that is what we have. Sometime last fall they switched to the steel cat. One benefit is that you can engage the cat sooner. We're waiting for reports on how the new cats are and so far it sounds good. One person had a bit of a problem getting the cat to fit tightly but that's the only one I know of. They do send insulation with the cat and you put that in the 4 corners. Once that is done, you do not have to do it again when cleaning. To clean, just lift out and brush.
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