I'm looking at purchasing a new woodstove. I've adding on to my existing abode and doubled the size to 1600 sqft. I live in coastal AK where the temps average in the 20's (daytime) during the winter. Dipping to 0 (day time) during a cold snap. Wood heat has been my only heat source for the past 18 years and will continue to be. Spruce is the dominate fuel source. I've narrowed it down to a Woodstock Progress or a Hearthstone Homestead. What are some opinions out there about either stove and their stated heating area? BTU's/hr? Opinions on getting a bigger stove for stated heating area and BTUs. Thanks!!
Woodstock vs Hearthstone
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Let me keep it simple.....
The Progress has a much bigger firebox. You are in Alaska. Both are good brands, but if it were me I'd go with the bigger box.
The Progress has a much bigger firebox. You are in Alaska. Both are good brands, but if it were me I'd go with the bigger box.
I thought everyone in Alaska bought Blaze Kings? I would go with the bigger stove too and its hybrid technology.
Hache Pe, welcome. This guy usually has questionable advice, but in this instance he seems to be right on the money
. There is a direct relationship between the amount of fuel put into any wood stove and the heat output. In general a larger firebox means more heat. What have you been burning in the past 18 years?
Woodstock and it isn't even close. Also, the Mansfield is a closer comparison to the Progress. The Homestead has a usable firebox of under 2 cu ft. If 24/7 burning is your desire and it is the primary source of heat, the Homestead is no where near what you need.
Get the Progress Hybrid
!! It is a wonderful stove. Our temps yesterday were in the mid-teens to around 32 degrees. It kept our 2400 sq. ft. house warm without any problem. What I love about it is the constant temperatures. We keep it around 400 - 450 degrees and you don't see the significant 'spikes' in temp like you see in metal wood stoves.
!! It is a wonderful stove. Our temps yesterday were in the mid-teens to around 32 degrees. It kept our 2400 sq. ft. house warm without any problem. What I love about it is the constant temperatures. We keep it around 400 - 450 degrees and you don't see the significant 'spikes' in temp like you see in metal wood stoves.
I agree, the Homestead is rated max at 50,000 btus, the Progress at 80,000....that is a huge difference in heating capability. How well your house insulated, and the layout will both affect the ability of any stove. Even a design of a one big great room type would probably tax a Homestead in Alaska so my nod goes to the Progress.
In all fairness, I have no experience with the Homestead. But I do love my Progress Hybrid. It's a heating beast, yet very easy to control, and it sips wood.
Maintenance is fairly minimal. Keeping the catalytic convertor, the internal screen, and chimney clean are fairly easy. The only other thing to keep an eye on are the gaskets. The catalytic convertor will probably need replacing about every 5 years or so.
What's attracting you to the homestead? As others have said their not close in size. Hearthstones closest model to the Progress is the Mansfield.
Every other stove on the market is less maintenance intensive than VC stoves. Woodstock stoves require far less maintenance than a VC stove. they use a lot less gaskets and do not have any combustion assembly packages to replace.
I think there were some initial problems/questions with the Progress (as with many completely new stoves), but I assume they have been ironed out by now. Being in Alaska, the OP has to really keep this stuff in mind. That is, it's OK to have to clean the stove, etc. but not as much for anything to go wrong.
The older woodstocks just won't die......heck, they have an 1880 or so of their stove design sitting in their showroom.
As someone else mentioned, if you want to go soapstone the P is good -if you are considering the HearthStone brand, look at the Mansfield. Basically anything from 2.7 or so cubic feet up in catalytic and 3.2+ cubic feel up in non-cat.
If you are looking to go steel - then the Blaze King or Kuma are pretty big and heavy-duty.
http://kumastoves.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=15
Hache Pe, welcome. This guy usually has questionable advice, but in this instance he seems to be right on the money
I've been using a small Timberline. With good solar gain in the winter, relatively small cabin, it has worked well. But, the spiking of heat, and not being able to keep a fire going all night is not what I want as I move into my addition.
I guess it was the depth of the stove. It has to do with where it will probably be placed.
Welcome to the forum Hache Pe.
One more thing that has not been mentioned is the cooking surface on the Progress and this can really be a great thing to have, especially if you are now cooking with gas or electric.
Maintenance on the Woodstock stoves is minimal and most things are quick and easy to do. So far with our Fireview, we've replaced the cat. Other than that, it is simple cleaning which is an annual thing.
What if something does go wrong with the stove? We have heard of many having problems with some Hearthstone stoves but I think this may be more of a dealer problem. With Woodstock, they are always super quick if something goes wrong. They are only a phone call away and if something needs to be shipped, most times they are shipped the same day as you call. If you have any problems then, again, they are a phone call away and it is amazing how much help they can give over the phone and via email if necessary.
And don't forget that fantastic guarantee of a six month satisfaction or money back. They give this because it is very, very rare that anyone is not satisfied with the stove.
Good luck.
One more thing that has not been mentioned is the cooking surface on the Progress and this can really be a great thing to have, especially if you are now cooking with gas or electric.
Maintenance on the Woodstock stoves is minimal and most things are quick and easy to do. So far with our Fireview, we've replaced the cat. Other than that, it is simple cleaning which is an annual thing.
What if something does go wrong with the stove? We have heard of many having problems with some Hearthstone stoves but I think this may be more of a dealer problem. With Woodstock, they are always super quick if something goes wrong. They are only a phone call away and if something needs to be shipped, most times they are shipped the same day as you call. If you have any problems then, again, they are a phone call away and it is amazing how much help they can give over the phone and via email if necessary.
And don't forget that fantastic guarantee of a six month satisfaction or money back. They give this because it is very, very rare that anyone is not satisfied with the stove.
Good luck.
I'll preface my comments by saying that I've been burning wood for home heating since 1982. I've had Fisher, Schrader & LOPI airtight stoves in that time and never had a complaint. In January of this year (2013) I made the move to new Hearthstone Homestead. My main reason was to try to lower my "carbon footprint" so to speak. Since I started burning wood in 1982 I've burned anywhere from 6 to 10 cords a year, so I have a bit of experience with burning wood. I have to say that I HATE my current Hearthstone Homestead. The local dealer here in Eugene, Oregon is of no help. The factory/manufacturer is also of no help. It's damn near impossible to start a fire in a cold stove, it smokes and soots, dumps fly ash all over when ever you open the door. They (Hearthstone claims it takes 21" logs. Not if they're bigger than a 4X4 though. Forget about trying to keep an overnight fire due to the tiny firebox. BIG BIG disappointment. I paid the dealer over $4,000. for the stove installed and they couldn't even get the pipe plumb/straight. As for wood, I started out with white ash seasoned 1 1/2 years in an open sided shed. Within two weeks I had to clean the screen on the chimney cap. I switched to some old growth douglas fir seasoned 2 1/2 years I was saving for use in my shop heater due to its storage local nearer the shop. Same soot/creosoting issue. Hearthstone tells me to contact my dealer, the dealer claims it's the wood. I call bullshit. The stove is not right, plain and simple. Buyer beware!
I had no problem getting the Hearthstone Heritage burning and burning hot, even with questionable wood and it kept the glass reasonably clear. It burned cleaner than the Defiant I replaced it with. But, the burn time for the stove was far to short for me and my draftiness required a larger stove.
My question to Poppa; is this your first EPA stove? How are you controlling the air? Is your chimney lined with a 6" liner?
My question to Poppa; is this your first EPA stove? How are you controlling the air? Is your chimney lined with a 6" liner?
My answers are: yes it is my first EPA stove. I'm controlling the air w/ the one control on the stove on the left hand side. And lastly, yes I have a 6" insulated s/s liner w/ a 2' extension above the masonry chimney. The 2' extension was added by the dealer on their last visit to aid draft on cold starts and try to eliminate the smoking/fly ash puking when opening the door. In spite of what Hearthstone says in the owners manual & on their website the dealer told me to open the ash drawer to aid cold starts! How's that for following the manufacturers instructions?
Tell me how you are operating the air controls as it is not the same as a Pre-EPA stove. Tell me your procedure when you are reloading with a good bed of hot coals. I suspect you are trying to operate the stove like a Pre-EPA stove and that will only lead you to frustration.
Do not do this. The dealer is wrong and you will damage your stove.
In terms of performance, I have the Hearthstone Mansfield and I've been very happy and I'm sure you would be too. Not sure what someone would say the comparison with a Woodstock is 'not even close' unless it is the Homestead to Progress comparison - if so, fair enough. The only think I don't like about the Hearthstone line is customer services - there isn't any - you can't talk to the folks at Hearthstone and my dealer here is marginal at best (e.g. he told me not to run my Mansfield about 350F). If I had to vote for one over the other for service - Woodstock hands-down. For functionality - I think you'd be happy with a Manny or Progress. Cheers!
). If I had to vote for one over the other for service - Woodstock hands-down. For functionality - I think you'd be happy with a Manny or Progress. Cheers!
Yes, my comment was directly related to the Progress and Homestead comparison. The Homestead has a much smaller usable firebox, a lot less mass, and much shorter burn times.
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