Soap Stone vs Steel Stoves my observations

I’m torn between WS and BK when it comes time for us to buy a new stove which is still likely a couple years away. Just gathering information and planning. In the meantime I want to play around and build a secondary system for this Hitzer and see how it works. I also have a Lopi Liberty I want to mess around with outside. I then may try it inside, but I already know it is too big for my house as well.

Leaning hard towards WS and BK. The Lopi is made well, probably the heaviest built of the steel stoves that I have. I like the king burn times of the BK but not looking at a black box...my coal stove served that purpose well. LOL! Those FV flames and the ghost flames of the Progress, IS, AS, are quite the show with respectable burn times.

Can I expect longer than advertised burn times from the WS? Longer than advertised burn times would likely seal the deal for us.

 

What type of floor plan do you have? This seems to be the significant difference between both stoves. I get your point in size/technology. Yet the soap stone did a far better job of radiating the heat even with the restrictions in our floor plan. Our house is very unique. The wood stove sits at the back of our living room which is towards the back of the house on the west end. A set of stairs is to the right and behind the stove. To the right and slightly in front is a short hallway, about 6' long, between the living room and the dinning room/kitchen. It will be easier if I take some pictures tomorrow. You'll get a better idea of the restrictions we are dealing with.

When running the soap stone you could easily feel the heat on the second floor without running the stove hard. With these steel stove you don't feel the heat until you hit the landing before the last three steps down. Unless you run the stove at the upper end of where I prefer to run it. Normally I keep it 1/4 of the way into the burn zone. Running it hard puts me on the upper end of the burn zone and uncomfortable to be in the living room without opening windows. Just to give you an idea.

We've run this stove on the first floor now for 4 seasons at 3-4 cords per season. Before that, this stove was in our family room on the second floor on the east end of our house.

 

Good point you bring up and something I continually forget about for some reason. That alone makes it worth the price of admission.

 

The reason I brought up longer than advertised burn times is that I thought I’d read that here on the forum before. The advertised is nothing to squawk about and longer than most other stoves besides BK.

 

Burn times is a variable, depending on heat need if you look up a guy named BDF his names Brian an engineer and great guy has a thermocouple with temp readings on Cat, STT, firebox and flue with real life burn times charted.

 

I've had a Performer Z,Lopi Liberty,Blaze King King,Pacific Energy,Scandia and a couple others I can't remember.After all is said and done I settle with a Hearthstone One and a Hearthstone Mansfield.

 

Why Hearthstone

 

Tell us more Brian! I like the sound of an amazing stove!

 

Hearthstone is made in Morrisville VT, usually have seconds sale this time of year. Most used burn tubes not cats. Well Seasoned probably knows more

 

The hearthstones are very pretty stoves. I ran 30 cords through a hearthstone heritage before the performance upgrade to a princess from BK. The BK is much uglier.

 

I have the Mansfield on the first floor and the One in the basement.For some reason these stoves have managed to heat my drafty home well.I run both only in extreme cold otherwise the Mansfield is the primary heater.Now the One is the answer to basement downdrafts.Once it's up and going it heats for about fourteen hours with enough heat to keep the draft going for a easy reload.Of course this out heats any of the stoves I've come in contact with.Even when the fire goes out it feels like Miami in the basement.All that stone just loves to throw off the heat even when there's nothing but embers in the stove.

 

Based on the first post you have both an old Hearthstone One and a newer Mainsfield. Are both in the basement? Or is the One in the basement and the Mansfield is on the first floor?

The Hearthstone One must be 30-40 years old no? I know our Hearthstone II was purchased in the early 80's. If so, good on ya for keeping it running.


Jason from RI

 

First sentence says it all...

 

Darn I missed that. Thank for letting me know.

 

No problem. I do it all the time.

 

Can you describe your home details? Insulation, square feet, layout, year built. Thanks in advance.