Soap Stone vs Steel Stoves my observations

Ya I had a Hearthstone 2 at one time.It didn't have the coal burning kit but I was given some grates which allowed me to burn coal which was the way to go.I burned it for many years until I got The Mansfield which is on the first floor.The One is refurbish which came out good as new which is in the basement.

 

They are coming out with a Mansfield CAT which I'm interested in.My old Mansfield is doing fine so I don't have to be hasty about buying the new model.

 

Just to clarify. The Progress Hybrid is convertible between back or top pipe exit. Your choice upon installation. All parts provided.

 

I agree with all your observations. My main heat source was a wood furnace in the basement. It worked, not great, but Got the the job done.
One winter I was rebuilding a garage on the property. Big pine had blown onto it. All the broken framing I cuT the ends loaded with nails off. The rest is firewood dammit
So now I have this small pile of chunks and spikes. 15 feet away there’s a mini moe all nighter that used to be in the house that was there but long gone. Hammer open the door and lit them chunks up.
Lightbulb goes off. It’s time to stuff a woodstove in my fireplace and try heating from the couch LOL. I loved having the heat source right there tho after one season it was apparent that mini moe was too small. And no ash drawer, how barbaric.
Found another cast iron stove for dirt cheap. Very attractive English stove. A little better size but still not big enough.
Stole an old Fireview used twice on Ebay for $140. What a difference between steel and cast iron. No more burnt face cold back syndrome. Soft heat just radiated around the home. Still too small because I was working at the time.
Bought a Progress Hybrid and that does the trick.

soapstone is an entirely different animal. Yes it’s slower to heat. Not much of a problem, we know when it’s going to get cold. Start a little earlier
I always put it this way. I can sit on my couch 8 feet away, close my eyes and not be able to pinpoint where the heat is coming from. Yet it heats my entire house. That’s pretty cool.

 

Ya they take longer to heat up however if you keep it going once it's up to temps you don't have to worry about it.

 

I've run both steel and Soapstone stoves. I can say for sure the soapstone does continue to radiate heat much longer even when the fire goes out than the steel.
I know all about the calculations about thermal mass and how little the soapstone mass really matters but real world comfort says there is a big difference.

 

What I've experience from my use of a Hearthstone 1, a Hearthstone Mansfield,a Hearthstone 2,a Woodstock Classic and a Woodstock Fireview is that to get real substantial heat from the soapstones after the fire goes out you need a huge soapstone stove like the Hearthstone One or an equivalent.It will provide enough heat to heat a good size area for a couple additional hours.

 

Good thread. My wife and I are contemplating a move and I’m thinking of switching to the Hearthstone Manchester (currently we have a Jotul Oslo)… if we should happen to move.

 

Welp I woodn’t move just to change stoves

 

Nate if you can get a large soapstone.The Hearthstones soapstones work best from the Mansfield on up for whole house heat.

 

Yeah, if we move… I’ll dive deep into it.

I would like to find a place with land, somewhere I can store all of my wood, go out in the backyard and not see a neighbor anywhere in site.

It’s a dream… but maybe it would work to our favor.

 

Tis a good dream.. and nice lifestyle

 

I would suggest get the Hearthstone One.This thing will heat a whole house in subzero temps no sweat.If you like I'll give you a number for a gentleman who refurbishes them.I get 14 hours of great heat from mine.Mine cost at the time $1200.00.

 

I think the main difference between soapstone and steel stoves are radiant verses convection heat. Most steel stoves are wrapped in a shroud or heat shields which block off that intense radiant heat but give you better clearances and better use of a blower so the convection heat can reach further away rooms. The radiant heat off soapstone heats everything in the room making everything feel warmer but there is still some natural convection going on to reach other areas. Wide open floor plans I prefer radiant stoves, not so open a convective steel stove may perform better.

 

Thanks, Todd. That’s good info. The more I read about them the more I like the soapstone stoves.

My wife had a real estate agent at the house yesterday… so I’m trying to stay one step ahead of her, and at least have a plan just in case.

 

I was interested enough to look at Hearthstone' website. Interestingly, they sell Hase brand stoves from Germany as well, so I wasted a bit of time looking at them.

The idea of a wifi enabled, computer controlled wood stove with an app for your phone is interesting... Auto control of air intake, etc. The light to tell you to add more wood almost seems condescending, though.

Pardon the fact that this is an add, not a review... I just put it here, b/c it seemed interesting.

It seems like you could get more efficiency that way, but it also seems like it could be some liability? What happens when you lose power when the thing is getting up to temp and wide open? Seems like you'd be ripe for over-temping. So they put a backup battery in there to cover loss of power. 5 years from now, that battery will fail, and you'd be right back to the above issue.