# Kettle, Steamer, Humidifier on Soapstone Stove - what do I need to know?



## Mike592 (Nov 25, 2013)

I'd like to get a steamer and/or a kettle for our Hearthstone Heritage stove.  First, to put a little bit of humidity in the air (I've read a bunch here and see some people debate the beneficial results from this).  Second, to possibly make a cup of tea or hot chocolate on the coldest nights straight from the stove.

1) Do I need a soapstone steamer since my stove is soapstone?  Or can I use other materials like cast iron with no problems?

2) If not a soapstone steamer, do I need to use a trivet?

3) With soapstone steamers, I imagine it's not a big deal if it runs dry, that's just more soapstone mass for the stove to heat.  Is the same true with cast iron or stainless steamers or do you need to make sure they're always full?

4) Do you wait until the steamer and kettle are cool before adding water?  If you run your stove all the time, how does this work?  Or is it OK to put water straight from our tap into a hot steamer or kettle?  That won't crack anything?

5) Does anyone know where to buy soapstone steamers?  I see Hearthstone makes (made?) one.  I can't find them anywhere online.  Lehman's still lists them but it says "Temporarily Unavailable".  Yikes they're pricey.

6) Can you point me to steamers and kettles people like?

7) What else should I know I'm too stupid to ask?


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## Highbeam (Nov 25, 2013)

I used a stone steamer on my heritage for years. It didn't do squat for humidity.You don't want to drink the water since only the pure water will evaporate and what's left behind is concentrated minerals and funk. The heritage is too cool to boil the water, I did not use a trivet and still too cold. The stone kettle will damage the stove from just setting there, it leaves a mark. Finally, the stone steamer cracked and began to leak. It was kinda fun to have a stone bowl but that's it.

Don't bother. Chase butterflies instead.


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## Holiday (Nov 25, 2013)

Exactly, don't bother. Refilling a pot of water that is always sitting on a stove is not nice. You won't be making any drinks with that stuff.


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## Sprinter (Nov 25, 2013)

Totally agree.  Stove top steamers are not effective at increasing humidity at all.  If you need to add humidity to the air, you need a regular room humidifier.  There's a current thread on that subject that may help.  https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/water-pots-on-stove.118079/


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## Mike592 (Nov 26, 2013)

Hmmm, I'm starting to sense a theme here. 

Hypothetically speaking, and just for my own knowledge, can someone please take a shot at the rest of my questions?


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## Holiday (Nov 26, 2013)

Question 7, that's the question people are answering lol.


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## Highbeam (Nov 26, 2013)

Mike592 said:


> I'd like to get a steamer and/or a kettle for our Hearthstone Heritage stove.  First, to put a little bit of humidity in the air (I've read a bunch here and see some people debate the beneficial results from this).  Second, to possibly make a cup of tea or hot chocolate on the coldest nights straight from the stove.
> 
> 1) Do I need a soapstone steamer since my stove is soapstone?  Or can I use other materials like cast iron with no problems?
> 
> ...


 

1) nope, any material is fine. Just don't move it around on the stove top or you'll bugger up the stone faster than if it just sat there.
2) No trivet required, ever.
3) It's okay if stone or cast runs dry. Both materials are heat tolerant.
4) Both materials can shatter from thermal shock. Don't pour cold water into a hot, dry, steamer.
5) I got mine from hearthstone.
6) No.
7) You're wasting your time. Chase butterflies instead.


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## Sprinter (Nov 26, 2013)

As for a teapot,  I looked through Amazon until I found a nice, colorful teapot that I liked.  Take a look at colorful enamel ones, or clear ones that can be used with those tea flower things.  Those look pretty cool.  Some have whistles, but I don't know if the soapstone will get hot enough to boil water or not.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 26, 2013)

Here are some steamers:

http://store.woodstove.com/home.php?cat=322

We have always used just any old pot or pan for on top of the stove but we do not place it directly on the stove. A trivet will work. We use the soapstone boot warmers.  http://store.woodstove.com/product.php?productid=16285&cat=298&page=1


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## ddddddden (Nov 26, 2013)

I like it dry, so I don't use one, but I would just get the cheapest cast pot I could find.  I think I've seen plain cast by Lodge ~ $30 at Target.  Maybe check Goodwill or yard sales.

If you want something snazzy, here are some reasonably priced enameled cast iron pieces:

http://m.samsclub.com/ip/tramontina...overed-dutch-oven-various-colors/prod11460011

http://m.target.com/p/6qt-cast-iron-covered-casserole-pot/-/A-14345909


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## ddddddden (Nov 26, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> . . .The Heritage is too cool to boil the water.  I did not use a trivet and still too cold. . .


Seriously?


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## Highbeam (Nov 26, 2013)

ddddddden said:


> Seriously?


 
Yes, seriously. The best I ever got with a stove top temp of 550 (600 is redline on a heritage) was the tiniest little bubbles that would form on the bottom of the kettle. They never rose from the bottom so not even a simmer.

I suspect a cat stove would have a hotter top temp since that cat element is right there and is freaking hot.


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## ddddddden (Nov 26, 2013)

Highbeam said:


> . . .
> I suspect a cat stove would have a hotter top temp since that cat element is right there and is freaking hot.


Yeah, agreed, but I would think that anything above, say, 300°F would boil water.  Dunno though; haven't tried it on the FV and we didn't run a thermometer with the tea kettle on the old insert.  I don't recall ever hearing the kettle boil, but steam would usually come out when the lid was opened to pour water for tea.  Perhaps a thread of scientific inquiry is in order: "*Wood Heat and Vaporization of Water*."


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## Highbeam (Nov 26, 2013)

You need a surface MUCH hotter than the boiling point of water to make a pot of water boil.


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## ddddddden (Nov 26, 2013)

Agreed, but how hot?  It'll vary with atmospheric pressure, etc, but perhaps the hearth.com braintrust could come up with a target stovetop temp range for boiling water. This would be good to know, for those who need to boil for purposes of sterilization.  For those who just want steam, are bubbles really necessary?


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## Sprinter (Nov 26, 2013)

It probably depends on how much water is involved.  Imagine a thin layer of water on a 500* surface.  It would boil.  But a kettle full of water could dissipate it's heat through the container's and water surface's exposure to the ambient air  faster than it gained it from the stove so the water temp could never get above a certain point.


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## Three stove operator (Mar 1, 2015)

Mike592 said:


> I'd like to get a steamer and/or a kettle for our Hearthstone Heritage stove.  First, to put a little bit of humidity in the air (I've read a bunch here and see some people debate the beneficial results from this).  Second, to possibly make a cup of tea or hot chocolate on the coldest nights straight from the stove.
> 
> 1) Do I need a soapstone steamer since my stove is soapstone?  Or can I use other materials like cast iron with no problems?
> 
> ...


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## Three stove operator (Mar 1, 2015)

I have a soap stone heritage. We have a soap stone steamer and a cast iron one. I have only got them boiling a few times but they go through water without boiling. There is  no need to have a boil. We still fill them up at least twice a day. I don't know why people say its makes no difference in humidly. The water is being vaporized? I'll admit it doesn't boost up the humidity level a lot but it doesn't hurt. I add water in when its hot but try not to add cold water when it's empty and hot. Had no problems for 4 years. And if you don't slide the  Steamer the soap stone is in great shape still. We just got the Manchester at our vacation home. We have a big cast iron pot on it but it doesn't get very warm as the stove has a large air gap between the surface and the fire box. So looking to get a smaller kettle that will fit on the heating plate. We have the rear venting so there's a nice metal stainless plate that gets to 400-550. That will make a lot of vapor


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## MN nice n warm (Mar 1, 2015)

I fill a coffee mug with water and actually add drops of tea tree oil.  I doubt that it actually raises the humidity level but it does improve the air quality of the room.  I can see steam rising when the stove top hits about 550 and the water starts evaporating.


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## Oldman47 (Mar 1, 2015)

If you want humidity in your home, start keeping fish tanks. I need to replace a few gallons every day from mine due to evaporation.


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## SteveKG (Mar 1, 2015)

My Keystone will boil water just fine, I keep a glass kettle on it for brewing tea.


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## DougA (Mar 1, 2015)

Mike592 said:


> 1) Do I need a soapstone steamer since my stove is soapstone? Or can I use other materials like cast iron with no problems? *I use stainless pots just fine.*
> 2) If not a soapstone steamer, do I need to use a trivet? *Too cool with a trivet unless you want to rise bread dough.*
> 3) With soapstone steamers, I imagine it's not a big deal if it runs dry, that's just more soapstone mass for the stove to heat. Is the same true with cast iron or stainless steamers or do you need to make sure they're always full? *No idea, don't have one.*
> 4) Do you wait until the steamer and kettle are cool before adding water? If you run your stove all the time, how does this work? Or is it OK to put water straight from our tap into a hot steamer or kettle? That won't crack anything? *With a stainless steel pot, add whenever.*
> ...



There is a huge difference in temperature on the surface of my Equinox soapstone compared to my old cast iron VC.  My Equinox heats the home much better at 350 surface than the VC which was 600, both read with IR gun. That's the advantage and mystery of soapstone.

I have often cooked on both and it took quite a lot of experimentation to start getting successful cooking on the soapstone.  A pot of beans in a ceramic crock pot would not simmer, let alone boil.  Once I dumped the beans into a flat bottom SS pasta pot, the beans bubbled just fine. So, a soapstone steamer adds too much mass to heat and not enough surface contact, just like the ceramic crock pot.  

 Of course, it depends whether your stove is cruising or if you are blasting it to the max.  I agree with others that if you want more moisture in the air, a small atomizing humidifier is much more effective.  A pot of water for tea or coffee is just fine but move it to a different area each time and don't leave it in one spot all the time.  Marks normally will burn off the soapstone if you get the temperature up high but I would make sure that food spills are cleaned up quickly.


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## FionaD (Mar 2, 2015)

If you want humidity in your home, move to Scotland. I wish we could export the stuff. I love that my stove is reducing the humidity in my home a bit.

I put a heavy-bottomed, steel pot of around 4 pints of water on the (cast iron) stove during a recent power cut. Pot went on the stove just as the new full load of wood was hitting around 400 F and heading for a max of 600. Water took just about 30 minutes to come to a full boil.


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## JA600L (Mar 2, 2015)

I went to tractor supply and got a kettle for $15. It does the job perfectly.


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## craigbaill (Mar 4, 2015)

I looked into this before we bought our stove. One day before install, It hit me. My kids take such hot showers, its like Brazil in the house after. 

No need for a humidifier.....


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## Oldman47 (Mar 4, 2015)

Showers definitely can put a lot of moisture in the air. For a steady source of moisture, set up a few aquariums. For someone like me that is easy because I really enjoy the fish. I need to refill fish tanks to the tune of over 6 gallons a day in winter. I am sure there are plenty of other sources but these seem to actually work without a humidifier.


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## begreen (Mar 4, 2015)

I put our stainless steel kettle on the stove almost daily. That way it is ready to make a fresh pot of coffee or cuppa tea. In 30 minutes it is right at boiling, but not strongly. I like that with a 500F stove top it takes it right to boiling without spouting water all over the stove. That saves a lot of frantic mopping up and a rusty stove top.

If you want to put a lot of moisture into the air, brew some beer!


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## gyrfalcon (Mar 5, 2015)

Mike592 said:


> I'd like to get a steamer and/or a kettle for our Hearthstone Heritage stove.  First, to put a little bit of humidity in the air (I've read a bunch here and see some people debate the beneficial results from this).  Second, to possibly make a cup of tea or hot chocolate on the coldest nights straight from the stove.
> 
> 1) Do I need a soapstone steamer since my stove is soapstone?  Or can I use other materials like cast iron with no problems?
> 
> ...



I'm going to disagree a little bit with some of the conventional wisdom here about steamers.  No, you definitely can't boil or even simmer water in a pot on a soapstone stove.  But whether it's worth using a steamer for a little extra humidity depends on the layout of the house and stove room and what your expectations are.

It won't put so much moisture into the air that you'll think you just got off a plane in Miami.  But if you have, as I do, normal height ceilings (no cathedral), no wide open stairway going up just opposite the stove, etc.,you can ease the dryness of winter air just a bit in the area around the stove.  I know this for sure because when I forget to refill the steamer, the fur of the cats lounging around the stove let me know by giving me, and the cats, a little electric shock when I pet them.  Refill the steamer and an hour later, no shocks.   Since I like my cats' fur and I don't like electric shocks, I continue to use a steamer, which puts 1 to 2 gallons a day of water into the air.

There's something sort of dissonant to me about the silence and simplicity of a wood stove being paired with a modern electric appliance like a humidifier or a blower.  (Although if I really needed one or the other, I suppose I'd get one reluctantly.)

I use a handsome red enameled cast iron steamer with a lattice top.  It gets pretty grotty after a while with whatever the minerals and etc. are that are in the tap water, but your mileage may vary with the qualities of your tap water.  Although I almost never even touch it during the heating season, it does somehow magically leave some marks on the soapstone surface, but those disappear with a little gentle scrubbing with fine steel wool.

I've had no problem refilling it when it runs dry.  It just never gets all that hot.  I can see a bit of steam coming out of it when I've got the stove temp up over 500 if I crouch down and look hard at the right angle to the light, but it definitely doesn't bubble.

If you like the idea of having a steamer on the stove, just get one you like the looks of and it'll be fine.  If you'd rather not be bothered remembering to refill it -- and you don't have cats! -- you'll be fine without it.  If you need serious humidifying of your indoor air, get a humidifier.


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