Hearthstone Advice Needed

[BrowningBAR]

I also love watching the flame patterns one my stove. The Earth Stove I had used to just smolder and creosote the chimney when I shut the air down to get a longer burn. I can see in the Hearthstone how effective the air manifolds are. As startup with the air supply wide open, they just shoot flame all over the place, reburning the wood gases. I read other reviews of Woodstock stoves and folks have split opinions about the maintenance of the catalytic converter. Personally, I wasn't excited about that feature. But honestly, I have no firsthand experience with it. But to me, if you get a cleaner burn with the cat stoves but throw away or dispose of through a recycling center, it's a moot point environmentally speaking. Again, just my opinion. Other people reviewing the Hearthstone stoves seemed more pleased not having to deal with it and they also appreciated the fire viewing with the Hearthstones if they were pleased with the stove. I found mixed reviews about most any brand of stove and believe there are a lot of mechanical issues with the draft patterns of different homes that need to be considered when deciding if a stove works well or not.

The cleaner burn isn't the main benefit of a cat stove. All EPA stoves are pretty close in terms of emissions. Longer burns are more of a direct result of a cat stove. My catalytic Encore burns longer and at a higher temp than the Heritage does. The Fireview gets longer burns than the Encore and the Heritage.

There is an additional maintenance cost using a catalytic stove and an additional lever for controls to engage the cat. For some, it is not worth it, but others like the system and the benefits of longer burn times.

 

[firecracker_77]

I use the Heritage in an office building with the Heritage centrally located as the heater in the foyer with all the offices extended from there. There is an upstairs storage space fed by a back stairway with the triple wall running through that storage space. In my experience, the heat does not make it upstairs so easily. However, your set-up is very different with the stove in very close proximity to a cathedral ceiling feeding the upstairs. It sounds like you will get heat there easily enough, I'm just not sure what the difference would be in temps in the room where it's burning versus at the top of the stairs.

 

[Nazgul]

So here is the situation at the moment, I went to the stove shop to order the stove and they had a NATURAL Heritage stove as well as the regular polished. The Natural is $300 less (I have uploaded pictures, see first entry on thread). It's basically kinda smokey white or light grey, almost looks like granite with the specs. I like the cost reduction and it looks pretty sharp, my worry is how would it be to clean being so porous?

The other issue is they aren't being very flexible with installation, I think because I'm not having them do the liner they aren't interested in working to get me the stove anytime soon. I also told them I want the OAK with it since my house is pretty new and well insulated/sealed and they said they won't install it, they'll just put the OAK on the stove and I'd need to hook it up to the hole in my fireplace leading outside. I get the impression they've never installed an OAK before and are scared they would screw it up or something. The installation is about $400, that includes the materials needed to hook it up to my liner. Thoughts?

 

[Dakotas Dad]

would like to see that in person. The stone is no more porous than normal, just has a rougher finish. Soapstone is not, as rocks go, very porous at all. That's part of the reason it makes great chemistry lab counter tops.. and kitchen counters.

 

[Nazgul]

would like to see that in person. The stone is no more porous than normal, just has a rougher finish. Soapstone is not, as rocks go, very porous at all. That's part of the reason it makes great chemistry lab counter tops.. and kitchen counters.

Yeah those aren't the best pictures, but it's the best I could do with it wrapped up in the crate. It's like a smokey white is the best way I can describe it, and very rough. Looks and feels NOTHING like the normal soapstone.

 

[ditchrider]

"Nazgul" ...The other issue is they aren't being very flexible with installation, I think Thebecause I'm not having them do the liner they aren't interested in working to get me the stove anytime soon. I also told them I want the OAK with it since my house is pretty new and well insulated/sealed and they said they won't install it, they'll just put the OAK on the stove and I'd need to hook it up to the hole in my fireplace leading outside. I get the impression they've never installed an OAK before and are scared they would screw it up or something. The installation is about $400, that includes the materials needed to hook it up to my liner. Thoughts?"

I see you are located in eastern PA so I went to the Hearthstone website and punched in a zip code for Allentown to locate a dealer. Within 26 miles of Allentown there are 3 Hearthstone dealers.

Here's the site link where I did my search:
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/customer-resources/dealer-locator

You will be making a $4-$5,000 (or more) investment into your home. Whichever brand of stove you decide to purchase in the end you should take comfort knowing things were bought and installed to the best of your desire. Second, third and fourth opinions are awesome investments of time. And in the end if things weren't installed quite to your intention or within the budget you had in mind you will have a better appreciation of the how's and why's. It's a boatlload of money and huge effort of time and you will want reassurance to last for MANY years to come. It's an inconvenience now, but it's time and money well spent. It's your checkbook, it isn't their money until the stove has been bought sold and installed to your liking. A dealer aware and willing to work with that in mind is one that earns your business.

It's like a window you buy to install into an exterior wall. Once it's in you are rather committed to live with it. On the other hand if you REALLY don't like the size or elevation placement or realize you could see a better piece of horizon if it was installed just 12 inches to the left, you must become rather committed to change it. The "purgatory" between satisfaction to stay or desire to change can be filled with many irritating moments.

Keep us in touch with the brand and model you end up buying and how well the installer and dealer worked with you.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

would like to see that in person. The stone is no more porous than normal, just has a rougher finish. Soapstone is not, as rocks go, very porous at all. That's part of the reason it makes great chemistry lab counter tops.. and kitchen counters.

Yeah those aren't the best pictures, but it's the best I could do with it wrapped up in the crate. It's like a smokey white is the best way I can describe it, and very rough. Looks and feels NOTHING like the normal soapstone.

As a side note/thought.. I had to remove some discolorization from two of my stones this summer caused by a cheap enamel cast iron steam pot last winter. It took about 5 minutes per stone to bring them back to "polished".. I think if you found you didn't like the surface after a year or two, just wet sand it. wasn't hard at all. I cleaned up the stone with 100, went to 220, then 600, and finally 1000. Can't tell it's been touched, all was "wet sanding". Took longer to wipe up the spoil then to do the work.

 

[Nazgul]

I may end up installing it myself, my Dad and his contractor friend together have installed probably half a dozen stoves. Time to start doing research, i.e. what liner, whether to insulate, buy a damper seal kit, how to hook up OAK. Fun stuff!

 

[Nazgul]

So anyone know if I need a rear heat shield and double wall pipe? Its going straight into fireplace and up the chimney.

 

[BrowningBAR]

So anyone know if I need a rear heat shield and double wall pipe? Its going straight into fireplace and up the chimney.

Double wall pipe and heat shield are used to reduce clearances to combustibles. Is this needed? Doesn't seem like it if it is going into a fireplace.

 

[Nazgul]

So my chimney is a masonry 12' and the Heritage outputs with a 6'. My question is should I insulate the whole 6' liner all the way up or should I just insulate the bottom and top most part?