Okay - so maybe a little more information for those of you who patrol these threads....I have been burning wood for many years and know how to operate wood stoves. I am not trying to 'dis' anyone and I sincerely doubt this is a 'single experience'. The Manchester stove is fairly new to the market. This is a legitimate complaint with a product that I believe has problems. The handle to the front door broke after 2 /1/2 years of use. I don't care how one operates a stove, that should not happen. By the way, the side door was primarily used. The front door was used only for starting fires and cleaning out the ashes - because as mentioned previously, the ash pan is useless - the grates over it get clogged with heavy use so the ashes do not fall to the pan. No biggie, just a small issue really. I went to the dealer where I bought the stove. They could do nothing except give me a number to a parts place. The only thing that broke was a bolt but you have to buy the entire handle. Can't remember the price but it was it the neighborhood of $300 --- ridiculous! (+ shipping don't forget). Since we were redoing our cellar I had to move the stove. It is very heavy so I began taking it apart to make it lighter. That's when the screws that held on the side door broke and I discovered the cracked stones. Now, on the good side the stove did work well and heated my 2200 Sq foot house adequately. And I think it is very attractive. I really liked the idea of a soap stone stove with a good looking cast iron box around it. But the stove is temperamental and in my opinion, based on other stoves I have used, somewhat fragile (pronounced fra JIL lay). Regarding this being my first post, yes it was. I was looking for other folks who may have had similar problems and I saw this thread. Figured I'd throw in my opinion. Sorry if I offended, wait...no I am not. I am just telling it like it is. And regarding the warranty - that is not the issue. The issue is that a stove this 'young' should not have the problems it is having at the price it costs, period. Please do not expect further responses, I do not have the time to hang out on such threads. I have to go fix my stove.....
Jotul F500 Oslo v. Hearthstone Manchester. Advice?
- Thread starter Elessar the Heater
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Okay - so maybe a little more information for those of you who patrol these threads....I have been burning wood for many years and know how to operate wood stoves. I am not trying to 'dis' anyone and I sincerely doubt this is a 'single experience'. The Manchester stove is fairly new to the market. This is a legitimate complaint with a product that I believe has problems. The handle to the front door broke after 2 /1/2 years of use. I don't care how one operates a stove, that should not happen. By the way, the side door was primarily used. The front door was used only for starting fires and cleaning out the ashes - because as mentioned previously, the ash pan is useless - the grates over it get clogged with heavy use so the ashes do not fall to the pan. No biggie, just a small issue really. I went to the dealer where I bought the stove. They could do nothing except give me a number to a parts place. The only thing that broke was a bolt but you have to buy the entire handle. Can't remember the price but it was it the neighborhood of $300 --- ridiculous! (+ shipping don't forget). Since we were redoing our cellar I had to move the stove. It is very heavy so I began taking it apart to make it lighter. That's when the screws that held on the side door broke and I discovered the cracked stones. Now, on the good side the stove did work well and heated my 2200 Sq foot house adequately. And I think it is very attractive. I really liked the idea of a soap stone stove with a good looking cast iron box around it. But the stove is temperamental and in my opinion, based on other stoves I have used, somewhat fragile (pronounced fra JIL lay). Regarding this being my first post, yes it was. I was looking for other folks who may have had similar problems and I saw this thread. Figured I'd throw in my opinion. Sorry if I offended, wait...no I am not. I am just telling it like it is. And regarding the warranty - that is not the issue. The issue is that a stove this 'young' should not have the problems it is having at the price it costs, period. Please do not expect further responses, I do not have the time to hang out on such threads. I have to go fix my stove.....
That's a lot more helpful. The first post wasn't offensive, just a bit edgy and lacking in detail. You are right to complain about the door handle. There were a lot of complaints, enough to bring about a design change on multiple models. What's wrong is that the dealer didn't communicate this. That's why I asked.
Early Manchesters definitely had issues. This thread has some reports:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...arthstone-manchester-wood-stove.115118/page-3
Early Manchesters definitely had issues. This thread has some reports:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...arthstone-manchester-wood-stove.115118/page-3
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Live free, wow. Have sold many Manchesters and haven't experienced problems that yours had. If anything, it seems to be a pretty well received stove. The problem I see with it is its' price, it retails for as much as a Jotul Firelight and as such, doesn't get looked at as much in the store. We don't sell many cast Hearthstones, though they seem to be good performers. I do remember the Bennington (The double door predecessor to the Manchester) having issues with the handle design. I'm doubting the cost of the handle..... something is not right there.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Our local Hearthstone dealer is also a Jotul dealer. I went in to look at stoves several years ago, and asked him about a few of the Hearthstone models. His exact words, as best as I can remember them, "if you're not buying soapstone, don't buy a Hearthstone. The quality of their stoves is not anywhere near Jotul." Possibly pertinent info for the OP, who is considering both.
Rearscreen
Minister of Fire
There is a difference between soapstone heat and cast iron heat. It is said that soapstone is softer. I agree, much more pleasant. I have owned 2 Hearthstone models in the past and loved them. As a Progress owner now I can't see myself ever changing to another as the output and efficiency continually blow me away. Had you considered Woodstock?
The poorly designed door locking mechanism on the Hearthstones is a known problem with many posts on this forum. I thought the design had been changed but was never able to confirm that.
My Hearthstone also has problems with the glass getting black but that is in the shoulder seasons or whenever I am not burning hot for a prolonged period. From talking to others, there are other makes with better air wash systems but this issue is a minor inconvenience for me. I don't sit watching the fire but I am sure there are many that do and it would make a big difference to them.
I think the post from Rearscreen sums it up well. Hearthstones are wonderful stoves and soapstone is great but there are other choices that have surpassed their older designs IMHO. I tried to buy Woodstock but could not as they are not ULC (Canada) certified and chose a Hearthstone instead.
My Hearthstone also has problems with the glass getting black but that is in the shoulder seasons or whenever I am not burning hot for a prolonged period. From talking to others, there are other makes with better air wash systems but this issue is a minor inconvenience for me. I don't sit watching the fire but I am sure there are many that do and it would make a big difference to them.
I think the post from Rearscreen sums it up well. Hearthstones are wonderful stoves and soapstone is great but there are other choices that have surpassed their older designs IMHO. I tried to buy Woodstock but could not as they are not ULC (Canada) certified and chose a Hearthstone instead.
Hearthstone's issue with their door handles are well known- they have been re-designed a couple of times. If the handle is operated correctly (it locks to the left with many of the soapstone units), there's no issues. On some of the soapstone units, the inner door frame was wearing and breaking off where the handle went behind it and locked, that was a frustration for many HS owners, but it has now been changed to a separate lip piece that the handle locks behind. HS makes very pleasant looking stoves, but do seem more problematic than the Jotuls, who seem to just go to work everyday. Every stove has some issue, we have to realize that.
Rearscreen
Minister of Fire
DougA mentions the glass getting black or at least dark. I just dialed that in regardless of brand with or without airwash. I noticed that the Progress didnt have this problem and discovered it has 2 panes of glass so, the inner glass gets hotter and burns off soot. Pretty good idea.
droppinloads
Member
I recently burned with an F500 in a home i rented in VT. It heated approx. 1500sq ft just fine, although I did struggle with the burn times. I'd load it up before going to bed around 11pm & unless I was up at 5-530 there'd be no coals left. I was never able to get more than about 6hrs with it
One common issue with the door handle is folks don't know how to adjust it and get the set screw correct. My understanding is that there is a flat on the door rod that the set screw needs to tighten up against. Some folks don't realize this and tighten up against the threaded side.
claydogg84
Minister of Fire
Sounds like a quality of wood issue. I get 8 - 9 hours all winter long.
jotul?
Burning Hunk
I know it's early in the season, but just today I loaded a full box on top of coals left over from a 12.5 hour burn. No kindling, nor the cleanest way to start a fire, but after pushing the coals forward, and loading up, I had good flame after 20 min. Shut air down after 50 min. This is my first year with one year seasoned wood, so I'm experimenting. Very pleased with the Jotul last year with junk wood and Eco bricks, super pleased with good wood already this year.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I just reloaded on coals from a fire 24 hours ago, and that fire was only 3 splits... but this is a Blaze King. (gauntlet down! [emoji6])
izzyq
Member
OK as a happy Manchester owner I figured I would post. Last night we began season #3 with this stove and thankfully we have not had any problems arise yet. When we were deciding on our stove purchase we considered both a Jotul and the Manchester. Big deciding factor for us was footprint. The Manchester is not as deep of a stove as the Jotul and I believe the required clearance to the back wall was less as well so the 2 combined made the Jotul stove stick out a great deal more into my living room. As the wife, this was a big deal to me. Just figured I'd add that to the mix. Asthetics were also huge to me ( I know not the best reason to select a stove) and although they are both beautiful stoves once I saw the Manchester in the Brown Enamel and knew it wouldn't stick out as much into the living room I just had to have it. Good Luck!
droppinloads
Member
No I had good wood- seasoned at least 18mos. I just couldn't get those long burns. It had a very, very long flue- 3 stories up the side of the house. It was a rented house & I no longer live there. I wish i could've gotten those long burn times, but i had a newborn at the time & was awake all the time anyway so loading it up wasn't that big of a deal!
claydogg84
Minister of Fire
My quality of wood comment was referring to not only moisture content, but also species. Burn times can vary greatly if you're comparing soft maple to hickory.
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