Questions about Hearthstone Heritage

[bcnu]

Finally close to purchasing a stove. Was set to get a Jotul Castine but my wife definitely likes the look of the Heritage soapstone stove, and it would seem to fit our (wants) and NEEDS well. Our details:
1. Connecting stove to an inside masonry fireplace that I will fully line. Flue goes through a second story attic so draft should
be fine(draft was very good with an old Fireview insert directly vented into the fireplace)
2. Heating about 700 sq feet and need at least 25000 BTU based on calculations I've done online. Have another 500 sq ft
down hall and into two bedrooms that may get some heat also.
3. Want to use the stove as primary heat and have oil furnace as backup - hopefully way back!

I understand soapstone will take longer to heat up and cool down. No problem as we plan to keep a fire going most of the time. BeGreen mentioned, in another post, about just taking the chill off in our cool Northwest Fall and Spring. I assume I can regulate the temp enough to not cook us out on these damp 50 degree days. I've read a bunch on this website, and elsewhere but wonder if might be missing anything when considering the Heritage and soapstone in general
ie. location of stove relative to fireplace opening,
would rear heatshield be good addition to direct more heat to the front
would a hearth surround be a good way to get the most out into the rooms
or best to use it first before those options two options,
does wood need to be more seasoned for soapstone,
ash pan concerns,
how long will it really produce heat/warmth -
all the basic questions and perhaps those I haven't thought of yet!

 

[Harley]

To be honest with you, bcnu, my initail thought was the Heritage might be a little big for the area you are thinking to heat. Of course that depends on the area you are in, and the insulation in the house, and a lot of other considerations. You can always regulate the heat by opening windows, or by a larger or smaller fire in there. Yes, as you know, they do take a little while to heat up or cool down, but if you plan to run the stove 24/7, then that may be the way to go.

For the size, my guess is that you would not really need a surround, or rear heat shield (obviously depends on what you have there for clearances)

The wood doesn't have to be any more seasoned for soapstone vs. any other stove.

"ash pan concerns"... I'm not really sure what the concerns may be.... If you plan on the ash pan being an easy way to get rid of the ashes, and if that is a deciding factor - IMO, it is pretty much useless. That's the one part of the stove I think was very poorly designed... much less headaches with a little shovel and a good ash bucket.

 

[bcnu]

Thanks Harley. I'm thinking that the Heritage and Jotul Castine are pretty similar. I could consider the Homestead but the numbers looks so close and the Tribute looks too small. Live in Oregon so not usually long hard winters compared to some.

 

[colsmith]

We were almost decided on the Heritage and then decided that the Hearthstone Phoenix was constructed better. They are fairly similar in size and appearance. The main advantage of the Heritage is if you are keen on loading from the side. With the location we chose, we would have needed the side door on the other side to do us any good. We are happy with our stove. The soapstone is a great feature, we were determined to have that. We keep the stove going all the time when it is cold, so the start up time doesn't matter much except on cold days when we leave town for a long time. That is what the furnace backup is for!

It never cooks us out of anyplace, so I don't think you have to worry about that. If it isn't terribly cold outside, just build smaller fires. We ignore our ash pan, we just shovel things out once in a while when the ashes get too high. We had our chimney installed for the stove, so can't help with that advice. We went with the rear heat shield just to lower the distance the stove had to be from the back wall. We don't use a blower or anything, we are fortunate that the heat distributes itself pretty well throughout most of our house. Good luck with your decision making.

 

[Corie]

It's a real shame that for a line of stoves as nice as the Hearthstone series, the ashpans are essentially a moot point. In reality, proper ash pan design certainly doesn't take much effort when one considers how much work goes into designing the entire stove.


Oh well, just ranting.

 

[bcnu]

Thanks Marcia. We would keep a fire going also - but was wondering if we might get too much heat on a day like today - more sun than clouds and temps around 60. So building a smaller fire sounds great. Looked at the other Hearthstone stoves and seems like the Heritage works in our situation. The Homestead, although similar, just doesn't seem to look as nice, or as balanced for the fireplace opening we have. I will be able to take advantage of the side door.

Looked at Driftwood's setup one more time and ours should come out pretty much the same - with the stove out in front of the fireplace opening. Had to admire that fireplace and set up all over again.

Corie, sure seems like ash pans are a bone of contention on so many stoves. Hope you design a better one!

 

[DriftWood]

The Heritage in enamel was my wives choice also. Great stove they will burn up to 8 1/2 hours all heated up and stuffed full of oak. There may be enough coals to start the next fire. Your home will not need to turn on any other heating with that stove going. They do burn 24/7 best. It does take one hour or more to get surface temperate to 275 from a cold start with a hot fire. Small fires and low BTU wood is the trick between 40 and 60 daytime temps. You will need to put in a ceiling fan to mix hot air near the ceiling. I was seeing a 5-7 degree difference top to middle air temp in the room, before I put one in. Natural air flow will move heat to the far rooms.

 

[mikeathens]

I am for the most part pleased with mine - only had it since february. It is easy to operate, and will definitely provide a more consistent, longer lasting heat than cast iron. My house is 1800 sq. ft., and moderate to poor insulation (to be worked on this spring). Under 15 F or so, it will get a bit chilly with the stove at full bore, so your situation might warrant a bit smaller stove.

I agree with the ash pan comments - it's pretty much worthless; I wish they would have combined the VC Dutchwest features with the soapstone/combustor design of the hearthstone. Good luck.

Oh, yeah...you pretty much have to be superman to get the latch to catch on the ashpan door, and on top of that, it opens backward from what seems to be logical. The door has a springloaded latch that takes a good amount of force to push while turning the handle. The front door is a pain because there are no andirons - ash builds up in the front of the stove and then falls out all over the place when you open it - pretty much leaves the only door "fun" to use is the side door. Not a major issue since the side door is (in my case) about the only one used.

 

[bcnu]

Harley and Mike From Athens, you two may be the only ones to ever advocate, on this forum, for a smaller stove :lol: You've got me thinking and I'll certainly go over it with the dealer - who seems to know his stuff. Do get enough heat from the Heritage when you are using a smaller fire? Is it logical to assume smaller fires will still keep the stove operating efficiently and us warm but not overwhelmed with heat? We have a fair number of days with temps in the 40-60's. Mike, you also say you're pretty satisfied - anything, besides the ashpan, that comes to mind? Thanks. I should just go buy the thing, but I find it hard to part with $2200 or more without serious consideration.

 

[bcnu]

Mike - just reread your post and must have skimmed over your stove comments.

 

[mikeathens]

I have noticed with mine that as long as there is good flame in the firebox, you get fair secondary combustion. You can run it at a lot lower temberature (300 F or less), but that means tossing in a chunk of wood every hour or so - and getting the combusiton process going again. Might be 10 minutes of high emissions, followed by 90 minutes of clean burn, and then do it all over again.

If you are truly heating only 500 SF, a relatively small stove would be adequate. If you plan to heat the rest of your house with it, too, my opinion based on my few experiences would be to go ahead with the heritage. The layout of your house, along with the ability to transfer the heated air, will be a big factor. I've been through 3 stoves in my house, and I think I finally have it right - definitely get a professional opinion (even then, you're taking a chance...I found a lot of professionals that I've hired through the years know less about the subject than I do from cars to heating to insulation).

 

[Harley]

Hi, bcnu:

After re-reading your post about the additional 500 sq (total house approx 1,100 sf?) again, depending on the layout, and if you have a means of circulating some of the heat into the "other" 500', as well as insulation in the house, climate, etc.... them you are probably right that the heritage isn't too big. Even with a goot, hot fire, I've never been cooked out of the room the stove is in.

Like I said, the ash pan is the only thing I would consider poor design in the stove. Mike is right, however about the use of the front door for loading. There are no andirons, and I would think a small set would help to keep ash from accumulating in front of the front door (iether that, or giving it a higer "lip" inside the firebox. I always load from the side door, not because of that, but because the location of the side door is just more convenient for me, so I didn't really consider that much of a drawback.

Good luck on the purchase... let us know what you decide.

 

[DonCT]

Heritage, I love mine. Easy to run, good even heat. Heat's my 1500 sq ft. just fine with plenty to spare. Side door is nice, don't seem to get any "puffs" when side loading. I got 8-9 burn times with 12 hrs. effective heat this winter. The ash pan is......ok. I wish it had a cover so when you emptied it, ashes would blow everywhere.

All in all, I give my Heritage a 8.5 out of 10. Design and functionality are excellent, ash pan and handles are weak points. The handles keep coming loose on mine. Had to tighten them a couple times. No biggie, just an annoyance.

 

[bcnu]

Waiting for a call back from the dealer. He thought I wanted a Jotul Castine last itme we talked(so did I). He has some Heritages in stock so will be interesting to hear a price. Called 3 other dealers and got 3 different prices - from $2200-2450.
Further comment about space we are heating. The immediate area is about 750 sq ft(combined two 20X15 rooms by taking out a wall) So we have and area 20x30 with a kitchen that extends one of those rooms by another 10x15. 8' ceilings with no fans, walls insulated to 1966 specs, French doors and a large picture window, and the inside fireplace sits about 4 ' from one wall, and a full size attic with good insulation. I think I had better learn to post pictures. The hall leads down the middle of the house 16' with one bedroom and a bathroom and a large master bedroom at the end(again, we took out a wall and combined two smaller bedrooms.) There is also a full basement which is where we're living until the final remodel details are done this week! (NOt trying to heaqt attic or basement). More info than you probably want but may help clarify - let me know if it muddies the water. Kinda reminds me of the game I had my 4th graders play - where they sit back to back and one draws what the other describes and then they compare to the real McCoy. There, I think my 1000 words are up.

 

[Harley]

There, I think my 1000 words are up.

Naww.... wordy helps about the setup, pics or diagrams help too, because that will probably be the best thing to bring the dealers in the area to see the layout so they can help you make an informed decision. Unless I missed it.... general location? maybe that would help some get some idea as to how much you need to heat.

 

[Mrs-GVA]

Love the looks of the Heritage....

 

[bcnu]

Harley, general location of the stove - inside the house :cheese:
general location of the house - close to Portland, Oregon

Mrs GVA - I kinda like the looks of the PE, which shows you how much I know!
Mrs bcnu took one look at the Heritage and it was all over.

 

[buckeye]

i am having the heritage installed within the next week, I originally had a morgan insert installed(clydesdale was too big) and I have had no luck heating more than the room that it is in. I posted about it on here. The dealer seems to think we will be happier with the heritage and from reading the posts, it looks like we will. I was looking forward to the ash pan, that doesnt seem to be any better than the shovel and pan im using now.
My total house is about 2500 sq ft. but Im actually only trying to heat the downstairs and have some residual heat flow up the open staircase. Wish me luck, I know that the heritage will have to put out more heat than the morgan did.

 

[titan]

Buckeye-were any conclusions drawn as to why your Morgan insert didn't live up to specs?Maybe the freestanding heritage will give you some extra- needed radiant heat-good luck.

 

[bcnu]

Buckeye, keep us posted on the Heritage . Would like to know how it works out for you.

 

[Rhone]

Okay, I'll bite. The Heritage is WAY TOO BIG. The Heritage is for heating a 1500-2000 sq ft house in MA, ME, NH, VT, NY etc. Portland, Oregon has the same Heating requirements as Albuquerque NM, Louisville KY, Eureka CA, Bristol - Johnson City TN, Dallas TX. Your planting zone is the same as Florida. I feel a stove that's made to heat a house 2x-3x the size in a climate twice as cold is not a good idea where you are. You can put smaller loads but there's limits. The units burn best fully loaded (called partial charge efficiency). I've burned lots of fires in my Hearthstone Clydesdale to learn if I put in 5 splits my house will heat up 12-13F (2.5F/split). If I put in 4, my house will heat up 8F (2F/split) if I put in 3 splits my house will heat up 2-3F (<1F/split). I did try 6 splits and my house went from 65F to 82F and I opened windows. So, I have a 4 split minimum, anything less doesn't get the stove hot enough to burn efficiently or get secondary burn going and I've tried 3 splits with countless configurations it only works when reloading my stove when it's already hot.

I'm at the limits of having a unit too big and I live in the Middle to Northern part of New England in a 1300 sq ft house with a Hearthstone Clydesdale that's about the same firebox size as the Heritage. I think the Heritage too big. On a side note BuckEye lives in a pretty cold place in an uninsulated house and a great match for the Heritage. Buckeye from previous posts wants a room they can feel warm and a stove is a wiser choice in that situation. I think Buckeye is going to be really happy with one.

 

[bcnu]

Love it! Partial charge efficiency - sounds like an explanation for my laziness. "Yes dear, the Dr. confirmed that I have a serious case of PCE and I'll need lots of rest."

What you are saying is that, at some point, a large stove needs enough fuel. to remain efficient. Your splits example was helpful. The Homestead appears to be the only smaller option that allows us to do a rear vent. Any thoughts on it as opposed to the Heritage? I'll see if the dealer can give a list of people who have these stoves and I'll do some additional checking. I can see it now, "Hello sir, I'm with the Dept. of (no) Energy and I need to observe the Partial Charge Efficiency of your wood stove. The best time to do this is during dinner and a light dessert."

We do have another dealerthat allows you to return a stove, for one year, for any reason. That might be a thought. I think they charge 10% of the cost to do that.

 

[Mrs-GVA]

Harley, general location of the stove - inside the house :cheese:
general location of the house - close to Portland, Oregon

Mrs GVA - I kinda like the looks of the PE, which shows you how much I know!
Mrs bcnu took one look at the Heritage and it was all over.

bcnu....I don't know how it works at your house, but around here....well...what Mrs-GVA wants......Mrs-GVA gets ;-P so.....if that is the case...well, your PE will just be a dream!

 

[bcnu]

I thought the PE would be a very good stove. We took a drive in the country - the dealer also has an 800 acre farm. I liked the PE , but my wife barely gave it the once over and we we out of there. Please understand that she has told me numerous times to just make a decision, as I've tended to draw out this stove decision. I wasn't even considering a soapstone - we walk into the dealerto close on a Jotul and see the Heritage in action. I'm still talking to the salesman and she walks away and sits down. I realize I had just made a decision - and a good one at that. Now we just need to finalize the model.

 

[buckeye]

im not sure if something in the morgan was/is defective, but we have had no secondary burn ever. no matter what temp we got the fire to and no matter where we had the air set, nothing coming out of the sec. burn. So, I dont know if that is the problem or what, but I will say that our dealer has been very good about trouble shooting and came out for a light up and to watch it burn, he has been doing installs for approx. 23 years and has never seen one like this. Im chalking this one up to bad luck on the first time out. Im just happy to be getting a free standing stove, I think :roll: