Yes another soapstone question

[They Call Me Pete]

I think the Mansfield would be too much overkill. I think Phoenix will suit me the best. Once house is up to temp. it'll be easy to maintain it. The biggest hurtle will be arguing with stove shop to take it back at THE PRICE I PAID!

 

[buckeye]

ok guys, this is what im heating with a heritage

im in ohio and the last couple of days it has been cold. My house has very little insulation and hardwood floors throughout. That being said, i have had to reload one time through the night to keep my 2500 sqft. house about 66. throughout the day when I am there to keep it loaded, it is keeping the house 68-70. I will gladly take that over the $450 per month I was giving Columbia gas.

 

[swestall]

WOW, that is one big masonary mass to heat with that stove! If you had it to do over again, would you get the Mansfield, or do you think the Heritage is just fine?

 

[Highbeam]

When you can only keep the house at 68-70 is that flat out burning hard at 500 (high burn rating for heritage) or are you letting it cool off between loads?

I also need to reload once through the night if I want to keep it going and the house warm. It is not an overnight heater. It will technically burn overnight meaning there are some hot coals in the morning but at 200 stove top temps it isn't heating anymore.

I've got to think that the Mansifeld would be much too large in the OP's house. He has 1400 SF with new insulation. No mention of high ceilings and the fuel is good hardwood.

 

[struggle]

By the numbers the Mansfield is to large for us but we can fill it full and we do not have to fiddle constantly with it. It is so predictable and we go through the ehat and coal stage and then refill. It just seemed like we were on the edge if we got the smaller stove we would have to spend more time filling it and working it hard to keep the house warm.

My wife is one that will trigger the furnace if the temp drops below 70 so it is very easy to maintain 70 in our house with the mansfield.

We are at around 1,400 sq ft basement and upstairs it equal with a vaulted ceiling in the kitchen and living room. Some say you do not count the upper floor for heating area as the heat mostly will rise only.

It seems to me the mansfield does not have to work hard and seems very effeicnt even if one adds only two or three splits instead of filling the box completely full on a bed of coals.

 

[buckeye]

my house will stay between 68-70 if i keep it loaded and do not let the stove top get lower than 300 or so. I dont have to burn at 500 constantly, but i do need to keep it going. If I let the stove burn to the coals, and the temp drop to like 200 and stay there for awhile the house will drop to like 64 or 65. I try not to let that happen, it takes to long to warm things back up. with it in the 50's here in ohio today, 1 or 2 splits and the air on low is plenty to keep the house comfy.

 

[bcnu]

[quote author="buckeye" date="1199651466"]my house will stay between 68-70 if i keep it loaded and do not let the stove top get lower than 300 or so. I dont have to burn at 500 constantly, but i do need to keep it going.

Think I'm see the same here. Cruising around 300 keeps the house comfortable, especially when current outside temps are going between 35-45. Just wonder if it is more efficient; or a possible savings on wood; or less effort; or a wash, to load it up rather than putting on a split or two every couple of hours - until loading it for a longer nighttime burn?

 

[Tink]

Pete,
I hope that you enjoy whichever soapstone you select. We have a hearthstone heritage and just love it. I am so loving the absence of the fry/freeze cycle that we had to endure with the cast iron stove. We don't get the long long burn times, but we don't cram pack the stove with wood but that's mostly because the low overnight temps here are a little less than 32. We have roughly 1400 square feet on our main floor, and the heritage heats it VERY well. We could do without the ash pan door, but like highbeam, we love the side door for re-loading. Oh I should have stated that we are burning softwood, and some of it semi dry-rotted from laying on the ground, so that's partly to blame for shorter burn times.

We have cut some oak and stacked it for seasoning. We are looking forward to burning that!

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