Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What make you came up with sweep the chimney every four weeks, that pretty costly. do you have fireplace or wood stove.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmyankee
Daily, I throw a scoop of this product made right down the road in Abbot, or Rutland Creosote remover from Vermont. I sweep the chimley every four weeks and have nothing but a couple of scoops of fine ash to clean out of the trap. The pipe has a thin film of powder that comes clean with a wire brush. I think the active ingredient might be Sodium Hydroxide.
Thanks to everyone for their most helpful input. Even though we do keep our stove clean, as a precaution I had a chimney sweep come out and clean the stove and take a look. Chimney was fine, as was stove, UNTIL he got to the top plate (just under the soapstone, but over the baffles). Filled with dust and ash and some creosote. I had never cleaned there, because I couldn't see it and accessing it is difficult and frankly I didn't realize that this compartment was even there! Once the fire made its way around the baffles, there was nowhere for the smoke to go up the chimney, since it was so clogged. Once that was cleaned out, I had my old stove back... the stove that I could light a nice steady fire with a single match and provide tons of warmth. The only negative was that I learned that the ceramic plate has a crack and small hole, so I will have to order a replacement (but meanwhile the stove is operational, and this part should fall under my warranty).
The other thing I'm seeing is, indeed, I chose a stove that is too big for my house. Because my woodstove is my primary heat source and I have 1100 sq.ft. feet, I thought that because my ceilings are high it would be a good idea to go larger and get the Heritage. I also liked the fact that the logs could be loaded from both the top and the side. What I didn't take into consideration was that due to our spray-foam insulation, the house maintains an even temperature for a very long time, so this, more than any other factor, should have been the reason to get a smaller stove. Not sure yet what we'll do about this, but meanwhile it was 8 degrees this a.m. and we slept with our windows slightly open!
Also wanted to mention that although our house is pretty much airtight, we do have adequate draft as far as chimney and stove(even with the windows closed).
It was satisfying to see that the Maine Forum had addressed each and every one of the owner's manual troubleshooting points. The people on this forum have a pretty good track record for accuracy on Maine matters. Opinions may vary, but facts don't.
Chimney was fine, as was stove, UNTIL he got to the top plate (just under the soapstone, but over the baffles). Filled with dust and ash and some creosote. I had never cleaned there, because I couldn't see it and accessing it is difficult and frankly I didn't realize that this compartment was even there! Once the fire made its way around the baffles, there was nowhere for the smoke to go up the chimney, since it was so clogged. Once that was cleaned out, I had my old stove back...
I mentioned this area once in another post, but I think it was in a different thread.
I use a shop vac to suck everything out of there.
Quote:
The other thing I'm seeing is, indeed, I chose a stove that is too big for my house. Because my woodstove is my primary heat source and I have 1100 sq.ft. feet, I thought that because my ceilings are high it would be a good idea to go larger and get the Heritage. I also liked the fact that the logs could be loaded from both the top and the side. What I didn't take into consideration was that due to our spray-foam insulation, the house maintains an even temperature for a very long time, so this, more than any other factor, should have been the reason to get a smaller stove. Not sure yet what we'll do about this, but meanwhile it was 8 degrees this a.m. and we slept with our windows slightly open!
Also wanted to mention that although our house is pretty much airtight, we do have adequate draft as far as chimney and stove(even with the windows closed).
Again, thanks everyone!
So, you spark it up and let it run high with a smaller amount of wood, then let it burn down. If you have a good bed of ash it will keep some coals for quite some time. After a while you'll get a feel for when you need to spark it back up again.
Or you can just let it run and keep the place nice and toasty, if it gets too toasty for your tastes, crack a window like you did. I'd rather do that than be fighting for warmth like I am now. One of these days I'll get one of those stoves.
I have a Mansfield soapstone and I am tremendously disappointed by this stove. I wanted the stove since the late 70s because i thought it was so beautiful. For years I heated with a Napoleon 75,000 btu that was used as a demonstration model. That stove was fantastic, but after 10 years the hardware on the secondary air system was deteriating. It was a plain looking stove, but it would heat up quickly , throw massive heat and 15 hours later would have hot coals. The hearthstone soapstone is a terrible stove. It is rated at 85,000 btu's and is supposed to have a 15 hour burn. The fire, using seasoned hardwood, never burns hot. It just uses a massive amount of wood but does not put out heat. I am using the same set up as i did for my Napoleon, straight up through the roof and adequately high. I am freezing in my small log cabin in upstate New York. Don't buy this awful stove.
How do i get to the area between the baffles and the soapstone (zymer post). I need to chimney sweep and clean out that top area myself because i live in a remote place where a chimney sweep is not an option.
I have a Mansfield soapstone and I am tremendously disappointed by this stove. I wanted the stove since the late 70s because i thought it was so beautiful. For years I heated with a Napoleon 75,000 btu that was used as a demonstration model. That stove was fantastic, but after 10 years the hardware on the secondary air system was deteriating. It was a plain looking stove, but it would heat up quickly , throw massive heat and 15 hours later would have hot coals. The hearthstone soapstone is a terrible stove. It is rated at 85,000 btu's and is supposed to have a 15 hour burn. The fire, using seasoned hardwood, never burns hot. It just uses a massive amount of wood but does not put out heat. I am using the same set up as i did for my Napoleon, straight up through the roof and adequately high. I am freezing in my small log cabin in upstate New York. Don't buy this awful stove.
It is my understanding that the idea of a soapstone woodstove is that the stone is a thermal-mass. The stone holds heat and will radiate that heat after the fire has died down.
A woodstove of steel or iron construction on the other hand will pass the heat through immediately to radiate without holding any back.
My woodstove is made of rolled steel, it is very thin walled. So the heat radiates out quickly. In theory because it is so thin-walled it may burn through fast giving it a short lifespan. After 12 years we are still waiting for it to burn through.
My woodstove is made of rolled steel, it is very thin walled. So the heat radiates out quickly. In theory because it is so thin-walled it may burn through fast giving it a short lifespan. After 12 years we are still waiting for it to burn through.
Mine is made of 3/8 inch molded and welded steel plate. The side and the back have 1/8 inch set out plates that insulate and allow air to rise between them. The interior is lined with 1 inch thick firebrick in a floating circumstance that allows air around it for very long life.
We use this to clean our chimney- easy to use with a drill motor. Clean and concise. For the two story part of our house, we bought an extra set of the wand rods. ( for the single floor woodstove in the kitchen, one set does it. ) Clean our chimney yearly at the start of fall. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My woodstove is now working! Here's the scoop...
