How To Get Heat From a Soapstone Woodstove

I know that seems a very odd title for a blog post. After all, woodstove + wood + fire = heat, right? You’d think so, but interestingly enough, we get quite a few blog visits through various search engines with the search terms – “soapstone”, “not putting out heat”, or “no heat”. If this describes you, then perhaps I can help.

We have a Woodstock Fireview Soapstone woodstove, complete with a catalytic combustor. My tips will apply specifically to it, but hopefully will be useful for similar stoves of different make and model.

This stove is rated to heat up to 1600 square feet, but because of the soapstone, it is slow to do so. The appeal of soapstone is its ability to retain heat. Even after the fire has long gone out, the stove will be pleasingly warm to touch. The problem is that soapstone, unlike cast iron, takes awhile to heat up. This is one reason why it’s slow to heat the house.

What we’ve learned, is that the soapstone plus catalytic combustor requires a different technique than a cast iron woodstove. With our past cast iron stoves, we would get a good fire going and then damp it down to regulate the burn. Doing so with this stove means it takes a very long time to produce enough heat to warm the house.

The key is to start the fire and keep the damper all the way open until the stovetop thermometer registers in the catalytic burn range.

As soon as the temperature hits that mark, engage the combustor and damp down the stove. The result is that the gases start to burn and glorious heat quickly begins to radiate out. Depending on how cold the house is, it still takes time to make the farthest rooms more comfortable. Fans help, of course.

Once the house gets warmed up it doesn’t to take a roaring fire to keep it comfortable. The energy efficiency of the house is a factor here, and we’ve been enjoying better heat retention as we upgrade our windows and add insulation.

I should also mention that the configuration of the house is a consideration for any woodstove. We have about 1500 square feet of living space, with the soapstone stove in the living room in front of the house. Because of the arrangement of walls and doors, the hardest room to heat is the kitchen at the back of the house. However, for that we have our wood cookstove. Between the two, we are very comfortable indeed.