Soapstone FAQ's

What is the main difference between your soapstone masonry heaters and your soapstone wood burning stoves, don’t they both burn wood and have soapstone, so how are they different?
While they look the same, they are very different in the way they heat.
The masonry heaters heat by radiant heat strictly from the heat of the soapstones,   the woodstoves heat primarily by convection heat (releasing hot air from the cast iron insert into the room) , although the soapstone that surrounds it will absorb and radiate some of that heat as well, but to a much less efficient degree than the full fledged masonry heaters.

The masonry heater is 100% soapstone inside and outside, the soapstone wood stove is a cast iron insert surrounded by soapstone.

Do these come in one piece?
No, the masonry heaters are assembled piece by piece using cement; similar process of  laying bricks. Typical installation of a masonry heater takes two days. On the other hand, our soapstone wood burning stoves can be easily assembled in a couple of hours and the accompanying cast iron insert slides right in place.

I have a basement/ crawl space  under the area where I want to install this appliance, will that be ok?
No, because of the extreme weight of these units, they must go on a concrete slab, please check with your engineer about your load bearing capacity.

Does the soapstone get very hot? How hot does it get?
The maximum temperature of the stones after fully charging it(by burning wood) will be around 200 degrees Fahrenheit . The glass however, like in any other wood burning appliance, will get extremely hot, over 700 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause serious injury if touched.

How long does the soapstone stay hot after burning wood?
After 3 to 4 hours of wood burning, depending on the room’s insulation, the soapstone will continue to radiate heat typically for another  12 to 20 hours. On the less heavy, soapstone wood burning stoves you will get radiant heat for 4 to 8 hours depending on the room’s insulation.

What size flue does a soapstone wood stove require?
A standard 6” flue.

How is a soapstone wood stove vented?
A Soapstone wood stove is vented from the lower rear section, which can be connected to an existing chimney or through the wall with a flue.

Why are they vented from the lower back side?
The Soapstone Masonry Heaters, are contra flow heaters, one of the reasons why they are so efficient, is because instead of releasing the hot gases from fire straight out the chimney, they have channels which allow the gases to pass, up and down the sides of the heater, heating up the stone before the hot gases are released.

Can I install them myself?
Unlike our easily assembled soapstone wood stoves, our soapstone masonry heaters must be installed by a professional masonry heater installer and we do not recommend self installation. Our soapstone wood burning stoves can be easily assembled by the DIYr homeowner, the flue however, needs to be installed by a professional.

Are your products EPA approved?
EPA's certification process requires manufacturers to verify that each of their wood stove model lines meet a specific particulate emission limit by undergoing emission testing at an EPA accredited laboratory.

Our wood stoves are built around a wood stove insert Model # BEF 520 H. This model is EPA certified. The soapstone veneer style, i.e. Vulcan, Boulder, etc refer to the exterior soapstone surround.

Note that masonry heaters in general(not only the ones made of soapstone) are exempt from EPA regulations.

Washington State has different requirements and we cannot sell our products in the state of Washington.