[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by Bentwheelbob

I can't believe you are more excited about the Century than you are the Tulikivi. Have you researched it yet? I am a fireplace (fire) nut and have wanted a Tulikivi for years. That thing is 4200 lbs of thermal mass that will radiate heat for a day after the fire dies down. You lucky dog. Please update this thread after you fire it the first couple times.

We live near the quarries where they get all the stone for them, so many homes here have them. I have not owned one prior. I fired it 3 days in succession in the Spring b/c I could not stand the suspense. Roars like a freight train. After reading the book, I did exactly as instructed, building 2 fires in a row with 70lb stacks of kiln dry hickory in each. After 3 days, I had still not heated the entire stove. I figure it will take 5 days to get it up to Temp. Might be that I need to build a slightly bigger fire, but the book is pretty specific about the whole procedure. Might also try doing 2 sets of 2 fires one in AM and one in PM until it is heated up? No real forums on info I have found on-line.

That stove is in a more isolated room where I have a return I have moved near the stove to suck some air back into the HVAC. Then it has a window in the top of the room open to a bedroom. It does not seem to me like the location is going to allow it to do as much for the house as the Century.

As a side note. I lived in an old company house originally part of the Alberene Soapstone Co. on my current property before I built. It had chimneys made of soapstone bricks. We used a Monarch cook stove to heat that place. The chimney would stay hot for about 18 Hrs after use. When I built, I lined all my hearths and fireplace surrounds with those bricks, which I found in the woods. My current FP uses a Texas Fireframe grate, and heats pretty well. If you have not see one of these, it is worth a Google. I have been using them for 30 years. They will run you out of a room with ANY conventional fireplace. $125. The stones on the hearth will hold heat for OVER 24 hours. Century thing at new place has a similar hearth, but I doubt it will absorb as much since there are airtight doors on it.

[Deadhead]

Used this fireplace furnace twice so far. The 2nd time I used it (figured out what I was doing) I raised the Temp in the entire 2700 SF house about 15* in 3 hours with 4 good sized oak logs. It was amazing. Weather has been consistently warm since then, so I have not had time to test it further, but I would highly recommend one of these things. Blasts hot air out of the duct work like nobody's business. Unless I can find a way to hook up a speed control on my HVAC fan, I am going to be opening windows to regulate the Temp. in the house.