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Soapstone, HeatLife and thermal mass
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stoves radiate heat while the fire burns. What happens when the fire goes out?
Depending on the materials and their thicknesses, some stoves can act as batteries, storing and releasing heat for hours. The length of time a stove stays hot after burning a load of fuel is called HeatLife™.
Thermal mass helps determine a stove’s HeatLife™, or thermal capacitance – the length of time a stove stays hot afterburning a load of fuel. A soapstone stove’s thermal mass, and therefore its HeatLife™, is greater than that of steel or cast-iron stoves. Therefore, if you want a stove that radiates heat for longer periods of time, soapstone is ideal. In fact, soapstone has the highest specific heat value of all available natural stones.
A soapstone stove’s thermal mass also plays a large role in modulating the temperature swings of a fire. As the fire burns intensely at the start of a cycle, the stone absorbs and store heat; as the fire cools, the stone releases that stored heat. So the heat given off by the stove is much more even than the temperature of the fire within.