Welcome to my Cast Iron Kettle Steamer Review.
Are you using a wood or pellet stove to heat your home during the cold winter season?
Or do you enjoy a fire in your fireplace?
You love the warmth it brings, but the problem is the air is dry.
Are you looking for a way to add humidity to your home when using your fireplace or woodstove?
Maybe you have considered a kettle steamer but want to know more.
Or maybe this is the first time you are hearing about one.
Either way, let’s look at what a kettle steamer is and does.
Table of Contents
Pleasant Hearth Cast Iron Kettle Steamer Review
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Product: Kettle Steamer
Brand: Pleasant Hearth
Manufacturer: GHP Group Inc
Price: See Menards
Capacity: 3 quarts of water
Weight: 9.55 lbs.
Product Dimensions: 10 x 8 x 9.5 inches (handle extended) or 9.63 H x 8.50 W x 5.88 D (Shipping)
Made in: China
Manufacturer’s Warranty: 1 Year
Return Policy: Menards Returns
Great For: Adding moisture to dry air
What is a Kettle Steamer?
A kettle steamer is a kettle you fill with water and put near heat to add moisture to the air. Typically, it is used near a fireplace or on top of a wood stove. When the water heats up and steams, it humidifies the air. The Pleasant Hearth cast iron steamer kettle has a chrome handle that is cooler to the touch. Although the kettle can be used for decorative purposes, as a planter, or for camping to boil water, these ways are not what it’s primarily intended for.
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A Little About Pleasant Hearth and GHP
Pleasant Hearth offers a variety of hearth products, including electric fireplaces and fireplace glass doors, wood-burning, pellet, and vent-free stoves, firepits, electric log inserts, and many fireplace accessories.
You can find their products in prominent retailers across North America and on the internet. In my research, I found the kettle steamer in various places such as Home Depot, Walmart, and Amazon.
Menards was the lowest price, even when adding in shipping costs you might not have with places such as Amazon. However, Menards doesn’t ship internationally. In that case, Amazon may be your best bet.
And though many of Pleasant Hearth’s products are made in the USA, the kettle steamer is made in China.
Pleasant Hearth products are made by the GHP Group, a company specializing in heating, water purification systems, storage, and laundry products. GHP also own other brands such as Dyna-Glo, Vitapur, Pur, Greenway, and Muskoka.
The GHP Group and Pleasant Hearth is located in Niles, Illinois and was started in 2003. Though I believe Pleasant Hearth has been around much longer.
Answering Your Questions
Will the kettle rust?
Yes, it will rust. Especially if you leave water in it when not using. Water plus iron equals rust. Seasoning can help if you want to go to the trouble. I cleaned up mine after four years of using it, and it looked brand new on the outside. I don’t care as much about the way the inside looks.
Will the kettle work on a pellet stove?
Yes. The kettle is cast iron and will work with any heat source though it’s not intended for open fires.
Can I use this kettle for camping?
The kettle is durable and should hold up to rugged use, but since it’s not intended for consuming food or water, I’m not sure what you would use it for when camping. There will be rust particles in the water.
Does it work as a humidifier?
Absolutely. It does a great job at adding moisture to the air in much the same way as an electric humidifier does.
How often do I need to refill it?
This depends entirely on how much you use your stove and how hot it burns. We use ours almost exclusively during the winter months, and often add water to top it off. We can do that because someone is usually home during the day. But if I had to guess, I’d say we would have to fill it morning and night if we waited for it to get to the bottom. The outside temperature will also affect how hot you want your stove to get.
Can you add essential oils for fragrance?
Yes. Lots of people do this, including me. Others talk about adding cinnamon, cloves, lemon, grapefruit, herbs, or vanilla extract. This kettle can act as both a humidifier and fragrance diffuser.
Can I put the kettle on my gas stovetop?
The instructions say not intended for an open flame, as the finish may bubble and melt. I’m not sure if that includes a stovetop burner, though. Several people have said they use it on their stovetop as both a humidifier and a way to add fragrance to the air. However, I wouldn’t put it in a campfire.
Can I put the kettle directly on the surface of the woodstove?
Yes, you can, as that is what we have done. But just so you know, it will leave a mark. Some people have said they use a trivet to place under the kettle. This sounds like a good idea.
What Others Are Saying
The majority are happy with this kettle steamer. Many are pleased that it does what it says it will do, while others like how it looks and thinks it adds charm to the room.
It makes breathing easier and helps with cracked, chapped skin and lips.
Adding essential oils or other things that add fragrance is a bonus.
But some of the reviews were mixed. While some thought the kettle was the right size, others thought it was too small. They didn’t like that they had to fill it throughout the day.
And while many said it was a good value, others thought it was poor quality.
Some were unhappy that it rusted. But others pointed out that you can’t get away from it having rust because it’s cast iron.
A few said they seasoned it like any cast iron cookware, and they had no problems with rust.
What Did I Think
My husband bought this for our wood burner stove several years ago. We already had a smaller one, which was still going strong. We both agreed that a second one would be nice.
I am pleased with both my kettle steamers. They do what they are designed to do, and even more when you add essential oils.
I have never once thought about doing anything different with mine, but I can see why someone might think it was a tea kettle or something you get for camping just from the looks of it.
Because we got ours in the fireplace section at Menards, we knew from the beginning what it was.
I also didn’t have to worry about shipping since we bought it at the store. Because of its heaviness and the people who said they received damaged ones, I would recommend getting one at the store if possible.
I’ve had minimal rust problems but didn’t give it much thought. When I recently cleaned and seasoned mine on the outside, it looked brand new. I haven’t seen any rust since then.
However, I didn’t bother with the inside because it was very rough, and I didn’t think it was worth worrying about. After all, my other one was still working after ten or so years. No leaks. Neither the roughness nor the inside rust matters, in my opinion.
I Like It!
Overall, I love my Pleasant Hearth kettle steamer. I like what it does and how it looks. I especially like the way it looks after I seasoned it. Only time will tell whether it will help with the rust long term.
One feature is that the chrome handle is cool to the touch, and I agree it is cooler than the kettle. However, I still used an oven mitt when I picked it up since the kettle had been sitting on the stove for a long time and felt pretty warm to the touch. I don’t know that it would have burned me, though.
I would recommend this kettle steamer to anyone who has a wood stove.
Spice Up Your Kettle or Steamer With a Scent From Stove Scents
Pros
- Sturdy, durable, heavy-duty
- Works as intended (but not for tea)
- Can double as a way to add fragrance to the room
- Helps with breathing, chapped lips, and cracked skin
- Adds charm to the room (if you like that kind of look)
- Would make a lovely decoration or planter
- The chrome handle is cooler to the touch
Cons
- Tendency to rust
- Rough interior
- Some problems with damage during shipping
- Its looks can be misleading
Final Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed reading my Pleasant Hearth Cast Iron Kettle Steamer Review.
And learning about its uses and what you shouldn’t do with it.
I tried to answer some common questions you might have and to represent the product fairly.
Since I have one, I could speak from experience, and I hope you found value in reading about what I thought.
Finally, I wanted to share the pros and cons experienced by others.
A kettle steamer is meant to humidity the air using indirect heat. It is a good alternative for an electric humidifier.
If you have a wood or pellet stove, you will benefit from having a kettle steamer. And I highly recommend the Pleasant Hearth kettle steamer.
Or you can click Amazon if you prefer to see it there.