Woodstock Stove: Survival Hybrid

luckily it wasn't last night, it was the beginning of the week. Both flues were damaged and needed to have the inner liners removed and replaced with the dual wall inner liners. One of the local masons dropped everything and got the flue for the furnace working for them. They have 3 teenage girls and 8 inside pets—everything from 3 dogs to other little critters and couple reptiles.

So they're okay, it could have been last night! Stuff like that happens a lot around here.

 

Update in the off-chance this info helps anyone out there:

I got the stove in 2019, ordered a replacement catalyst in November 2021, and just installed it today.
4 years with the same catalyst suited me just fine with the normal routine maintenance you'd read about throughout the threads in this website. I stayed with the stainless steel construction.
The future may bring me to a ceramic model one day, but at this point I don't know enough about them to make a determination.

 

In the next week I'm going to regasket the stove, pick up a spare catalyst and otherwise give this thing the once over.

I'll add something that has been a bit of a lurking controversy over the years on this and other forums- I decided to replace the firebrick with a set of soapstone firebrick for basically no real reason. I've searched up comments to see if anyone had done it and there were some comments that it had been done but no real discussion of it, and additionally it was kind of an odd conversation bump to get into describing how the stove was a "Woodstock Soapstone Stove" and then the next comment need to be answered with "well no, this model doesn't have any soapstone". This wont make it an actual soapstone liner, but after 5 years with this, I believe that if there was a noticeable difference I'd be able to come close to describing it.
Last comment for now is I contacted Woodstock and asked specifically if they had a firebrick kit / if there was a soapstone kit for it and they said yes and priced me each, so I decided to go for it, and I'm only a couple hours away so I'll take a ride and see what else is going on up there. It is however worth noting, that a soapstone firebrick option is not currently available on the website so that might be a bit of omen of things to come.

 

I've never had the impression Woodstock coddled their website like some other manufacturers do.

Is your firebrick showing signs of age or is this more of 'souping it up' not unlike going to Zares 50 years ago to pick up new hubcaps for the car ?

 

A few have cracked, but none have crumbled, putting me in a position of doing this basically because I want to and curiosity is gnawing at me.
Had a few beers in the backyard with my buddy last night and his take on it was “this is the equivalent of the guy lifting his truck an inch just to drive it to Costco?” Possibly the right take, but certainly funny.
Won’t know for several months anyway- it’s in the 80s here.

Backwoods Savage absolutely, will do.

 

Was able to convince myself not to do it. Whew.

 

A notable update.

We resided our home, added Tyvek wrap and insulation. Doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out the place is significantly warmer, but one thing that’s been gnawing at me for a while is I had bought 5 lengths of chimney pipe up on my house when I installed my first stove, but due to a fear of heights only installed 4.
I asked the crew here if when they put up the chimney if they would add the 5th length and attach the roof bracket. They did, and I don’t know if the draft has legitimately improved or it’s the extra strength placebo I took this morning, but I’m pleased.
It’s only been a couple of days so maybe I’m suffering from new toy syndrome thinking this is the best thing ever, but regardless of my thinking I’m noticing a difference with the stove, there’s no doubt the house gets and stays warmer longer. If nothing else, the windows not being as drafty is something I can feel right from the chair I’m sitting in writing this out.

 

Looks like a nice job, on the siding and the chimney install and roof bracket!

Carry on! No snow here in Mass either, but plenty of cold!

 

Appealing for some advice-
I did a vinegar bath on my catalyst and when I went to put it back in the stove the thing completely unspooled and fell apart. I ordered a replacement from Woodstock but it might not ship for a few days with the holiday.
I need a 6 inch round cat- does anyone have experience with the ceramic kind? I'd like to have a backup for times like this-
My only experience so far is with the all metal construction types, just curious to know if the ceramic type is decent.

 

They are.
People that have used both say it's down to personal preference pretty much, both work well.

 

Thank you!

 

I used ceramic round cats in my Dutch West, 1985 for at least 15 years. I think I would get upset that they would fall apart about 5 or y years in. They worked fine. The stove itself fell apart after time,
But they worked just fine. I'm not sure this is the size you need. But it may be.

Firecat Catalytic Combustors

 

I was on my second catalyst with my stove and the other night took it out, vacuumed it and decided to give it the vinegar/distilled water bath. When I went to put it back in the stove it unspooled and fell apart. I thought I had a backup in my basement but I didn't. I ordered one Tuesday night in the middle of the night from Woodstock and it got here Friday. I wanted to have a back up and the price difference between the steel and ceramic was significant. So I have a steel in there now chugging away and the ceramic on its way to patiently await me to screw something else up again.

 

Usually the steel is more expensive, is that what you found with the "significant" difference? Having used both I prefer ceramic. They last much longer and don't plug up as easy. Don't drop it though!

 

The steel guy was $140 plus shipping and the ceramic was $39 some odd dollars free shipping- so I guess I'll see if I have a new go to.

 

Is it a circular unit? If so I had one of those in my Small Dutch West (made in Korea) and it worked like a charm, and lasted years.

 

Yes 6inch round x 2inch deep. I thought the one I was using was only a few years old, but evidently it was more like 6.
There was a learning curve for me so the first one I had lasted a couple years before I replaced it- the second evidently lasted about 5 and a half or 6 years.
I'll just make sure to keep one in reserve from now on.

 

Keeping one in reserve is a smart move. I think you'll be impressed with the ceramic.