Production Woodstock IS

What the h@$! is wrong with that forklift driver? I'm sorry but I think I would have had a few things to say.

 

For any one picking up new stove, do not sign delivery receipt till loaded on truck or trailer. This protects you and shipper. Note anything on crate- box that does not look like setting on Woodstock's dock, note everything on delivery receipt . My stove shipment looked better than if my employer shipped it (competitor).

 

The IS crate 2 X 4 wood base boards are 16% moisture content and the 1 X slats are 10% MC.

 

So what was the final outcome? Was there any other damage?

 

Howdy: Aside from paint scrapes, I can't see anything structural. My concern is with the integrity of the ash pan and if it has been bent. Me and a buddy had to remove every single piece of metal and all firebox stones to be able to get it in the house on on the hearth pad. And of course I forgot to take pictures of the firebrick configuration before removing them. Thank goodness a picture of the firebox was posted early on in this thread. Putting it back together is going to be a bit of a task...

 

OK, here's a concern....I removed the catalyst prior to moving the stove. when you tilt it, it makes a sound like rain. Is that normal?

 

I can't say I've ever heard tha before. What do you mean when you say tilt it?

 

turn it upside down, vertically, etc. it makes a sound like rain and I didn't know that catalysts had moving parts?

 

Re: Replacing the soapstone blocks:

I stripped the stove down completely to get it installed - there are a few "tricks" to replacing the soapstone blocks.
1) there is a soapstone block "key" in the manual. See back pages. WS apparently cuts the liner blocks the same for all the stoves. The measurement is also written on each block. I labeled mine w/ pencil on the edges - consecutive numbers AND designated U=upper L=lower R=right etc.
2) replace stove "back" blocks 1st then stove side blocks (left or right next - L/R order not relevant). However, when placing blocks (especsially the "upper" blocks) it may be easier to place them in the center of the stove-back-wall and slide them left and right until the center (or sweet spot) is the last block to be set in place.
3) blocks can be placed and "slid" into their respective positions. For the upper-blocks, there is a "sweet-spot" on the black-iron retaining rails that will allow easier entry for blocks. Then slide them into their original positions. It's a bit like a chess/checker way of thinking - 2 steps ahead.
4) the "upper" blocks are all beveled. You slide them up-and-in with the beveled side toward the black-retaining rails (bevel down-and -facing-you).
5) I recommend placing back blocks 1st (as I said above) then L or R BUT - start side wall blocks by placing rear-most and front-most blocks 1st and finishing with the blocks in the middle (of the sides).
And don't forget to really enjoy the feel of the blocks as you touch them. It will will give you a better appreciation for why the stuff is called "soap-stone".

 

Gark,
Love your thinking - regarding burning the pallet wood. For those of you out there who are planing to move your IS (or any stove) there is another good use for the wood.
When moving the stove (pre-installation) keep the stove on 2 x 4s either N-S or E-W. Use any round dowel-like object (broom sticks, pencils ANYTHING round) to roll stove. If the stove is "stripped" down, it's pretty easy to tip it so the round dowel can be placed under the 2 x 4s. It's best if the dowel is long enough to span across 2 x 4s placed either left-right or front-back.
Actually, I rolled the stove the length of my deck (60ft - fully loaded, 700+lbs) with only 2 broom-sticks. The dowel rolls to one end under the 2 x 4s as you push the stove, and the 2nd dowel can be placed easily because the stove rocks easily on the dowel it's on.

I only wish the pallet could've been built with oak!

 

Welcome to FHC, BrucePA- the idea of moving heavy stuff on dowels is a good one. We used to move 2 ton safes around with dowels - to turn a corner, just lay the new dowels about 10 degrees to the preceeding one and keep doing that. It will rotate the object right around.

 

Well, I got everything done including mounting of a Drolet thermodisc for wall-mounted fan that is behind the stove. We had discussed cutting a hole in the heat shield and mounting a fan to that, but the design of the heat shield doesn't allow for try air circulation around the stove. The firebrick diagram in the owners manual certainly helped, and after a few minutes of trial and error, they started dropping in easy peasy. I have a lot of touchup to do on the stove as with the light color, all of my greasy fingerprints show up and they won't come off with typical household cleaners. Gonna fire this thing up in a little while, but am still very concerned about the ratting from inside the cat.

 

Golf,
Thanks for the welcome to FHC. And thanks to you and please allow me the opportunity to thank all of you out there in "FHC-land" (you know who you are)! I have been diligently reading all the entries regarding the IS/Progress Hybrid, Lopi Cape Cod and more over this past year. It is the information from all of you that enabled me to make the best wood burning stove purchase (for my purpose). Yes, there are some decent stoves out there, some good and some great - each for their own attributes. Through all your generous sharing of information, I now feel confident I have the best stove for my situation (although I must admit I still have a little stove-envy regarding the cast iron-enameled Cape Cod from Lopi and the Progress Hybrid from WS).
Regarding your issue with the cat, I would communicate w/ Lauren et al from WS on the cat-rattle....
Can't be a big deal. I'd venture that it isn't. But of course very fixable considering the customer service at WS.
Your set-up looks great! Very impressive stove-to-room color coordination and that tiled-corner the stove is installed in will help radiate the heat from the stove out into your home.

 

I had the cat out today and heard those 'lil loose particle rattle noises too. I think they're just tiny flecks of attachment material trapped between the canister and honeycomb.
Hey golf- you got yourself a really good looking stove / hearth setup there!

 

Thanks Gark.....my wife and I hemmed and hawed over stove colors for months....The burners and side shields are terra cotta stove paint that I picked up online. Truth be told, it's a little too red for my liking, but that is not a priority. So far, operating the stove is a bit of a mystery. Using a Condar double wall flue probe (visible in the picture), I got the flue temp up to 600 and then engaged the cat. There had been billowing smoke coming out the the chimney pipe before cat engagement, and now the smoke is gone. However, the fire completely died out, even with the air set to 40%. Never having had a cat stove before, much less a hybrid, I don't know if this is normal or not, and I'm totally paranoid given the pounding the stove took from the inept forklift driver.

 

The clue showing that the combustor did its job is no smoke from the flue. The burn you describe is what I consider the Holy Grail of running a cat stove - no flame in the firebox (just maybe a soft red glow on a few edges of fuel), heat from the cat and no smoke. In my thinking, that process will yield the longest burn, IMHO.
The secondary burn fireback (ceiling) in the IS seems to decide on its own whether or not to make those beautiful blue flames. I don't mind if the firebox temp is below the 1100f needed for blue secondaries, so long as 'no chimney smoke'. Like any stove, each burn will behave different - depending on some variables (many small splits vs. few big splits, woodspecies, wood moisture, load size, outdoor temperatures to name a few).

 

Burning a shoulder load here this morning. A new experience for me and the IS, more like a new sound more than experience. Once I started the stove and it finally starting to get to temp, the bell ringing began at 225 deg.
The weird part was the ringing was nearly 3x as fast as any startup fires I had done in the past. The metal plate was fluttering so fast I thought something was wrong.
Has anyone else had a jacked up bell noise?

 

+1 on that!

 

No, but could imagine a stronger draft causing that. Is it colder outside than for your other burns? Stronger or different wind direction?