First fire in the Beta Ideal Steel Woodstock stove

Thanks Dennis. I think we were just asking too much of the Fireview in our old drafty house and I was nervous because I felt we were pushing it too hard at times. Please don't get the wrong impression, we really liked the Fireview. It was a really nice looking and performing stove and I still prefer the looks of it over this new stove. But we needed more BTUs and I like the quicker heat output. Quicker is, as you point out correctly, relative.

 

Dennis, I find I never need to go more then 500 with the PH... That will get the place to 80 in the stove room... usually 400- 500 is plenty..

 

Looked at mine,,,same one.. Works good, have had it for 3 years...

 

Tom from Woodstock said

“No problem. We’ve done the same thing here – many times."​

 

It got to cranking some serious heat through the glass when the 1/2" andirons are glowing

 

I definitely wouldn't want to be standing in front of it cooking on the cook top at that point

At least not without an asbestos apron.

 

The good thing, the Ideal Steel Stove can take it

 

Brian, take your time centering and drilling your stove pipe for the probe... Since you are going through two walls of pipe, try to keep the drill level... I drilled my hole about 2o inches up my pipe.. 1/4 in bit. Tip of the probe should be about in the center of the pipe.. My gauge hangs out about an inch and a half... That little mounting clip that holds the gauge to the pipe is the nuts!
Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Yep. These Woodstock stoves do inspire confidence.

 

Are there any other beta testers out there? It sure would be nice if they would step up to the plate and start sharing some of their results. And it would take some of the pressure off Brian !!

 

From what I heard in DC there are about a dozen Beta units planned to be in use this winter (some of them are Woodstock personnel).

We are letting the stove cool off today because we're going to move it out from the corner install about 4 inches tomorrow morning. (Its been twenty hours since we loaded any wood. There are still red hot coals and stove top temp is 115.) The left hand wall is only 9" from the left rear corner of the stove and it hit 150.5 on the IR thermometer during a hot burn (stove tops around 550) a couple days ago so its time for a minor adjustment in positioning.

With the stove cooled off I finally had a chance to check the operation of the bimetallic coil for the pre-cat air supply. It was sticking a bit after loosening the locking nut and I don't think it has been operating properly. I don't know if the pre-cat air simply decreases emissions or if it also affects temps/burns but I will keep a close eye on it over the next several cycles to see if it is moving with a hot cat.

And I too would like to see reports from other Beta testers for comparison, especially since my supply of oak/ash/locust is so limited this year.

I do plan on packing this thing to the gills with some large 3x6 and 4x6 seasoned oak blocks I have set aside and doing a long low burn as the weather warms up a bit this weekend, and record stove temps at intervals during the burn and length of burn.

 

Brian, you have been a great sport and we really appreciate it. I look forward to hearing the results of your long, slow oak burn. Thanks again.

 

Here's the bimetallic coil for the pre-cat air supply on the right rear of the stove in the closed and open positions. On the Beta units it is behind a glass view panel to assess operation of the coil.

 

I wish some of the other Beta testers would join the forum and share there experience. Maybe WS could put a bug in their ear?

 

I might be wrong about this, but I think the goal of Woodstock with this new stove is to achieve Progress Hybrid like burning results ( maybe slightly longer burn times), but at a more affordable price point. And also offer a degree of customization to the purchaser. I do not think they are looking for 40 hour burn times. This stove is not intended to be a smudge pot that sits and smolders all day. It is intended to be a strong heater with a nice fire show with moderate to long burn times that will easily get you through the night with plenty of heat even on the coldest days of winter, and still have a big bed of hot coals for the next fire. Some folks, especially those with no backup heat source, put a huge amount of importance on super long burn times. But for me and the vast majority of stove owners, getting through the night with plenty of heat and a good coal bed in the morning is what counts. 12 hour burns times are great because they usually fit nicely into most people's working schedule. I know I like to check my stove before I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning. And even if it doesn't need any wood, I'm still going to check it for peace of mind. After all, this is a fire you have burning inside your home.
The following was just my opinion and I hope no one takes offense.

 

Great idea!

 

Not unexpected, maybe you read the Woodstock Progress Hybrid performance thread?


I just dug out the 3"x6" and 4"x6" oak blocks (from a local pallet manufacturer, seasoned since Feb 2012, just shy of 2 years) for a long low burn. I should be able to pack the firebox pretty tight with this stuff.

I'll start a new thread for that.