Ideal Steel Season #2 Tips, Tricks, and Improvements.

Here's a quick picture of the built in EPA air at work. Right side a little stronger than the left.

 

If you load N/S, and put a big split in line with each of those inlets, you can watch as the jet of flame drills a hole into the end of the split. Very entertaining.

 

Cool! Trying it soon.

 

I got lucky last night. I loaded the stove up and left the bypass open to get the fire going. Then I sat on the couch and dozed off. I woke up a little later to a very active fire and 600 degree stovetop.

At least now I know the chimney is clean ....

 

Did we decide on the scale labeling? Starting with the air control all the way low being notch 1?

This winter has just been so mild so far I really haven't had to 'crank it up' really at all yet. I've rarely run the stovetop over 400º. Curious just what it will do with the 600º+ stovetops some talk about. Maybe I should have put the stove on the other side of the house that is poorly insulated, I could run it more perhaps, but the pellet stove sits there now and runs as base load heat. In fact with this weekends warm forecast I let the IS go out today. I'm still burning up my junk wood on days I am home, and burning up my too short pieces for most of my days I am working. Barely touched my good wood, and haven't touched the ecobricks at all yet. Really want to try em out but waiting for colder weather.

 

I don't think we decided on a scale. Both sides of the debate make sense.

On that note I ordered my cat probe from condar tonight.

When the cat hits the inactive zone is it a good practice to disengage the cat? I've done it a few times, then raked the coals forward and opened the air up for a bit too burn them down a little before a reload. I'll usually do this when I get home from work.

 

I always leave the bypass closed when I'm burning down coals. Keeps more heat inside.

 

Makes sense but I'm trying to get more air flowing thru there to burn the coals down quicker.

 

I use the lever on my ash pan door to let air in. straight up & down works good here !

 

I might try that but if I disengage the cat and open up my air the coals glow orange. They burn pretty well that way.

 

I keep small pine splits or broken up skids around. Put 1 or two splits on top of the coals and it will burn them down quick. I also have sprinkled wood pellets on top as well. That breaks up the coals pretty well.

 

Not that I am an expert but, I have 1- 90, a tee, & 12' of pipe above the tee. Brick with clay flue 10"x 8" with a 6" single wall SS liner. 16" of pipe above the flue in the air.
I also have stuffed the remaining area of the 10"x 8"flue with fire resistant insulation I think up to 1200 degrees don't quote me on that. Put a cap on the clean out & stuffed that with insulation, then the clean out door I put sticky tape 1/4 " foam on the rim for a good seal, O ya the cap I filled with spray foam insulation let dry then pushed that up into place. End of my problems... NOW IF IT WOULD GET & STAY COLD !!!! Just saying LOL... Global warming !!! Hope this is helpful... Good Luck !!!

 

Frosty, what brand insulation did you use is that that roxul stuff. I bet that those improvements have helped a ton with your draft.

 

Yes they all helped TREMENDOUSLY !!! I truly feel that it wasn't just 1 thing it was ALL of them ... I also forgot to add that I trimmed the tree branch that was within 4' of the flue pipe. Yes Roxul , I wasn't sure on the spelling of it !!! PS I also insulated the house around the stove area of the room with the Roxul and my Ins. Company liked that !!! plus I used 5/8"sheetrock...

 

Hello All fellow FHC !!!
I Finally broke down and purchased a ISH model 210 ... Brought it home Dec.28th.
First of all It's MADE in the USA,,, Everyone that I spoke with at Woodstock Soapstone was Extremely Knowledgeable and courteous.
Picked up the stove @ their shop , Lorain Day gave us a tour of the shop she showed us our stove ( she got out the pallet jack & pulled the stove out ) Lorain was Very Knowledgeable told us all about the stove do's & don'ts etc. TOP NOTCH SERVICE Great purchasing experience Thank You WS & Lorain Day...
Anyway I had a Vermont casting fire breathing stove , House came with 1 in 1990. Neighbors always said how they liked the smell of the wood !!! Yes the town showed up and there was a complaint of SMOKE loll ... Over New Years 2 of my neighbors asked me if I was using the woodstove anymore ??? Looks like Woodstock may be getting calls ...
Best burn time so far has been 11 1/2 hrs. House is nice and toasty!!!
I will figure out how to post picture instead of that circle with a arrow... (-: Keep Burning Safely

 

When starting cold, top-down lighting has been much more effective than bottom-up. I've got a mountain of pine rounds sitting in the yard from land clearing, and when seasoned for a year or so, they make nuclear kindling. While not meaning to beat a dead horse, Ideal Steel #2 is behaving much differently than #1. It is holding burns for a stupid amount of time, to the extent that there are coals after 24 hours on notch #3. I pulled the cover off the rear air port cover and there is no creosote. No creosote on the hearth pad either.

 

It's 27 here on the Jersey shore projected to get down to 21. I loaded the stove around 530 for tonight's burn. I started a small fire around 230 to get the stove hot. Bottom layer is e/w with maple, then a n/s red oak layer, topped off with 3 e/w black locust pieces. Currently my stove top is 500, the cat plug area is over 600, and my flue probe is reading 600. I'm at the notch below the first large notch and I'm getting small jet secondaries. Not forceful jets, but not the nice lazy flame either. I'm going to turn it down a notch or two. Getting some lazy flames by the glass airwash.

 

Frosty, where are you in NJ?

 

I can see high point from the top of the mountain !!!

 

Ah too far. I need a wood hoarding partner over here. I'm the only one of my friends who burns.