Woodstock Stove Owners Poll

More heat??? My PH puts out enough heat for the neighborhood already!!

But I would LOVE the visibility of the CAT, that would be cool!

 

Perhaps a better way to say what I am trying to convey would be more efficiency. So "more heat.... for a given consumption of wood" would turn into a stove that could be throttled down and yet yield the same amount of heat. Same heat, less wood consumption and a lower exhaust temperature. Personally, I try to throw as little heat overboard (up the flue) as is possible.

Put another way, if I did not care about efficiency then I believe the very best, most robust, easiest to use, safest, and overall cleanest burning (clean right from the start to the end of the burn, not just once the fuel was well- engaged and a secondary burn system engaged, etc.) would be a.... fireplace. (amusing but absolutely true).

Brian

 

BDF , since talking with you on Saturday and you bringing up that you have noticed your cat being less efficient, I'm trading out cats in my stove tonight to see if I notice a considerable difference. It's funny, when you brought it up in general conversation at WS Saturday it made me think that mine was also not the same as day one. Problem is, I didn't think these cats would start failing for a little while longer.

 

Same thought crossed my mind. I wonder if WS collects any data on cat warranty claims that they would be willing to share. Not sure what I should expect for the life span of the cat for my Fireview.

 

Funny you said that My IS heats my home I been thinking same thing.... BDF if you would send links to your thermocouple and data reader.. I am interested in improving my burns.. first up a condor cat gauge.. then maybe an extra cat.. and ash pan.. then your setup.. I just want best burns for most heat I hate wasting wood.. I work too hard to get it!

 

I voted, before the WS gtg. Just started the IS third year and I couldn't be happier with the stove and Woodstock customer service. Regret that we couldn't get there last weekend.

 

Canadian border VT , BDF had some good tips and info at the gathering Saturday. I picked up a cat last year at the gathering for a spare, just in case something happened.
I really didn't think I'd need it for a couple years more but now that it's been brought up and noticed by a few I thought I'd test it out tonight to see what the real difference is.

 

The crowd was a bit small from the 2015 gathering but the FHC company was great, all great people from the forum had a table and we just sat there and chatted about everything.
OH, the food and beer was good too

 

Ya left too early .. last hour with Dennis Judy Tom and lorrin was great! oh and Jeff? finisher that works there.. great guy! but the drive home got wind rain leaves and then the rain turned white on the mountains.. took 1.5 hours to get there but 2.5 to get home

 

Expect 4 years or less if you're in the snow belt. A vinegar bath will help also.

 

I did the 50/50 white vinegar and distilled water spray last year after 2 seasons. It made a very big difference in cat performance and max stove temp. Much of the issue here is possibly with the wood and if there is any moisture in it at all. All my wood is now at least 2 years old, but it's still Oak and other hard woods that keep their moisture content for a long time. Secondly, I think the dense lattice of these new steel cats versus the older ceramic cats makes a big difference. I had a Consolidate Dutch West for 25 years and only replaced the cat once. (2 cats in 25 years) I'd just vacuum it out once in a while.

But these new steel ones, I think they oxidize, and perhaps coat the surface of the lattice? The vinegar just cuts through it. Then rinse it all off with distilled water. It takes half hour at the most.

 

I use a cheap, Chinese thermocouple reader / recorder. It is cheezy, the instructions are awful but it pretty much works.... and for ~$135 it is a steal. A 'real' data logger would be at least $2,500. I use one like this:4 Channel K Type Digital Thermocouple Thermometer Measurer SD Logger Generic It has no brand name or anything else so hunt around on Ebay for one with the best price.

For the thermocouples that go into the stack (smoke pipe) and the stove, I use something like this:3m Stainless Steel Probe K type Sensors High Temperature Thermocouple 10ft | eBay Pick up an 8mm tap and drill set from Home Lowes (whichever has one on the shelf) and stick the thermocouples in the pipe (Easy Boys!), the stove just over the catalyst (where Woodstock provides that 1/4" hole) and I put one in the firebox at the top from the left side, underneath the sheet metal stove covers. The fourth one I use is a bead type thermocouple on top of the stove, held on with a magnet. All the thermocouples MUST be 'K' types or they will not work correctly. And you will have to pick up connectors for the recorder and attach the thermocouples to them to connect to the readout / recording device. Again, available on Ebay.

Once it is set up, sit back and watch the temperatures as you adjust the stove. I think most people will be amazed at how quickly a woodstove responds to very minor changes. And it is pretty easy to find operating range(s) for the stove that are much more efficient.

Brian

 

Changed my vote to include the IS.
I pulled the Fireview out Saturday and put in the IS that I got from BrianK.
Making some pretty serious heat for sure. And a lot less reloads.

 

The next thing you gotta do is get that signature changed! Congrats and welcome to the IS family, you are going to love that stove.

 

Done.

I've been a fan since meeting Tom and his crew at the EPA challenge in 2013.
That's where we picked up the beta tester for Brian.

 

...and a lot less ash maintenance!

 

I added my vote - IS since mid September - man what a difference from my old stove - I can sleep a full 8-10 hours now

 

It's been 7 days of straight burning in the IS as of 5pm today.

the ash pan was still not full! .............

Got about 16 hours out of a reload today.

 

Yeah, though my old stove could go the night, you had to pack it full to the gills right when you were ready for bed, and then have some coals left when you got up. With the Ideal Steel I can load it up around dinner time, hours before going to bed, and still have some good heat when I get up - enough that I might not reload in the morning for a few hours either. Basically it makes it completely flexible, I don't 'have to' load it at a particular time every day.

 

Wow, can't believe how many IS's there are on here...