New Woodstock Blog info Ideal Steel

I picked it up on Facebook first, but here is their most recent blog post.

They are getting closer to formal product announcement. Pricing still not announced.

http://www.woodstove.com/ideal-steel-hybrid

 

Back Clearance (No Protection): 10"
Back Clearance (w/Heat Shield Kit): 6"
This is good news.
Thanks Steve. I hadn't made it over there yet today.
Intro pricing coming soon.

 

It's not a blog post, it has it's own page on their website.

And it says under $2k

 

Does anyone.......Brian?.....remember the intro price on the PH?
Trying to get a sense of what they might do.
I'm just about ready to jump on this stove.

 

Wasn't the PH about 2200, maybe 2400?

 

Yes, it looks like this is their officially updated webpage for the IS. They have taken all the info and made this public.

I'd be curious what the pre-production prices will be??

 

Rear-vent flue centerline--24.5". That would fit. It's just too big for this place though, dammit.

 

My house is only about 1240 sq. ft. Woody, and we keep a couple rooms closed most of the time.
From all accounts, this stove is able to run low easily.
If not true, I hope someone would speak up before I commit.

 

...blog, website... I'm pretty sure it's new, and yes, it does say under $2K which is old news. What it doesn't say is exactly what the pricing is. That will be the big public availability for sale announcement, sometime this coming Spring or Summer.

 

A shout out to the beta testers. Can you tell me the firebox dimensions?? I didn't see it on the specs page on the WS site. I'm interested in N/S burning in the IS and in the Oslo I have now I cut and split 18-20 inches for E/W burning.

 

I think I would get this option

 

Firebox measures 22" wide, 18" deep, 11" tall at rear of secondary air plate, 15" tall at front of secondary air plate.

We can load up to 18" NS without the andirons, 22" EW but I'd keep them at 20" for EW loading to make loading easier.

 

16 inch wood fits with the andirons in.

 

We've got about 1000 sq.ft. but we may add a room. Still, being 500 miles north of us, you're going to be able let 'er run a lot more often than I would, which is almost never. What I would probably end up doing is to put the Dutchwest in the addition and tap into the other chimney flue. But that is one sweet stove, and has everything I'd want; No seams, hybrid fire capable of being run low, rear-vent option, andirons and a grated ash system.

 

18" from the back to the andirons on ours, so absolutely no more than 18" when in line with the andirons, and a little leeway when between them (another 1.5" from the back of the andirons to the glass). 16" would be a nice no-hassle fit.

My wood is 20", and I'd strongly second Brian's suggestion to not shoot for anything longer when going E/W.

 

They just won that contest so I would think it would pass with flying colors.

 

This stove won the DC wood stove challenge with the highest efficiencies and cleanest burns of the wood stoves there. It is either the cleanest burn stove on the market, or second cleanest, and is far cleaner burning than the new EPA regs require. (I think some of the masonry stoves may have edged them out but who can afford them, or support their weight?)

 

Some interesting data in their latest blog post:

Monday, March 3, 2014
BTU Output: How is it Determined?


Several people have recently asked about how BTU output is determined. BTU/hr rating is basically a speed and efficiency rating. The (1) greater the number of POUNDS OF WOOD CONSUMED PER HOUR, and (2) the higher the OVERALL EFFICIENCY, then the HIGHER THE BTU/hr OUTPUT RATING.
For example, if we put a 20# load of Douglas Fir at 22.5% moisture (dry basis), then the dry weight is approx 16.3# (20/1.225 = 16.326). At 8,522 BTU/per pound for Douglas Fir, our TOTAL INPUT is 138,909 BTUs for this load (8,522 BTU/# x 16.3 lbs = 138,909).
Ideal Steel Hybrid:
If the stove consumes the wood in 2 hours at an overall efficiency of 82%, then its overall output is 52,090 BTU/hr [(138,909 input/2hrs)*.82 efficiency = 56,952 BTU/hr output].
Secondary Air Only Stove (EPA Default Efficiency):
The same formula at 63% efficiency is 43,756 BTU/hr [138,909/2*62% = 43,756). EPA tests use default efficiency values for wood stoves unless the stove has been tested for efficiency as part of the EPA test procedure.

It is possible to get a very high BTU rating with a small firebox, or a very low BTU rating with a large firebox. BTU output doesn’t have much to do with firebox size (though burn time does). As noted above, BTU output has everything to do with (1) Rate of consumption, and (2) Efficiency.

Notwithstanding what most manufacturers say, if you use cordwood, BTU output generally goes down, because the stove consumes fewer pounds of wood per hour than with EPA cribs, in part because there is less surface area exposed than with EPA cribs. A manufacturer can make up an efficiency number (or use LHV, or just one burn rate, or just part of one burn rate) but in our experience, the BTU output numbers that EPA reports are usually not far from the truth. When you see BTU/hr numbers that are double or triple the EPA numbers, they are often pure fiction.

Most people just put wood in their stoves and are happy if they are warm! But higher efficiency is a good thing as you can see above. As efficiency goes up, you either get more BTU output, or burn less wood, or both.​

 

Good explanation but it doesn't address how much of that output is transferred to the room or lost up the stack, which is the real data most people would be interested in. In the real world that number would be highly dependent on the stove installation, but it would still be nice to see it calculated in the test settings.

This is where I believe the masonry stoves beat the pants of a free standing stove, in the heat transfer to the room.