Another Woodstock Beta tester - Ideal Steel

Feel free to extoll it's virtues.
I'm all ears.
Unless this new "gearhead" stove would work better for me, I believe the IS will be in my house soon.

 

So what would you like to know? Please ask, I would love to help see if it is what you need/want.
I think the first thing I noticed is that the overall stove temp is no where near as high as I was used to. I thought it was putting out less heat per load per my old stove, but it was just putting out less heat over a longer period. I needed to give it more air than I was used to, to get it hot and heat the house up, so then the same load had a similar burn time. If I were to guess (no science involved with this one), I would say the same load of wood would last just as long as my IR (and heat the house similar) so the efficiency is similar, BUT I can load more in this stove (and I can also pack it on a warm day and set the temp way down). So between the "soft" heat of the soap stove vs cast iron, and the ability to turn the temp way down, it took me a bit to get used to it. Now I understand these as nice Pros, when at first I was confused by the way it behaved.

and what is the new "gearhead" stove?

 

WS is planning to give out some info on the "Gearhead" stove this coming week.
They plan to do beta testing on it this fall.
I need a stove that can run up to 600 for a bit (as an example), then be able to get turned down and run for a few hours at a lower temp to maintain house temps.
My existing stove runs hot for an hour or 2, then drops. Too hot most of the time at the beginning of the burn.
I'm also looking for a stove that's controllable (as described above), so the load lasts.
The hotter stove isn't such an issue when it's cold, but as we move into spring (fall as well), I'd like to be able to run the stove cooler so I don't run us out of the house.
From your (and others) description, at least some of this is possible.
Any info about how the stove runs is good. You've actually verified what Brian and ZeeB, and a couple others have reported.
My house is a small ranch (about 1250 sq. ft.) that doesn't hold heat well. That's getting worked on.

 

Well, if that is your only concern, this stove can definitely do that. That is the part that confused me at first and now I love. I will be able to run this thing in the shoulder seasons without worrying about how much wood I put in and trying not to let the stove spike, etc. so I don't over heat the house.

I was actually thinking last night that this thing would be awesome in a smaller house (not that it's not in a bigger house), but for this exact reason. If you only need a smaller amount of heat, you can cut this way back and let it cruise for many hours. Cut your work load of loading in half or more, and have a more steady house temp.

 

oh yeah, and do we know anything about the gearhead? I assume steel. bigger, smaller....?

 

I think it was Lorin that mentioned they would be giving info on the new stove this coming week.
My curiosity has been piqued.
I'm not going to assume anything.

 

Here's a quote from the WS IS page from the 6th.....
"We expect to launch another beta testing program this fall for the next GearheadTM Hybrid, which we are already working on. More on this next week. (Get ready Dennis!)"

 

Hope it doesn't look like a wrench.

 

It's going to be smaller than the IS, but will likely put out more heat than a Fireview. Fireview I think was EPA tested to 46,000 BTU (but I may be wrong, it may be higher), IS to 60,000 BTU.

 

Yes, the Gearhead is smaller. I'm going forward with the IS although have concerns with being able to keep the btu's in check with my place. I've heard enough now to be comfortable that I can control it on the low side.

 

Speaking of control I just turned down the stove temp to 400 ( for me that is setting the air to 15%) as its 75 in here which is warm for us. Snapped a couple of picks from my seat. I love that not matter how full you can basically pick your stove temp.

 

We got home after being away all day, haven't built a fire since last night. House was 70 when we got home because the natural gas furnace was running, outside temp 37. My son filled the stove approx 80% full at 9:30, we let the flue probe hit 550 and engaged the cat, let it run another 5 minutes on 100% air to get up to temp, then cut the air back to about 15%.

Stove room is now sitting at 71, firebox is dark, stove top is 330, and I'll leave it set at that when I go to bed. I'm sitting five feet from the stove whenever I use my computer and I'm comfortable right now, not hot at all, even after building a fire with the stove room at 70 an hour and 20 minutes ago.


UPDATE: At 12:30, heading off to bed, 3 hours since starting fire. No change in air control. Stove room at 72, outside temp 35, STT crept up to 350 in last 1.5 hours.

 

Dave, would you consider the new gear head beta model and wait one year if it's something that worked for you better than the IS?

 

Great info so far D&T! I also have the IR and love it but really like the controllability of the IS. I am also a cast Iron kinda guy but the more I see that steel Stove I like it. I'm def interested in your comparisons and overall thought of how the two stoves differ. Keep the info coming

 

Possibly.
I know the gooderest mostest absoluteliest bestest stove for me is a pipe dream, but I could wait a bit for another if it would be a better fit.
Despite my outlook of function over form, form is still at least a bit important, so the new stove can't look even more industrial than the IS.....for me.
We should know more this week.

 

Although this winter has been the worst I've seen for a long time, wood use has only been slightly higher than normal. Caveat........we used about $75 worth of natty gas to offset the coldest nights.
The stove did an admirable job except for those below zero nights.
Knowing that using the gas won't break the bank if we get another super cold winter, I can wait.
Don't wanna', but I can.

 

Man, $75 is a lot of Natty, but I don't see how it keeps you war.... nevermind.

I guess my question for the guinea pigs, do you feel that this stove could be successfully oversized for a smaller space? I mean, I have a BK King in a 1600 sq ft home, and the control it offers means it is in no way too big. Does the IS offer that kind of control?

Normally, a 4.3 cu ft stove would be way to big for my house, and a 3.2 cu ft stove should be way too much for Dave. I certainly don't want to start the same thing that happened when they introduced the PH, but do you think the IS has the control to give Blaze King a run in the low and slow category? The PH vs BK threads were pretty annoying on another forum, but it sounds like IS is a closer matchup.

And the other thing that is important to me. I'm gone for work quite a lot, and my wife is in charge. She doesn't always do things like I do. I can turn my stove down from a raging inferno to a dark, flameless, smoky, dirty-black-glass-making box in seconds. Can the IS do that, with the secondary tubes?

If this has been discussed in another thread, forgive me. I haven't read them all. I'm interested in this because we hope to be moving this summer. I really like my BK, but it is staying here. I'd get another, but I really don't like the price. I wouldn't have this one if I didn't get a rockin' deal on it. If I can BK-like performance at 2/3 of the price, I be all over it.

 

I'd like to see a video of an IS going from raging inferno to blackout. Or at least read a detailed account.

 

Yes, definitely. See my thread about a 24 hour burn here:

http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...w-oak-burn-in-the-new-ideal-steel-stove.1377/

You won't get a 40 hour burn with the IS like with a BKK but a 24 hour shoulder season smolder is a piece of cake.

 

I did that last night. See my post above at http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...eta-tester-ideal-steel.3224/page-2#post-74282

It's actually pretty routine. Make a fire, let it go nuclear on 100% air for a while, cut the air back to 10-15%, the firebox goes black within 10 minutes, and you're in a 100% cat burn until the fuel is exhausted.