Looking for advice...

Can someone advise how much maintenance is involved with the absolute steel? I have read about having to replace the cats and it possibly being expensive, anyone done that yet? Also read a thread somewhere with the "hood scoop" or some part near the cat warping and having to be replaced (not sure if that was the AS or IS or a different stove). And the thread on here with the lingering smell produced/caused by the AS...

 

I think it was mentioned in some of the old user Battenkill posts, that referred to some studies that indicated that super-dry wood didn't burn as cleanly. For the majority of us, who aren't located in the desert Southwest, the lowest we can dry wood is to about 16% or so. I don't think that would be low enough to cause major inefficient burning.
Yeah, I really "stooged" a few months back. An old barn was torn down at a neighbor's, and I got a bunch of beams. They didn't pick the barn apart, trying to keep the beams intact, but there were several that were 15-20' long. I talked to the demolition guy and he said that woodworkers liked the beams. It didn't really register with me until one of my SILs told me, "yeah, they get good money for those." Then I thought of a woodworker up the road who has a mill, and makes live-edge wood slab tables. I looked at his Facebook, and saw how he uses beams for table legs. By that time, I had already cut up a lot of the beams for my SILs' stoves, since I was behind on dry wood for them. I ended up getting $500 for the beams I had left, but it coulda been $2000. DOH!! Not to mention that it's just a shame to destroy those old beams when they could go into something beautiful like a table, and the appreciation of them could continue.
Oh, the humanity!

 

Welcome Eckie Yes the I S in the AS are different I have IS. To reiterate what backwoods said yeah if you wanna see the flame you just turn the air up and you have flame and when you go to bed you send it to run low and slow.
Cats are about $150And you should replace them every 2 to 3 years. But since it saves me about 35% of my wood it’s a no brained to me.
Yes Woodstock has had a couple issues with the new releases BUT they stand behind their product and have fantastic customer service!!

 

That is a shame about the beams, but at least you had some that were still whole to make a little $, and your SIL got some good heat! I'm going to trybl to get a moisture meter sometime soon...I'm curious what this 'old' wood comes in at.

 

Looking at the specs for the T5 LE
..what is the difference between "heat ouput cord wood" and "heat output epa"?

 

Beams where mostly White Oak, and in my SIL's new secondary-burn stove, dense wood seems to gas slower and more controlled. I've got her saving that beam wood for when real cold hits. There was also a little White Ash and Walnut. A couple of Pine beams, I bucked short and am splitting that for kindling..burns like fat-lighter wood!
For sure, the four-year wood at the new place should be good and dry. How long has the stuff at the old place been split and stacked?

I don't have that particular Woodstock, but I imagine maintenance isn't a big deal. I'm impressed with how well-designed and executed my Ws stoves have been, and I assume that holds true for the steel stoves as well. I think they have already re-vamped the parts couple of parts where they found issues. I'm still considering an AS, if I can figure out a way to get past my low lintel with a rear-vent setup.

 

Makers now have another option besides the traditional "crib wood" test which used Douglas Fir lumber I think, and an optional burn test using cord wood. I don't know the particulars, like how much difference there would be in the results of each test.

 

So for the t5, the heat output cord wood says 72,000 btu, and the epa one says 34,600 btus

 

I sold about 1/3 of those you see in the second pic. The guy has a custom mill that will cut a 54" wide slab, and here's some of his work. Wood Slab King

 

4th year and no maintenance required to date on my AS, I put a cat probe in from Woodstock, (the hole is already there for it) I rely on it to tell when to engage.
even if I had to replace the cat every year for $100 bucks I'd buy the stove again, I mean 2 cords to heat all winter? (plus 200 gallons of LP for full discloser).
Yes my memory from my reading/ research 5 years ago the IS had a bit of a problem 6 years ago with 'the scoop', they fix that I'm sure. You won't find a better Company to deal with than Woodstock.

 

Neighbors power was out this afternoon when i got home...we're on a different tap so ours was still on. We left house for a bit, came back about an hour layer and ours was off. Just came back on about 10 min ago, was off about 2 hours. Luckily today got 'warmer' before the front came through. Point of this...I got caught with my pants down. Like way down.

Blue flame propane heater will be reinstalled asap. Have started the explanations of new wood stoves to the mrs (she just glazes over but I try...) Generator hookup will be investigated as soon as i can get the electrician here. Don't like that feeling at all.

Anyone know if stove shops have stoves marked down before that new epa thing in march or may 2020 gets here?

 

Yeah, dealers will have to try to get their money out of any old stock they have, before May. Should be some deals, but you also wanna get the right stove for your situation..
Man, no power is hard to handle for any length of time.

 

Yeah, it's amazing how much we take power for granted. I was sitting here giving myself a good fussing in my head for not having my mess together... especially with a 4 year old.

Right now i have the absolute steel and the t5 on my mind. I'm sure there are many others out there that would fit the bill as well. I have to drive at least an hour to look in any real stove shop. If anyone has any other suggestions on makes/models I'm still all ears

 

From what I've seen of those two companies' products, they are the two I would be looking at as well. But as was mentioned, there are a lot of stoves out there that would work, and might also be fine stoves. It's somewhat overwhelming. I went through the same process, but my choices where limited to rear-vent into our masonry fireplace, so that eliminated many stoves up front.

 

Not so much.
I can fully load the 30NC with it and have a bunch of coals over 8 hours later.

 

Exactly how i feel, glad it's not just me...

I stand corrected... Is that with whatever size your "normal split" would be, or do you split the red maple larger?

 

Variety. I make 'em smaller nowadays. 5-6" is "normal".
I have a very short list of stove (yeah, singular, on purpose) in mind when I upgrade......it's a cat stove. I've done the airtight, and tube style non-cat. I want more. A very easy 12 hour burn is stuck in my mind. 2 loads/day...done.

 

Papadave,
So to clarify, you're saying that if (when) you replace the 30NC, you're planning on purchasing a cat stove? Just looked up the 30NC, think i looked at it last year when i was pondering all this, but not recently. Looks like a big stove...what kind of burn times can you get out of it? I like the 20" wood length...just gives options.

I know everyone's situation is different, but can you share which stove you would(will) replace the 30NC with?

 

My 30nc in my 2200 sq ft home ( 6" walls) will keep the place above 69 F at the end of 12 hours which is about when i get home. Still enough coals to fire back up. mixed hardwoods. At that point the stove is still warm to the touch with no burn of skin. I tossed a milk crate of odds and ends in the stove last night at 10 pm on a small coal bed 69 inside at 5am, 1 deg out side. tossed some small stuff in it on coal bed and got that going and then loaded for rest of day- ash, oak, honey locust- big cuts are the key to long burn time and i always try to leave a small air tunnel for the dog house to the back wall. that way i get the secondaries firing quickly, then set air control even with shelf, so when i leave it is cranking about 600+ on the top with the ir gun.

 

Thanks for the info Chris. Is your floorplan fairly open or conducive to good heat and air movement? My layout is what is also messing with my head in terms of stove location and being a bit isolated from the rest of the house, with only a doorway and window for flow