Picked up my Woodstock Absolute Steel

Yeah got cat stove that makes sense.. I only have about 3 feet of SW

 

I wasn't considering double wall pipe, partly cost, but also because all the pipe is in the insulated house envelope.

 

We're in Shenandoah County. February and March are cold here so may run it a bit this season. We're almost done. We've been heating the place with a mini-split heat pump while we work. It's been mostly a mild winter.

 

Well, most single wall pipe is not a huge investment...you can try it and change it out later if needed...

 

Yeah you are usually colder than we are here in Nottoway, but it has been a mild winter, till now. Looking forward to hearing how it performs for you whenever you get to run it.

 

Yeah, this isn't New England. The house is a 1-1/2 story about 1,200 sq ft. We insulated with rockwool, R-23 in the walls and R-38 in the roof. It maybe too much stove, but we'll see. The stove is in the center of the house with an open loft. I have enough clearance to safely use single wall pipe, but I can see why double wall pipe would be good. I hate doing things twice, but at this point in the project the budget is tight.

 

Old stoves that were not terribly efficient, stealing a little heat from the stove pipe was not usually a big deal.
More modern stoves are sending enough less heat up that they usually recommend making efforts to keep the chimney warm.

If your feedstock is exemplary it's probably NBFD.

 

Hey westczek ...any updates on the AS?

 

There's one I actually don't need someone younger and hipper to tell me what it means.

 

If you are finding it is too much stove, I strongly recommend a stove pipe damper to reduce the draft. I added one to my IS and it allows me to keep the cat under control and also keep the primary open more so I don’t get coal buildup while running on lower output.

As for the double wall, I went with cheap single wall because I wasn’t sure of the final dimensions and figured I would screw up with the cheap stuff and then buy double wall at the end of the season. That was several seasons ago, and it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe this year? The single wall works fine for me, I have never wished I had more draft, and the chimney is staying clean so no real NEED to upgrade.

 

Your home sounds very much like my home, only I am in New England. I might have a few more sq ft than you, but not many. It's a New England chalet, 36X28ft one side is a kitchen toward the rear, with a living room area toward the front and a cathedral ceiling. Upstairs is a master bedroom and 1/2 bath, downstairs on the first floor there are two back "bedrooms" and a full bath. A big chimney/hearth is on the main floor and goes straight up to the roof.

The roof has 12" rafters and R-38, the outside walls ate 6 inch and R-19. I'm sure your house is tighter than ours as ours was built in 79.

We initially had a large smoke dragon when we moved in in 79. In 2012 I bought a Woodstock Fireview. It has proven to be the perfect size for our home, and we are on the NH border. When it gets down to 20 below, which it has sometimes, but not this year. we let the heat augment (with our oil burner) but that is a rare few days. I also have a family room in the basement on one side of the house and a garage under the other side of the house. The basement was my home office when I was working and I put an Absolute Steel in there as a replacement for the Vermont Castings Resolute I had for many years. It's insulated and these days now that I'm retired that stove only gets used in very cold weather but it's really more of a luxury to have it.

The downside to the Fireview is it is slightly smaller than the AS from a capacity aspect. But not much. However, the Fv doesn't have the really nice ashpan feature that the AS has. Having that ashpan really cuts down on the ash maintenance and just makes life easier.

From my perspective, if I had to do it all over again, I'd still go for the Fv in the main living area. It's a gorgeous (almost) work of art. and a beautiful centerpiece for the home. Anyone who visits is just so impressed with the beautiful light show. and how nice the warmth is for that stove.

You really can't go wrong, but I don't think you need the horsepower/capacity the AS provides. No bad choice really.

 

Finally trying out the Absolute Steel. Got my occupancy permit. So glad to get past the final inspection. Luckily still chilly here in mountains in Virginia.

 

westczek , congrats on getting in your new place! Little chill here today too, nice that you are getting to try your stove now instead of having to wait till next season. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the AS.

 

High was 48 low wAs 22 stoves still throwing heat loading it up in a bit. As predicting snow tomorrow so a Lil chilly

 

Nice, All Business heater right there.

Will take some time for you to get it dialed in for your installation and get the right settings for you. With the near end of shoulder season it will be something to continue to get used to in the Fall.

Nice looking installation!

 

Still below freezing in Vermont. I lived in New England as a kid. Those winters are long.

It was a good first burn. I had windows open. Little bit of fumes. It was raining with not much wind. The stove was still warm in the morning.

I will get a better handle on running it in the fall.

 

Only at night

 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I'd take the Woodstock AS or any of the other capable stove any day over a day. But to each his or her own.

Welcome to The Firewood Hoarders Lisa.

 

Welcome to the club. Lots of great folks here sharing knowledge and humor.

 

Welcome to FHC. Quite a few NY put here.