Finally pulled the trigger...

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That's right!
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Not true… it is a fact that it has made its way into Michigan also….

 

fixed that for ya

 

I’ve got a nice little stack of White oak down in the wood yard. I think it will be ready next year one of few species I like better than hard maple. It’s close though I really like hard maple.

here's the coals this morning at 8:30 folks. Around 10 hours later. House is at 73/74 and it’s 15 degrees outside. Sounds like it won’t be much warmer than that all day


As a refresher last nights load


and the coals this morning



I think loading the stove this way overnight gives some more heat, but also gives a bit more coals. That’s a totally manageable amount though. It’s actually just about right for a quick reload in the morning. I’ll probably stick with it for overnight at the least.

here’s todays reload. Plenty of room in there for around 10 medium ash splits



I’m not sure if this is helpful for anyone but it kind of helps me keep track.

 

Has your wife yet said "man, we should have bought one of these years ago"?

 

I like seeing the pics of loaded stove, "finished" burn of that load and the "burn time" of said load.

Do you pay much attention to the temp of the stove when you go to reload? Asking due to all the conversation usually about burn times and usable heat at the end of those times. If you do pay attention to it, I wouldn't mind knowing what that number is that's associated with the "end burn" pic and burn time.

With that last loaded pic....do you let that whole load flame and char before you engage the cat? Or do you (are you able to) engage sooner since you have a "new" cat?

 

Let’s just say…. If you ever need lizard blood I think my wife could probably spare some.

I’ll likely be the main beneficiary of this stove with less firewood use.

 

Barcroftb, your posts and pictures are very helpful, as u know this is all new to me also. The stove is still throwing me curves every now and then but house is warmer than it was with the drolet.
I should post my findings in my thread, less clutter that way.

 

This isn't going to be much help but for me I was way over thinking it.

 

I tend to do that as well oldspark. I'm just stashing away nuggets of info, gleaning info from other's experiences till I start having my own!

 

A question that just popped into my head: For those of you who have the soapstone boot warmers, where do you put them? Also, any other neat accessories or gadgets you use for the IS?

 

Did u watch the video from blaze king about lighting a cat stove, thats when i realized I was making it more complicated then it is.
Keep researching as I still am, it all helps get things working correctly.

 

I do pay some attention to the stt. When I first started using this stove that was the only thing I had to go by as far as using it. Now though I mainly only glance at it for a point of reference to confirm what I’m seeing in the fire box. Eventually when I become one with the IS I doubt I will use it much at all…

This morning the stt was 250/300 pretty warm yet. Nice because that makes for a quick reload.

I do let all the wood get charred before I engage the cat. That point also happens to coincide with a stt of around 300/350 which has consistently been high enough to light the cat. Just like the manual states. How can I tell the cat is lit? Well it makes a series of ticks and clicks and pings to let you know the stove is getting hotter in that area.

now that that load is cruising today the stt will be in the 400-550 range depending on how I set the air intake. If I set the intake lower the stt will be higher and vise versa. I know that seems counter intuitive but it has to do with more or less fuel (smoke) for the cat to burn.

 

Thanks I appreciate you saying it helps Carl, but don’t feel like your cluttering my thread. I don’t mind.

 

I don't know if I've watched any blaze King vids. I have watched several from Woodstock for several of their stoves.

 

You got kicked off that "other site", didn't you? Too laid back...

So what you are saying is that she likes when y'all go to visit Dennis, eh?

 

You're burning curly maple?!?