Battling with bad cat

+1
During the shoulder season I'll let the ash build up in the box to hold the coals longer, stretching out a small load and still relighting off the coals.
It allows you to control how much ash or coals build up.

 

I couldn't agree more...never thought an ash pan would be that important... They key to the Woodstock ash pan is it has an open slotted grate over the ash pan... that allowing the ashes to be racked from the coals.. I know other stove brands just have a solid floor with a a plug you remove,,, that puts you right back to having ash around your coals, and you pushing a mix of ash and coals into the hole and down into the ash pan, basically the same thing as shoveling the ash and coals out.. Definitely need the slotted coal grate.. I threw my share of coals out at times with the Fireview ashes, but had no choice... So if you have the option of the ash pan,,, need I say more,,,, burn ALL your wood...

 

Another thing I found out,,, with just about 8 coals in the PH, you can throw in a load of wood and just open the ash pan door and you have a fire starting no problem.... of course you need to keep a hand on the door as not to let things get roaring and shock the stones, etc...even though the stove is not cold.... Many benefits of the ash pan.... Empty the ash pan out, bet you could bake some nice potatoes in foil in the ash pan... Nice broiler! It's sure deep enough....

 

I bake the potatoes right in the firebox. Just drop them in the back corner wrapped up in tinfoil. Takes 30 minutes and they are crispy delicious!

 

I don't really understand how a steel cat chipped out like that. I assumed it was ceramic.

The cats have a warranty from date of purchase, not from date of being put into use. If you get two cats now, then you are basically saying goodbye to the warranty on the second cat. (I speak from experience...bought a back up cat when I got my Fireview, because I live in Canada and didn't want to get stuck waiting for one...so I have a perfectly good unused ceramic cat, which has no warranty, sitting in a cupboard for when I use my Fireview again, and after the cat presently in it starts to fail.) Also, there may be improvements in the steel cat over the next few years.

I would suggest getting one cat, and ordering a back up cat in 3 or 4 years, so you don't lose too much on the warranty, and can benefit from any improvements.

 

Hey, Charlie, I think I'd avoid using the ash pan door to assist in starting fires. Just put a handful of twigs on those few coals and you'll be golden. I do it al the time when I let the fire burn down to almost no coals. I store 4 or 5 brown paper yard bags of twigs lopped to the length of the stove in my basement to use throughout the winter. Great for starting fires, also for a really hot quick fire in either shoulder season. Takes the chill of the house quickly. And cleans up the mess left after prepping firewood.

 

I use scrap lumber (2 x 4's), chopped up to 1" or smaller splits with a small axe about 12" long. That stuff is so dry, it flames right up with almost NO hot coals. Just throw a piece of 2 of that on what little is left, and throw a few logs on top of that and it starts up in 30 seconds or less. I also use "splitter trash". After a day of splitting with the 22 ton, I always have a 1/4 to 1/2 garbage can full of splinters and stuff from around and on the splitter. I put all that in a garbage can, and store for a few months and it dries right out. Then I take up a small pail of it to the stove and leave sitting next to my small kindling pile. So when I cold start OR start from very little hot coals from time to time, I just throw a handful of the trash in, then a piece or two of the 2x4 splinters, then a few logs.

 

I haven't the ash pan in my PH. Just use a shovel and start at the front of the stove. Push the shovel along the bottom until it is really overflowing. Ash settles on the bottom, all the coals fall off the top. I have absolutely no problem separating the coals from the ash. If ash starts to build up, I just take a few shovelfuls out before reloading. My stove burns just fine. The bed is quite deep in the PH, and I have no problem with excessive coal build up during the cold spell. Just rake the coals forward and open the air, add a split or a piece of bark for the last hour or so before I load.

I do usually, but not always, start with more coals than on a mild day, just because I can let the stove cool off much more when it is mild and still maintain house temps. But I am not starting out with a huge amount of coals, as I did in the Fireview when we had cold weather. With the Fireview, I felt the amount of wood I could load was compromised by coals after a week of bitterly cold weather. Of course, I never burned the stove (not even once) as hot as Dennis routinely burns his. Doing so would likely get rid of most of the coals rather quickly.

 

I only hold the ashpan door open a bit just until I see flames... that's rare.. I always have enough coals to just add wood..... I have a 12 x 12 foot pile of apple tree prunings in my woods about 5 feet high.. That's my kindling when ever needed .. I just fill a 5 gallon pail... Also use the pile for my Barrel cooker...

 

Thanks Dennis, I suspected as much.

 

The Buck 91 has the ash hole. It's a pain but it still beats shoveling 'em out.
I got spoiled on the grate with the Dutchwest, and one of the main reasons I kept the Keystone was for the grate. I can't go back now...not having a grated ash system is damm near a deal-breaker for me at this point.

 

Woody, I couldn't agree more.....