I'm so confused

Once the radiator was shielded with a stainless deflector, the premature warping issue went away. Stoves without shields were only in production for a year, so in a heating season the trend was apparent (we're factory direct so we hear right from the end user), and corrective action was taken. The issue had an easy solution, and the replacement was simple for the customer (this is not to say the premature failure isn't an inconvenience to the customer). I wish I could say the same about the Takata death bag, I mean air bag, that I'm still waiting to have replaced in my Honda!

For an explanation of why the radiator is engineered into the stove, feel free to read our blog post from 10/2013:
Woodstock Soapstone Co. Blog: Under the Hood 7: Catalyst Heat Radiator: another old idea in a new setting

Remember, we always welcome questions, and are happy to address your concerns. Just give us a call, or send us and email!

Carry on…

Lorin Day
Woodstock Soapstone Co.

 

I guess I shouldn't say intense maintenance. I was just under the impression that getting to the cats was more labor intensive in a bk. Not just the lift a lid and lift off a radiator like the IS. Need of Maintenance in general is probably quite comparable.

Easy of cat access and components is a little different and what I was trying to explain I guess.

 

I have a Fireview I bought in 2012, I've cleaned the CAT twice now with the 50/50 mix but that takes less than 1/2 hour and about $2.99 for the white vinegar. I haven't had to change any gaskets or even adjust the door.

This year I bought a Absolute Steel, slightly smaller than the IS, after beta testing one last year. No radiator issues and so far no gasket issues at all. I haven't been keeping up with the IS thread, but I do tend to agree with Brian's metaphor of the "spot on the glass". All the positives get taken for granted, the lack of self cleaning glass, can provide enough fodder for hundreds of posts and opinions on how to fix that damm spot.

Same with the gaskets, this might be a dozen guys each changing one gasket each and it comes out sounding like an epidemic. With 37 years of burning with 2 stoves I've replaced/repaired maybe 5 gaskets.

As for the CATs replacement. Well we'll see, I'm hoping that a yearly pre-season cleaning with the distilled water/vinegar is all it needs. I had a ceramic CAT is a CDW for 25 years and replaced the CAT once, but I think these new metal CATS may be less durable, but I have almost 3 seasons on my Fireview steel CAT and it's doing fine.

 

Pictures are worth a thousand words. The new radiator with the stainless shield. It is warped even with the shield, but it does not drop anything on the cat. The warpage has no effect on the performance.

 

I personally think this stove needs a larger cat. The idea is to run the stove with both technology's, but mine tends to want to burn cat only for the heat output I need. That small cat gets flooded with smoke and runs near its peak temperatures. Then it basically becomes a torch for the radiator above it. JMO. The great thing about this stove is that it is so incredibly easy to work on. You can take it all apart and put it back together. Serviceability is A+.

 

Thank you for the picture. That's exactly what mine looks like too!

 

I totally missed this thread last February. Old man had a good question about the IS and I really liked the IS owners, and Lorin, chiming in.
Brian made a good point of how "we" (IS owners) talk about our stoves. We share every detail and get the most out of what this stove offers
by sharing information...be it good or bad.

As the other have said, there were a couple of hiccups along the way. One of the issues being the radiator, a wearable part for sure. Since being to the factory
the last 2 years for the open house, I was able to get the upgraded version of the radiator and I ran it all of last season. The stainless steel shield
works to a certain extent but the radiator still warps. It doesn't affect the performance of the catalyst in any way, if anything the shield helps
keep flaking debris off of the honeycomb. Also, I don't think the warping was nearly as bad as the radiator when it worked alone.

I wonder if the next thickness size of steel would fare better as a radiator vs the 1/4" that comes with it. Would stone work any better? I'm sure the steel is
the most cost effective. I also like Brian's BDF modified radiator that holds catalyst heat trapped before escaping up the flue. I have yet to do something
to mine just yet, but I like the idea.