Comparing the Ideal Steel to Progress Hybrid

I had a few steps the guys needed to get the stove up for my install. They stripped as much weight as they could. I think they said it was about 550lbs. They pulled off the top cooking plate( it's hinged and then comes out. Inside they took out the radiator that goes over the cat. Then they yanked the door and the decorative panels with the soapstone inserts. I'll assume the bricks and soapstone are not readily removable cause it was still damm heavy with the three of us working the dolly up the stairs.

 

Looking at the firebox assembly on my Beta (photos taken before we burned in it) it doesn't appear to be very easy to pull the soapstone liner, but it might be possible with the secondary air plate at the top of the firebox removed?

 

I would think they are removable so they can be replaced if broken. What if you removed the bottom fire bricks first? Then maybe the soapstone can be slid out?

 

One other question, what is the N/S depth of that fire box?

 

18"x22" e/w

 

I've always said "Woodstock Rocks"!

 

I think it's fortunate that Woodstock has such a nice product,,,and,,,, you can call and talk to someone at anytime... could be emails only or we'll get back to you on a recording... Plus no one has an attitude no mater what your problem or questions would be.. Best of both worlds... Guess that's what's nice about a small company...very personalized..

 

Any place to put a cat probe on this stove?

 

Because the cat is on a sled that slides forward into place when the cat is engaged, and has a large steel heat shield over it, I think the only place a cat probe could be installed is from the front of the stove, just above the door. It would have to be perfectly placed between the cat and the heat shield so that when the cat sled assembly moves into and out of its engagement position the cat probe doesn't interfere with its movement.

See this video, starting at about 0:25:

 

Brian, that looks like an easy install for a probe. Measure twice, drill once.

 

No doubt. Just hold a dowel in place and make sure the cat assembly moves into place around it without impinging on it, then drill.

I'm not going to install a probe on this Beta unit but I'll seriously consider it on a production unit.

 

Yeah, A probe right in front above the door would work great. I hope Woodstock makes that an option.

 

Forget the option itself, give me a threaded bung with a plug on every single stove.

 

Woodstock must have been reading this thread

Friday, March 7, 2014
IDEAL STEEL Hybrid Catalytic Temperature Probe

We’ve added a port for a catalytic temperature probe just above the center of the loading door. The probes are simple bimetallic coils attached to a stainless rod. We have been testing the bimetallic probe against a thermocouple: it’s certainly “in the ballpark” and gives a good idea of catalyst light-off.



Labels: Ideal Steel Hybrid Posted by Woodstock Soapstone Co. at 3/07/2014 ​

 

I've been stalking this forum since we became beta testers and have finally decided to post some of my observations from the wife's prospective.

Since we started beta testing with the ideal steel I've wanted to compare how much wood could fit in the IS and the PH. I felt like I would haul over enough to load it and would have to go get more which I'd never noticed when running the PH. So we did a test. I felt like the IS is huge compared to the PH. So we loaded up the PH and took the picture above.




So we then took those 10 splits out and piled them ready to go into the IS



IS loaded with 10 splits




We could only add one additional split






10 minutes into the burn Cat engaged damper at 50%


So I was very surprised that we could only add one more split. Since we aren't using the PH there was not a coal base so that might have made a little difference. I also have to say I personally would never load the PH that full my husband said he would. The door is much smaller and the smoke flap is in the way and once things start smoking I get nervous and call whatever I have in there good. Since the door on the IS is so big I feel much more comfortable loading it.

These stoves are very similar. I'd have a hard time choosing between them. For me it comes down to looks and $.

 

How long are those splits Mrs FS?

 

Awesome, thank you.

On a sadder note, as I scrolled from the top of this page I read one note, praising Woodstock's easy access for questions and then noted it was a Charlie Woltz post, with his cute little puppy warming in front of his PH.

Miss you Charlie...

 

20-21 inches except for the last split that we added to the IS. It's hard to fit 20-22 inch splits when topping the IS off so it's good to have some 16-18 inch ones to put in.
Most of our wood is cut to long to load it N/S but I really like loading that direction. The wood size is easier to handle and seems like it fits more. This would be another plus over the PH which would be difficult to load N/S

 

I really wish Woodstock would build one of their stoves 3+ cubic foot. I know I am probably the minority here but one of the main reasons I didn't go for a Princess or a Woodstock when looking for my stove was because of capacity. I have watched the Progress threads closely and as much as I would love to try one out I can put a lot more wood than that in my T6 and in the dead of winter like this last year I need the capacity for heat. When you really start looking the 3+ cubic foot stove market is pretty limited though.