FHC Exclusive! Long low oak burn in the new Ideal Steel stove

30 below and windy, maybe you'll try to push it to 550. Maybe.

 

We've been burning for ten days straight, except Thanksgiving Thursday to Friday morning when we let the stove cool off to reposition it.

I just reloaded after the light load this morning of three pieces of 2x4 and three oak blocks. There was still some hot coals left but most of the coals have burned down to light ash now and stove was cold.

I have not yet emptied ash from this stove.

This evening, I couldn't believe how little ash has built up so far, after all the coals had a chance to burn down. After 9 full days of burning big loads of wood, I have 1 inch of ash in this stove.

 

Heck, I could use it right now. Overnight lows this week will dip to -20 or so.
Speaking of ash, is the wood you've ben burning considered "ashy"? I know my Aspen will fill up the stove after a few weeks.
How deep does the stove go, below the door?

 

-20?!? I ain't ready for that.

The cherry I've been burning regularly supposedly creates more ash but oak, which I used for the two long burns, is supposed to be low ash.

This stove bottom is 3 or 4 inches below the lip of the stove at the door. Its too hot right now to open it up and measure.

 

It was real warm here last few days. On Sat morning I put in 2 very large chunky, knotty crotch splits of red oak, less than 1 year old, a bit green. I loaded them on an almost cold stove, just barely a red coal or two left to keep it going. The minute I saw a flame, I shut it Down. On Monday morning, two days later, there was 1 whole piece left, all black, and charcoal end. When hit with the rake, it just fell into pieces and the center was red hot. Stove never got too hot, the soap was 150 to 175 most of the time, and was 172 on steel flue collar on Monday morning. Not much heat output, but a 2 day, 48 hour burn on 2 large chunks.

 

One option is to push the 16" splits all the way to one side (away from door). Then stand up a few short splits in the leftover space close to door on end. I did that last winter and it worked well.

 

Outstanding!

 

Oldhippie,
Instead of just marking the air setting, on the PH I would like to see Woodstock make a more mechanical lever. One with gears and clicks on it, so you can really fine tune the setting. I picture something like 20 steps. This would allow for repeat ability (use the same setting consistently...), easier setting (you know exactly where it is set), and easier to adjust. Of the PH, if I want to adjust the air, I almost always shut it all the off, then slowly open it to desired spot. So I adjust it by knowing how far from shut off it is. If I re-adjust later, I again go off, then move bak /open to where I want it. That is the only "reference" I have, how far from off/closed. I'd love a geared type lever that is more accurate.

 

I agree,, I set the air the exact same way... The wife would have a harder time running this stove then the Fireview because of those missing settings for reference.

 

I think I may have nicked 600 degrees on the PH once. Usually, even in the coldest of weather, I top out around 550. There is SO MUCH HEAT coming off the glass with the secondaries cranking. It really is unbelievable.

 

That's what I'm seeing so far, lots of heat from the glass from my PH.. never a need to push these stoves... That speaks a long service life to me, not running the stove to the point that the internal parts are seeing heat stress.. and less wood burned..

 

I think I have "nicked" 500 on the PH! I can't recall it getting over 500... When I have it loaded up with good wood, and running full blast with secondaries and the CAT running, I think it tops off at 450 on the hottest spots (flue collar) if I recall correctly. BUT, I can heat the entire neighborhood when it's running like that, litterally. This is something I would love to learn/understand better, how it doesn't get that hot at well under 500 (comparitively speaking), yet delivers much more heat than a steel stove which would measure much hotter running like that.

Too much physics for me to figure out!

 

I know this is Machria's first stove and I think Charlie had a Fireview previously. Waulie, what was your previous stove? I am interested in knowing how the Progress compares to other stoves in the 3 cu ft range when run at the same temp.

 

This is my first EPA stove so not the best comparisons. But, I do have experience with large stoves.

I grew up with a Hearthstone I as the only heat source. Huge firebox and created lots of heat. This is probably the most simliar to heating as the PH likely due to the thermal mass. However, the PH out heats it with similiar top temps, no question. Not by a huge margin though. Of course, you'f need almost twice the amount of wood in the H1 to get similiar heat output.

I ran an original VC Defiant for several years. Huge firebox and created lots of heat. BIG difference between the VC and the PH. The VC could really crank the heat, but you had to (and couldn't keep from) getting that puppy over 500 before you really started to feel some serious heat off of it. I'd say the feeling of being near the VC when it was really cranking like 600+ (you know that skin melting type of feeling) is similiar to the heat coming off the PH window with to top at 500. However, having a PH with the top at 500 is a FAR more comfortable situation than being everywhere near the VC when it was craking a similiar amount of heat.

The next stove I ran for a couple years was a POS Black Bart convective stove from like 1983. Apples to elephant dung.

Hope that helps. I think the slanted fireback, huge window, and just overall efficiency really make comparing stovetop temps of the PH to other stoves pretty eroneous.

 

Before having the Fireview and my Esse cookstove going, Fireview room would get to about 70-71.. Esse part of the house about 72.. Now with just the PH running , the PH room stays around 75 if I let it and the Esse Cookstove area , the kitchen, etc stays at about 69 -70 without the Esse running... So I can heat the whole 1900 sq ft farm house with just the PH now if I wanted to... When I run the Esse , the whole house cruises at 75 even... Sometimes adding a little extra wood in the PH will have the stove room at 80 if I want... PH is definitely a heating machine, and doing so with a draft barely open,,,, amazing heat output, yet a very comfortable not driving you out of the room heat...

 

I agree with others. It is easy to overlook the efficiency issue. The EPA default efficiency for secondary stoves if 63%, for the PH more like 82% if I remember correctly...anyway, over 80%. That is 30 % greater efficiency, which translate to a heck of a lot more heat. And then, the PH is very good at delivering that heat quickly through the window, so little heat is lost up the chimney, and the tremendous mass of the stove stores and gently radiates heat all the time, if you run 12 hour loads 24/7. The stove also is not very finicky, so it is easy to keep good fire running all the time. Very easy to reload this stove with a flue temp of 400 and have no trouble controlling the burn....as long as you shut the air down and engage the cat, the stove takes care of itself. It is also a great feature that if at any time in any burn you want a fireshow, or more heat, you can simply open the air for as long as you wish, immediate response, then shut it down when you are satisfied, immediate recovery to slow burn. A really nice stove, and a beautiful one too.

 

The comparison to the Hearthstone I and the Old Defiant is very helpful.

 

How drafty is your place?

 

I'd certainly buy another one..