Fireview or Progress Hybrid?

Such problems to have...

Woodstock makes great products. Love it when a North American company makes an exceptional product with American labor.

 

I would be all over a Fireview the size of the PH or IS ,cat only stove with cook top and an ash pan! That would be my perfect stove! My Fireview was a really good stove..

 

That is a tuff decision. So you till have the Progress and the choice is to add the Ideal Steel or a Fireview/Keystone? Keep in mind the Keystone asks for a 7" stove pipe, but I understand its also listed for a 6" pipe.

It's tempting to add the Steel, because that way you can burn super low for MUCH longer than the Fireview/Keystone, and that's probably what you want for the second stove as a supplement. The problem as you say, is size.

 

The Keystone has been tested and approved for use with a 6" chimney. Mine drafts great.

 

Yes, we've still got the PH and likely will add a second stove. Hadn't thought about the flue size, but given our chimney height and reports like fox9988's, I'd bet we would be OK on a 6" (I think the flue would accept a 7", but suspect it is more spendy). Room isn't really an issue except that it is a small fireplace with a lot of woodwork, so the stove will need sit out further than the kitchen one does.

 

Well then turn that PH into a cat only stove!

 

There's a simple fix! All though,, it's nice having those raging secondaries when you want some driving heat! Last night I left the PH draft open about a 1/4 of the way ... wow did that heat! Maintained 600 on soft maple for like 3-4 hrs, had the stove room at 84 and the far end of the house at 77. Was 20 degrees out... Got a little more taste of what the PH can do,, still not even pushing the stove... Quite the heater!

 

It's STILL a really good stove!!

 

Glad your enjoying that great heater... A super nice stove to run once you use it... makes burning wood a joy....and that's the truth

 

You know Todd, how about offering the PH in two different stove models, Hybrid and Cat only... I know more testing,,but... Base line of the stove is already built...Just make a solid plate without the secondary holes...

 

Why not have it to where you could just turn it on or off as needed? All cat mode for shoulder season and hybrid for colder temps. That's what I originally thought they were trying to do.

 

I certainly like that idea! Maybe just make it so you run the secondary draft independent of the primary draft! That should divide things up..

 

If I want a cat only burn in the Ideal Steel stove I just load it, get it hot on 100% air, then back off the air till the secondary air flames go out. Its real easy to do. Can't you do the same with the Progress?

 

Do your secondaries eventually come back and take over or does your fire box stay black for the whole burn? Maybe the IS has a little more control over the secondaries?

 

Usually when I cut back the air till the firebox goes black it stays black. I did notice the secondaries came back just a little bit, briefly, in the most recent time lapse video I did.

 

The IS does have more control over the secondaries. Woodstock found that in some circumstances the secondaries in the PH could starve the cat for O2, and the cat would not burn until the secondaries went out. SO they designed the IS with its own source of air for the cat. The cat will always have enough O2 in the IS. I asked if they could retrofit the PH for a similar air pattern. The answer is NO. It would require reengineering and be very expensive. Basically, they'd have to build a new stove and go through all the testing and approvals again. Not worth doing. You always get a good clean burn with the PH, it does switch to cat from secondary eventually in those circumstances when it gets "stuck" in secondary, you can generally prevent a cat starving secondary burn by keeping the air low early on, and you still get very long burns.

Hybrid design is new, and people are learning and improving designs. Nice.

 

Once I get my cat probe installed on the PH ,,,, I feel I'll get to learn a lot more about the stove... At times I wonder if the cat is working with a black stove on a new reload,, with only a 350 degree internal flue gas probe reading on my pipe... Once I have the probe installed,, I'll see if that cat is truly going or not. Usually when I see that I'll open the draft so flue gas temps come up to at least 400... The probe will be very useful to me... Other times with a totally black stove I see STT and flue gas temps of 600 after a while...for sure the cat is running then..

 

Can you see the cat glowing on the PH when looking through the glass?

 

No you can't see the cat. The cat is way up towards the back of the stove,,, plus the cat sits horizontally .