Ideal Steel Season #2 Tips, Tricks, and Improvements.

I wouldn't say a bunch, but yeah I could have probably got another couple hours but I had things I wanted to get to doing and didn't want a reload to interrupt them. Plus I like loading full size splits right on hot coals without kindling if I have a good enough coal bed. It did pick up over 100F on the cat probe and center burner when I stirred it up and opened the throttle some at 25 1/2 hrs so it did have some btus left for sure.

Well the bricks aren't cheap, but then again they aren't super expensive, for me anyhow. I know TSC normally sells them for $$$ and I'm not one to but I found other local suppliers that are significantly cheaper - perhaps because they are made close by in Millersburg Ohio. They are a little cheaper per ton then pellets at least, which are pretty much the same thing (I pay $260/T for pellets, and $220/T for the Ecobricks). I have around a ton left still (bought 3 skids last year, burned about 2 of them) so wanting to get these used up this year as a few of them starting to expand. I don't plan on buying cordwood again as long as I can get these for about $220/ton. I'll scrounge up whatever I can myself for 'free', but whatever more I need I'll just get the bricks. Tired of the crap wood you get around here for $125-150 / cord, never the right length, length not consistent at all, always get shorted, not seasoned, some rotten full of ants, tons of stick pieces, etc.

My pellet stove on lowest setting burns about a measured 2 lbs per hour (even though the specs say 1.6) so in 24 hrs that's 48 lbs and $6.24 (for Somersets I am using) per day. Set as low as she goes.
I used a mix load so can't directly compare yet, but I used 56 lbs of Ecobricks in 27+ hrs with a few small splits of ash. That was $6.11 in Ecobricks for 27+ hrs plus a few free pieces of ash. What is impossible for me to compare with any exactness is the heat outputs, but I'd guess the stove put out a little more overall heat.

 

Looking forward to seeing your results when you get the chance to do your testing.

After seeing your early returns, I decided to do a bit of testing myself (sans nice instrumentation/graphs ). Here are my results so far:

• no visible impact to burn unless damper was at 15 degrees or less to horizontal (closed). Fully closed gave most noticeable results.
  
• flue temp 50 degrees cooler using closed damper
• 1.5 air setting with dark lazy flames, STT ~ 525. With damper open, max air I can run is 1.25 with STT into 600's and lots of brighter flames

Hearthstone called the key damper in my old stove "the throttle" - I like this term and find it appropriate. The Fireview has done a very good job without using the throttle, if the performance improves using it, I may need to crack a window.

 

Got the first full burn on the stove with the damper in place as it was cold enough outside. Filled the stove, got the splits engaged and then shut the bypass, damper (fully) and draft to 1/4 open (six notches). Stove loading was around 9:30 PM, final tweak of the draft was maybe 11:00 PM- when I closed it down to 4 notches open and left it. Pretty nice burn though a touch hot on the combustor during the gas- off portion of the burn. Then a pretty even coals burn until 6:30 AM when I kicked the draft open about 1/2 way.



I am pretty satisfied with this setup but I think I will still change the damper plate to reduce the area of the holes in it, or get another damper type that is just less open in the first place. And of course, going to try running the stove at 3 notches and even 2 notches open in an effort to reduce the gas- off rate and even out the burn a bit more. Still, it was 17F outside this AM, and 69F in the kitchen (two rooms away) and due to construction changes, my house is about as well insulated and airtight as a tent (but maybe not a good tent ) so performance was good I think.

Brian

 

Does anyone have a pic or link for a pic of an IS stove with black base and charcoal accents? I want to see what that looks like before ordering for sure.

 

Can see it on Woodstock website just checked... but mines all black

 

Here ya go, found it on their fb site:

 

Hey freeburn , welcome aboard.
This could almost be your anthem, eh?
The last 4 minutes or so are like an all out sprint.........

 

Thanks! You guys take so long to get back to a guy with a question... Like 8 minutes?

I saw that one, but that makes it look almost a light grey. Is that the photo or is that how light it is?

 

Are you talking about on the color viewer? It says in the description charcoal on charcoal, so I can't really tell what it looks like. I ordered it anyway. Now to figure out how to get it into the house without too much trouble. I have a walk out basement and dolly and furniture dolly. Between those things, I don't think it will be too difficult. Any tips to lighten the load or move it? I haven't really dug into that yet. I'll definitely be checking back here to find out how best to burn.

 

Take all the soapstone or firebrick out, keep the door off, take the cat and sled out, top off etc.

 

I think it's that picture. The charcoal does not look that light.

My stove is charcoal with green doors.

Not the best picture to show the color of the stove, but most people would mistake my charcoal for black. There appears to be a slight amount of metalflake in the charcoal and I bet the light/flash is making it look lighter than it is? I think you will be happy.

 

mine wasn't really that hard but I have a tractor to move crate to deck off trailer and a heavy dolly that moved it inside. Also a buddy from high school that's all of 300 pounds got a belly but a lot of muscle too.. Yeah 2 guys makes it easier. if you go to Lowe's or home Depot the single wall stove pipe is 1 shade darker than than IS charcoal..

Welcome to the forum freeburn yeah we try to provide help quick here! If you like good customer service.. You will enjoy this place and Woodstock Soapstone too.!

 

Congrats, you're going to love this stove. Good color choice. And welcome to the forum!

Regarding moving- where is it going? In the walk-out basement? If not many stairs, you may not need to dismantle it too much. I took off the side fenders, door, top lid, and it was fine. I left the soapstone liner and sled intact. I simply wheeled it next to the hearth with my hand truck dolly, and four of us lifted it and placed it. As far as getting the crate off of my pick up truck, I have a neighbor with a bobcat that has a fork attachment. That saved a lot of labor also!

 

Had a change of heart after we looked a bit more at the Facebook site (thabks for the link). Going instead with charcoal body and metallic blue. Wife likes that one better with a bit more contrast and the light house theme.

 

In basement, pretty easy access except a bit of snow to get through around. Will try to get it there with 4 wheeler and trailer then the difficult part from trailer into house and lastly from crate to floor. No hearth pad to lift onto. I don't think it could be any easier to be honest. Just have to be careful and work slow and carefully. Might have to make use of a car jack too somewhere along the way to get off the pallet.

 

Metallic blue

 

Almost- mine is charcoal with black accents.

I have to say though that the charcoal is so dark that you would mistake it for black and it actually takes pretty good room lighting to see that my stove body is really not black. They are so close that I would not worry too much about combining those two colors; I actually wanted a lighter gray for the stove body but the choices are what they are.

Brian

 

That's the one! Shipping next week!
What did you do with the top burners (color)? I'm not sure if they get used, that they will stay blue.

 

I ordered a can spray touch up of both colors from Woodstock when they shipped the stove.

It's come in handy for the occasional scratch.

 

Here is a good picture of what to take off. I took the bricks out too. After that me and another guy carried it right in.