Looking for advice...

Almost never use 20" splits. Most is 16-17". Ahh, burn time......well, there's a 70% full load of Oak and Beech in the stove right now that I loaded at 9 AM. It's about 8 outside, and about 75 inside.
Still getting some secondary burn, but I don't expect much heat past about maybe 1 pm.
Overnight burns are normal, but when it's around zero or less, I wake to a cool house (mid-60s).
The stove I've had my eye on is the BK Ashford, but the Sirocco is virtually the same and less , so that's the one that'll probably end up here. Having said that, I keep my eye on Woodstock all the time, since they're very innovative in their designs (I'm mostly concerned with function over form).
HTH

 

Welcome aboard Eckie


Some great advice and input in this thread.



I had 3 stoves in mind when shopping, the WS Ideal Steel, the Blaze King, and the NC30.

Purchased the IS, I liked the looks, decided I wanted a cat stove, and the price was just enough below the BK to sway the purchase.

Overall, I still believe any one of the three would have fit the bill for our needs.

I went above our needs, as I can short load the stove and not run it full throttle, but when cold temps do hit, it has zero issues keeping our house toasty.


Good luck with the shopping and ensuing install.

Remember..

 

Forgive me if this has been already stated..my head is starting to spin a bit. Does the Absolute Steel throw a bunch of heat like a traditional steel stove? In terms of running us out of the room where it will be located (room is about 19 x19 give or take)... I'm guessing you can dial down/up the heat by what species you put in the stove and the air controls? Feel free to try to explain by dumbing it way on down...like way down..

I need to measure the dimensions of the stove that's there now, for comparison to other models, and measure the hearth so i can figure out what I really need for clearances. Does anyone know of a site, or literature, that lists a bunch of stoves and the clearances so that they can be more easily compared? I have looked at some stoves, and it's difficult to find the required clearances...

Anyone recommend a certain moisture meter? Hopefully one that won't break the bank and easily obtainable (as in lowes or home depot etc)...wife is bugging me for ideas for Christmas....

 

Every stove manual I've seen has the required clearances.
Let us know what stove you may have in mind, and a link or the manual itself will magically appear in the thread.

 

I didn't know they needed to be replaced that often thought they lasted a bit longer in the 5yr range. I wouldn't mind the 3 - 5yrs range!

 

Yeah it’s number of hours 3-5 is achievable my first one lasted 3.5 years I’m just conservative

 

Gotcha

 

Just went back and saw this. Some wood at mynold house has been under my big shed for at least 3 years. No one lived in our 'new' house for 4ish years before we bought it, so at least 4. And when we bought there was an old wood cookstove in the kitchen...i forgot about the shorter pieces of pine thats in one of the sheds. That ought to be dry as can be. Everyone round here says you shouldnt burn pine (not counting outdoor boiler stoves), but it should be fine like Backwoods Savage says in his wood burning thesis.

 

Heck, even the baffle boards for the 30NC aren't exactly cheap. They're on sale right now for $124 from $169. Similar to a cat (depending on manufacturer), and last just a few years before starting to deteriorate.

 

Well then, you've got something to start with. Nice.
Pine can be a contentious subject, but anyone who gets it DRY, finds that it burns fine.

 

Oh this should be verrryyyy dry. And when we were in Flagstaff for our honeymoon, all the little packages of firewood at the stores were some kind coniferous species..pine etc...so I figure some folks must burn that kind of material successfully.

 

Yes, you cat run a straight cat, or hybrid (AS,) low or high, your choice, depending on how far you have the primary air open. As you guessed, specie and load size also have a bearing. But you can run a full load low if you want. I think the fan ideas I mentioned before will be useful if you want to run the stove higher, when it's cold out and you need more heat in other areas of the house, but still want to be comfortable in the stove room. In VA, I'd imagine you'd be running low and long the majority of the time.
Your comment, "my head is starting to spin" reminds me of a tale my FIL used to tell... "I dove in and tried to cross the river. I got tired and my head started to swim...took me all the way to the other side."
I used the search box in the upper right corner, searched "AS absolute steel" and these came up.. Search Results for Query: AS absolute steel | Firewood Hoarders Club[title_only]=1&c[node]=12

 

Since you can turn these stoves down (such as the AS), does a larger split extend the burn time even more, or should you keep your splits about the same and just control with wood species, amount you put in stove and air controls?

Anyone have an idea of what the T5 costs these days? I know I have enough hearth for that. Measured while ago, hearth is 42 inches from the brick on the wall to the front, and 48 inches wide.

 

I think bigger splits will extend burn time some, but you can also cut the air more if you have medium-sized splits...I'll let actual AS owners speak to that. I haven't really experimented with split size vs. burn time in my straight cat Ks, I just generally have a variety of sizes from 4-6" so that I can get a full load in my small firebox.
I think this guy's probably got the current prices if you click on the models, even though he hasn't updated the names on the stove page.. Wood Stoves - EPA Approved wood stoves from The Chimney Sweep
The T5 I got my SIL was about $3K. Of course you can get the same box and guts without the cast iron, cheaper in the plain Super or enamel Super Classic.
Right, PE needs only ember protection, not heat transfer protection. AS needs some R-value in the hearth. Instructions start on page 5 of this document: https://woodstove.com/images/editorial_support/211 PDFs/211 Installation160506.pdf

 

Thanks for the info and links Woody Stover. The outer edge of the hearth pad is made of solid brick that is a little wider than normal brick, turned up on it's side, 2 deep. The center of the pad has some kind of small tiles, not sure whats under that, but there are probably a few loose so i might could get an idea. Shouldn't really matter though, cause this was an old porch or something so the floor is concrete. We put LVT down, so that should be the only issue, around the pad. I think i have the clearance on the front and one side, the door side would be the issue. Wonder if i could put something down on that side to widen the pad that would work? I really dont want to have to redo the pad. I could build a narrow piece (whatever width I need) and then put a piece of those premade pad things on top to keep embers from falling between. Just trying to figure out of I could make the AS work... Know of any 'just ember protection' cat stoves?

Can all hybrid stoves be run like the AS?

 

If it's concrete underneath, I think it would be pretty straightforward to alter it a bit to give you the clearance on the door side. You might want to start another thread with that in the title, to get more input. I don't know about other cat or hybrid stoves' floor protection requirements. That info would be in their manuals, like what I posted for the AS.

Not sure. Some new hybrids came out to meet the 2020 regs, but the AS is a proven stove. I think some other hybrids have been out a while..maybe the Regency?

 

hi, my home is hard to explain on the one hand some would call it a split ranch, but with out a long hall leading into another hall that the bedrooms are located along , just one 4ft wide hall to them. stove is located fairly central to the room layout. Living room, Dinet area and Kitchen ( apx 12x20 ft) are central and then there is the library ( as I call it) which is off set behind attached garage, about 15x20. at any rate stove is in living room dinet area which bleed together so it acts as a break between those ( living room is small more like a sitting room by conventional standards) there is a trapazoidal area that houses a closet for the front door and a pantry for the kitchen. The front hall way which runs parallel to the stairs to the basement and close/pantry but stairs only have 1/2 wall and you are back in kitchen at the junction of the basement stairs , laundry area (which leads to garage) and the library. so you have a full traffic loop in the middle of home looking down from an elevated position it's "U" shaped over all. At any rate just the small blower that comes as standard on the 30 now days seems to be sufficient. Home is a 1990 's build with 6" side walls and all casement windows which I replaced all the thermal panes in last year about this time as all of them had the collapsed window syndrome . That made a heck of difference between 17/18 and 18/19 winter seasons along with finally getting stove up and running late in Nov last year. At this point I have one 30 gal garbage can of ashes. Stove was fired up off and on begining in Sept. and running 24/7 since Oct. I have run apx a cord or a little less through the stove so far this season. I am getting whined at so I better get my tail in gear and head home, pups are hungry ( apx45 mile drive home from shop).

 

Tried to draw a sketch of my house, showing stove location and air flow issues with rest of house. Forgive me, I'm no architect. Not necessarily to scale, but decent representation.

Stove location marked by "S". Room with stove is a step down, 2 steps height (ceiling is also stepped). Also attached is a pic showing the ceiling of thenlower section, above the woodstove. Wood stove room may be a bit large comparatively in drawing, but is around 19.5 ft x 19.5 ft. Two more steps to get into "main" part of house.

My issue is do i choose a stove that heats my approximate sq ft (1800ish) since it is a bit 'isolated' from the rest of the house. Would like to heat as much as i can with it, but have to be able to stand it in the stove room, since thats where tv is and we spend the most time. Can i overcome this layout with the fan at thenother end of the house trick?

Next question...would the absolute steel run me out of this room? Also had T5 on my mind due to clearances and hearth pad requirements (ember). Like the reviews of the 30 NC, but that may run us out. Think a standard steel stove (which is what is in here now, Buck copy, yet to be used by me) may be too hot?

 

These stoves are very adjustable, I have the big brother the IS, I live about 15 miles from the Canadian border. A friend has the same stove and lives in Jersey. He keeps his STT
Stove top temperature, around 300-350. On cold days I try to keep mine above 550. Easy to do

 

Ths IS is bigger than the AS right?