Production Woodstock IS

Hey there!

I’ve been away for a while too. I know how it goes....

Well, finishing up season three with the IS here in a few weeks I imagine, and man, I couldn’t be happier with it. This was really one of the best purchases I’ve ever made for the house. It was 38 outside today, but about 78-80 in the house...and now we’re spoiled rotten.

Yes, I think this will be the last season with my original cat. I’ve noticed a marked decrease in performance here towards the end of the season that no vinegar bath is going to fix. I’ll be ordering sometime after the stove goes out.

 

Is it possible to recoat a metal cat? I would assume it wouldn’t be a DIY home thing, but sending it back to the factory every 2nd or 3rd spring for a deep clean and recoat might be economical vs dumping them.

 

I'd imagine that it could be done, the question is likely one of financial feasibility. It may not be worth the money to reclaim the steel, as that pales in comparison to the catalyst cost.

 

I’m on year 4 with the stove and I think this will be my last year with the original cat. Mine is really sluggish like yours. I’ve never done a boil. I’ve only done a 50/50 vinegar water mix in a spray bottle and a thorough rinse with distilled water. I’ll definitely be ordering a new cat for next year.

 

Really considering getting an IS, especially now that they are having a sale plus free shipping. I have only made it through page 35 of this post. Going to give TurboDiesel a call when I wade through the other pages.
I was wondering if anyone is close to the Columbus/Mansfield Ohio area? I would love to see one and BS about them if you are willing to meet up in the next two weeks?

 

Order one, you will be pleased!

 

Sounds wore out. The dang things only last 10-12 thousand active hours and many of us hit that every couple of years. Don’t waste time, just drop a new one in and enjoy the awesome new cat performance.

I’ve done a vinegar wash to get a little more time but in the end i don’t think it’s worth the effort when new ones are so cheap.

 

My cat has three heating seasons on it and its getting sluggish. Washed it twice this year. I'll go ahead and finish the year with it and get one for fall.
I'll gladly spend $60 a year on the cat.

I'm still impressed that this huge stove uses so much less wood per year than the Fireview... and I get more heat and longer burn times

 

Mine lasted 2 years and died, but I burn Oct to April anyway.. I got 1 and a spare

 

Well cheap is a relative term, but yeah no big deal I guess. I was just planning on this thing lasting much longer. And I agree the boil is a major PITA... took me a while to find a pot big enough then it took forever to heat up to boiling. I may just try a spray or a cold soak and see if it helps, but I guess I'll plan on replacing it at least for next season.

I'm in that area, but my stove is running somewhat crappy right now with the seemingly worn out combustor.

 

I’m not far from you. I live near Ceasers creek state park a little less than an hour south west of Columbus. Feel free to stop by and check mine out if you’d like. I have had my IS for about a month now and am loving it! I’ve figured out what works best with my setup and it is very easy to operate. Temps have been 20’s and low 30’s today and I just reloaded tonight after 13 hours and there was still 2 pieces of charred wood left to rake up into a nice hot coal bed for reloading. This stove continues to impress me!

 

Really? Same everything but swapping fireview for IS and much less of the same wood?

 

Thanks for the offer to see your stoves. I bit the bullet and ordered an IS today. Looking forward to 2018/2019 season.

 

I'm quite certain you will be happy with that decision.

Did you get soapstone??
Design features??
Colors??
Ashpan??

These are the things we like to know.

 

Yes.
It pumps out more heat for a longer time, so less reloads

 

I gotta boil my cat.

What are all you using to boil it in?

Gonna look at yard sales for a big pot.

 

Nothing I had was large enough. I had to hunt down an 18" turkey roasting pan. Paid way too much after not finding anything for a couple months. Wish I had checked amazon they have an inexpensive Granite Ware 18" roaster for under $15.

Is it very beneficial to have it boiling or is a cold soak nearly as effective does anyone know?

 

I went with a disposable turkey roasting pan. Boiled it for 10 minutes and then flipped it over and boiled another 10.

I'll find something at a yard sale this spring.

 

I've done both. The cold spray seems to work fine.
Always use distilled water for spray and rinse.

 

I have done the vinegar and water boil several times in the past but lately I have just been using a spray bottle full of 100% white vinegar and completely soaking the combustor that way. It seems to work just as well but of course that is something not really quantifiable outside a laboratory (though sometimes my wife claims that is exactly what our kitchen has become but I digress.....). Spraying the combustor and rinsing it well with tap water (we have very soft city water here, no need IMO for a distilled water rinse as there is nothing that could cause deposits in our water supply) is hugely easier than the boiling thing, plus boiling vinegar stinks up about 30% of the state I live in :-( So going forward, that is the way I intend to do it: take a dry combustor, rinse it well with faucet water to remove any loose dust or fines, then really spray it down well from two sides, and at least two angles, to get 100% coverage in every cell. Then let it sit a while and another faucet water rinse and back into the stove.

If I did do the boiling vinegar bath again, I think I would do it outside, on the grill just to get the smell out of the house.

Brian