Production Woodstock IS

Now you know, get a good deal next time! I bought my first pallet from TSC also, over $300 a few years back. At least you got through the cold spell, those Ecobricks are great if you can get em $200 for a ton, or maybe even cheaper. Might as well buy those instead of wood, unless you cut your own. I've bought several cords of wood for $125-$150 and never have been happy with what I got. Usually shorted of course, not dry, lots of bark, bugs, dirt, sticks, lengths all over the place. For just a little more you have guaranteed dry bark free perfectly stackable wood. And you can cram way more btu's in the stove if you wanted! My record so far is 4 packs, ~84 lbs plus a few small splits. I have a few years worth of wood stacked and seasoned but this past year just soaked it. I hope it will be ok next year if I get most of it under cover maybe later summer after its dried back out.

 

Any reliable source of splits costs me at LEAST $195 a cord. If I could get pallets of bricks delivered for $225 or less, I wouldn’t buy splits again. I would just cut and split my own wood when available and use bricks the rest of the time.

Or I could get a trailer that can handle three pallets at a time instead of one, but that doesn’t fit into any “saving money” conversation.

 

I think they are probably cheaper around here since it's close to the source... they're made about an hour from me in Millersburg Ohio. I have no intention of ever buying cordwood again, though I do have many cords I scrounged that should last me a while. Still, even with good dry free wood, I like mixing some bricks in to give me the extra btu's needed during the cold snaps when I am working shift and need to stretch that burn time way out.

So with the mild temps I put the aging combustor to the test and did a cat only burn... I didn't have the stove loaded very full since it was around 50, maybe less than half a normal load. Let the combustor get up to 1,000 or so and backed it down, even with the warm temps and key damper mostly shut I still had to go down to notch 3 or a little less to snuff out all the secondaries. It held around 1,000 and I popped up the lid quick and the cat was glowing bright red. No smoke best I can tell (it was very foggy). It didn't last that long though, around 2-3 hours and started diving, not sure if the warming temps reduced draft or just ran out of fuel, I didn't load it very much - I think it was 1 medium split and 6 bricks iirc.

4th year on the combustor so I'm happy it seems to be mostly working. I need to get a new one ordered though, looks like they went up $10 since I checked a month or two ago.

 

Safer than lifting the lid (especially since I usually have a kettle and other junk on it), I found if you get low and look up through the glass, you can see the combuster and the drawer glowing bright red.

I don’t know what is more amazing to me. How much heat that little thing can produce, or that it could last for 4 years at those temps! I keep thinking about ordering a second one as well, but mine is showing no signs of reduced performance so I keep procrastinating.

 

I had a probe thermo in the little port on the front of the stove. It has since failed (2nd one) after I closed the combuster sled and it bent the e'll out of it. Now I just use the port as a peep hole to check out the combuster to see how its lit. Works quite well!

 

Hello everyone. My name is Tim. I was forwarded here from another forum because of all the friendly Woodstock burners that are here.
I do not own a WS as of yet, but I would definitely like to acquire one.
(There is a 1982 Classic for sale near me for 650$. I realize that is 36-37 years old as I am, but does it have a cat?)
I have been reading this thread a couple of days now. Up to page 65 and I had to join the forum so I could ask some questions. ( besides the one above.)
I’m curious if any other changes have been made to the production IS?
I know the alarm bell flap was addressed and I believe I read that the grate was changed, but what about the insufficient primary air or the radiator plate??? Is there still a coaling problem?
As far as the radiator plate goes.. wouldn’t a piece of cast iron be best??

Thanks for everything,
Tim

 

Welcome tim117 to the FHC!!
Yes many changes have been made to IS. Flap you mentioned, slots in the ash pan have been widened, radiator has stainless steel to prevent warping, and several more..
Coaling issue has several solutions..
I own one and wife loves it!!

 

Thanks Canadian Border for the quick reply!
Sounds great! I was originally thinking about a fireview or the PH.. after reading this thread, I want an IS...
coincidentally I was looking at real estate today in VT near the Canadian border.. spooky.

 

Moving from Jersey to the North
I'm on Lake NY side.. But NH side has great folks too and close!!
Calling WeldrDave !!!

 

Welcome aboard tim117


Can't answer your question on the "classic" stove.

Installed our IS in Jan 2018, and have been quite happy with the performance.
If anything, it runs a bit too hot at times, but that can be managed as well.

 

First I've heard of an insufficient primary air issue.

 

Insufficient wasn’t the right word.

 

Moving down north is a pipe dream of mine. Taxes and everything is too expensive in Jersey.
I like looking at property’s and houses in Maine NH and VT.

 

Thanks Chaz, I’m glad y’all are happy with the IS. Too hot is a lot better than too cold. You could always strip your clothes off. (Have at it boys!)

 

We did think that there was an issue but my belief was that the preproduction stoves never had much of a shoulder season, so the first fall the initial production stoves behaved differently due to weather. I saw a post this year that had new owners concerned but once it got cold it was better. It really wasn't an issue, you just have to run it different because it's a different stove above 20f.

 

And a beast at 20 below

 

That makes sense. Secondaries and cats are all new to me, so this has not only been a fun read, but also very informative.

 

I was shocked at how easy this stove will hold 600-650 when it is cold enough to need that much heat. The few cold days we had this winter (negative double digits with wind) we learned to keep it right where it needed to be for max safe output, and kept the house 70+ as long as we did our part.

When it's warmer out, it will hold 400 all day (or night) without batting an eye, just right for the house's needs.

 

I was initially thinking it would be way too big for my house at 1,150 sqft, but now I’m not so sure. I would be happy if it was 75-80 in here. I could always open the porch door.
I don’t think it would be too bad though cause the house is drafty, and it sounds like you have good control over your stoves.

Putting one in the basement is another option.

 

You can run it low, only drawback is longer burn times.
I used it in my last house at 1200sqft. It was in colder VT but I had room to turn it down if needed. I think it will be fine upstairs.