Production Woodstock IS

I have found a pretty good rhythm. When I get home from work around 5:30pm I move all the coals left from the daytime burn to the front right and open air all the way. This gets all the coals a nice glowing orange with dancing blue flames. I can hold stove top temps between 400-475 for 2-3 more hours as they burn down. Moving the coals to the front puts some serious heat out the glass. If I want to keep the stove above 500, I will add a small split leaning up against the pile of coals and engage the cat. Once they burn down I load the stove around 8:30-9pm for the night.

Any thoughts on the bypass while coaling? Is it doing any good/harm?

 

Yep, I misspoke (miss- typed?) and of course the hole is below the door gasket, otherwise it would not work. Thanks for correcting my mistake and I will alter the original post.

We are in the middle of another 'gust of warm' and maybe tonight I can let the stove die enough to check out where the air exits into the firebox are and if mine are clogged or not.

Edited to add: Opps, I cannot edit the original post- it must be too long since it was posted.

Brian

 

I just leave the sled closed during the coal stage. The cat doesn't have any smoke to eat, but it slows the throughput nicely and the radiator can still disperse what reduced heat comes from the coal bed through a sleeping cat. Seems logical to me just leaving the cat engaged until reload time, so the coals' heat can stay in the stove to warm your house instead of goin' up the flue.

 

What kind of wood are you guys burning at this point in the game? I'm still burning cherry, ash, and maple. I imagine switching to my oak/ locust stash will yield even more amazement.

 

What you said Brian, about the EPA air hole being so small that it doesn't contribute much, is right on. When the primary lever is 1/4 open or more, the EPA intake is negligible. For a long slow cat-only burn (lever at 1 - 3 slots) is the only time that little 3/8" hole has any effect. It's kinda neat to position a split about 2" rearward from either end of that angle iron channel during a catburn. The jet shooting straight backwards at the end of the channel looks like an acetylene torch drilling a hole into the split.

 

I did the same for removal of weight items, side panels, door, lid and combustor sled, fire brick and grate to ash pan. I left it on the pallet and rolled it across the carpet on plywood with a pallet jack to get to the tiled hearth. Once there a friend and I grabbed the bottom of the legs one on each side of the stove and lifted about an inch while my wife pulled the pallet out. Not bad for a quick up and down to the hearth.

 

I haven't burnt any oak until tonight. And I didn't really need to just yet (31* outside). But I wanted to see what the IS would do with a load of oak.
I was amazed, after a normal type reload I was able to get the cat engaged in about 30 mins and then closed the air to 1/4. At this setting I got flue temps at 375 and I pinned out the cat therm at 2k deg. ( which I think is off by nearly 200 +/- deg) the stove front read 675. I knocked it down to the 2 notch and the stove temps moderated and the box went black. The oak put out some seriously noticeable heat. Something to look forward to for next month.

 

I has the same affect tonight, it's quite interesting to watch.

 

Still just burning ash so far (this year's shoulder wood) because the outdoor temps are mild again. Will have enough ash left for a starter split in each load once the heavy BTU wood is needed. In our previous stove as well as other posts by many folks, in some stoves it helps to put a bit of shoulder wood in with dense wood to help ignite the b.locust which can be reluctant to get going. Our IS having the optional soapstone components does store a good bit of the peak heat and release it during the coal stage and beyond. I can imagine how the PH being mostly soapstone would do an even more excellent job of flattening and extending the heat output curve.

 

We're way behind all of you but finally got started on the install today. We're putting AirStone from Lowes 5' up on the corner walls and I'm building an 8" hearth with gray ceramic tiles. Hopefully we'll be burning before Christmas, preferably sooner.

 

I'm looking forward to comparing notes again Brian.

 

Thanks.

By the way, this Airstone product from Lowes is really easy to work with. If anyone is thinking about doing something like this, don't be afraid to try it. I did most of the left hand wall of the corner and my 18yo son is doing the right hand wall. He's actually having fun - he's been a Lego maniac since he was a toddler and he says this is a lot like fitting building blocks together. We're using Loctite PL Exterior construction adhesive with a big caulking gun because it's rated at higher temps and is supposed to hold better than the Airstone interior adhesive.

Backwoods Savage here's an update on the wall treatment I told you about.

 

Check out the Woodstock Soapstone Facebook page. They have a detailed explanation as to why production is running behind. The letter is very professional and heartfelt.

 

I posted it as a thread:
http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...pen-letter-to-customers-awaiting-stoves.8843/

 

I read the letter; I knew I bought the right stove from the right company!

 

Arrived one month late. Four guys to haul it in after strip (stove) down. Just fired it for first seasoning last night. Sure burned well, but stinky! Had a lot of fun lighting the cat and playing with the air adjustments, was interesting, burned at 300 four 4 hours on my supposed small break in fire. Second one tonight! Used three small ash splits, but once the cat lit, I choked it down to keep the heat at a minimum for the first fire, it burned four hours on the smoke!

 

Since you posted this info. about the two 'air jets' at the end of the angle iron inside the bottom of the door hole opening, I have seen it myself. Pretty neat to watch. But a funny thing happened; the stove cooled down enough that after raking the coals forward and getting rid of the ash, I went looking for the holes in that angle iron that cause the hot spots on either side- and I could not find either one of them. ?? It seems that the ends of the angle iron are capped and welded closed. I could not find a hole, or a slot left where the end caps are fitted or anyplace else where air could travel into the firebox. So now I am wondering if that front hole even is an aux. air supply? As I said I have seen the two air jets burn into the wood in the stove but I simply cannot find the source of that air?

Brian

 

Yeah, the ends of that angle iron channel are capped. You can feel where the holes are along the apex (corner where the 2 plates of angle iron come together) about 1.5 or 2" in from the ends. With cold stove, run a finger along the triangular channel from each end toward the center. On ours, you can feel the holes maybe 2" from each end. I have yet to stick a nail or something into those dimples to confirm they are the jet ports. I also like your idea of blowing compressed air into the EPA hole under the door gasket to see where it exits the channel (If it even is an aux air supply). Pretty sure it is because while watching the jets burn into a split during a cat-only burn, I blocked the outside under-door hole and the jets stopped immediately.

 

Well, if you block the hole and the jets stopped, that is proof enough for me.

I am really surprised because I really groped around in there pretty well (Easy Boys!) and simply did not find / feel any hole(s) or even anything that felt like what might be a gap. Yet as I have seen the air jets burn into the wood on numerous time, I know there has to be an air outlet in there. ??

All of this makes me think that might be a great way to create a 'fire starting air channel' by opening both the air hole feed as well as at least one end of the angle iron up and putting a sliding cover over the opening. Yep, another draft but this one would make a direct jet at the very base of the stove to get it going; I find the primary air supply to be a bit weak on the I.S. during start up and when trying to burn down coals. This might be a very easy feature to add, especially on Woodstock's part but even us owners could retrofit the stove.

Brian

 

I have not installed mine yet so I just snapped a couple photos. The holes are on the far ends of the angle iron that the andirons sit on: