Production Woodstock IS

Thanks for all the help fellas! Many of these things I am doing already:

JA600L: I am using mostly ash that was cut dead standing and has been below 20%. I also have a little maple and oak (also under 20%)

I also switched the the old thermometer to the flue and the new Woodstock thermometer to the stove front. The old one seems to read higher than the Woodstock from 300 up.

I have found that the best way is to run 2-3 loads per day. When I would have put more more wood on in my old stove, I merely up the air intake to burn coals down in the IS.

 

I totally agree, I can't say I have really used the stove with the door open at all.

 

Alright, here is another question for you all:
The dial thermometer that was sent with the stove was meant for the stove pipe. Around 700 it is marked in the red overfire. Would this same temp restriction apply if I am placing it on the front of the stove near the cat? We are supposed to get cold this week and want to know before I let the new girl stretch her legs.

 

With my beta and the factory they said it can be used for the pipe on single wall pipe or placed next to the flue collar for top vent or the cover plate on top if you rear vent. Don't use the frt as your temp to engage the cat. Waiting on a reply from Lorin about overfire and temp reading on the frt of the stove.

 

You could use it on the stove pipe and that would be the place it would respond fastest but it will not really indicate the temperature of the stove. For example, with the bypass open and the stove running modestly, the stove pipe will be fairly hot. Close the bypass and the stove pipe temp. will go down but the stove temp. would go up.

The hottest place on the stove, at least with the bypass closed (which is how the I.S. is used most of the time) seems to be just to the right of the cat. probe hole on the front of the stove.

You can also buy another magnetic stove thermometer and place one on the stove and one on the stovepipe; they are fairly inexpensive and I think will give you better, faster information, especially when starting the stove. Just my personal opinion but the best way to monitor the stove when starting or reloading is to watch the actual flue temps. by using a thermometer with a probe inside the stovepipe. Also just my opinion but I think that is also the best way to avoid the likelihood of having a chimney fire; set an absolute high limit on the flue temp. and do not allow the stove to go above that temp. My own alarms at 650F just before the thimble so I do not ever exceed that temp. by more than 10 or 20 degrees F before backing the stove down to again get below (and usually WELL below) that temperature. Of course no one can say with certainty what temperature flue gas is needed to start a chimney fire but setting a max. makes me think I am doing what I can to avoid one and yet let the stove run pretty hot on startup.

Brian

 

Yup, I have two, dial thermometers, one on the stove pipe and one on the front of the stove. During startup or reload (when bypassing the cat) they are actually close in relation. I have yet to make the flue go above 400 but the stove front has come close to the "overfire" mark. I envy your wonderful setup, BDF, with the several probes. I am not sure I would want the wires hanging out though. I just thought I would ask the wonderful expertise here before bugging WS and further delaying someone else's stove by tying up WS on the phone.

 

It sounds like you are reading the temp. on the outside of the stove pipe, not inside it: if that is the case, as a general 'rule of thumb', the internal temp. of the flue gasses will be double the temp. of single wall stovepipe. So my 650F max. is really 325F on the outside of the pipe. If your pipe is reading 400F, your flue gasses are more like 800F.

As far as the mess of wires, three dark brown wires less than 1/16" in diameter is not so bad, is it?


They look a LOT more obvious in the flash photo than they are to the naked (Easy Boys!) eye in any normal room lighting. So does the dust on the stove; believe it or not, I vacuumed that thing of two or three days ago and it is pretty clean to the eye but every speck of dust shows up in a flash photo. The large, black wire is nothing to do with temp. monitoring and is actually the 115 volt supply to the draft inducer.

Brian

 

Brian,
I really like the way you ran those wires, and yes, I am running on the outside of the pipe. I don't think I have had her up to 400 yet on the outside of the stove pipe, but one of these days I will need to cure the paint I put on there !!!

 

We're finally running our first break in fire, and we heard the alarm bell ringing at around 250 degrees stove top. I'm putting in a call to Woodstock for the replacement flapper.

 

wohoo for the break in fire!!!!! Too bad about the tertiary air inlet. I haven't heard the alarm bell in mine, just the rattling of the bottom of the rear heat shield. I just put some glass wool to dampen the noise!

 

Yep, big day here! Stove top is cruising along at 400 on full air with this small load, I just cut it back to 50%. I did not engage the cat because someone posted earlier on this thread that Woodstock recommended two break in fires without engaging the cat. Even without engaging the cat, there's no smoke visible now from the chimney.

I just talked to Lorin at Woodstock, they're sending out the new pre-cat air flap. She said they're closing in on 500 orders now for Ideal Steel stoves, without even advertising it, and they're pretty much caught up on their soapstone stove production.

And they are now working on the first couple Franklin Hybrid Betas.

 

Jut talked with lorin from WS. This is not over fired. The IS and there other stoves have been known to get into the upper limits when conditions are right. It's OK if they hit this mark but it is not reccomended to maintain this temp for extended times. A safe crusin temp measured near the flue collar is 600* with SPIKES of higher temps is not considered over firing. The primary temp measuring spot is next to the flue or on the flue block off plate.

 

I was thinking the same thing about bothering them, since I need to dig into the Keystone at some point to address a front corner seam air leak and wanted to call them for some advice as to how to proceed; Good to hear they are gaining ground on the backlog. I'm also looking forward to popping some corn and reading some Franklin beta reports...

 

Congrats and good to see you up and running that thing! Just in time too 'cause there is a cold front moving east by the looks- the prediction is for -3F here (RI) on Thurs.

The flapper volume varies depending on how fast the stove is gaining temperature and how hard the chimney is pulling. Usually it is a soft little jingling that is more amusing than anything else but occasionally, it did get a little louder. It is an easy change-out though so you should be up and running [quietly] in no time.

Brian

 

This just blew my mind. Seriously. We have been cruising at ~650 on the front with the Woodstock thermometer as our high point. Are you telling me this stove has another gear?

 

Cruise at 600* on top. Apperantly it's a 6 spd.

 

Yep. Last year when we were first running the Beta Ideal Steel, Tom at Woodstock asked if I had gotten it hot yet. I said, "Yeah, we got it up over 500 on the stove top next to the flue collar last night." He replied, "500?!? You haven't even gotten it outta third gear yet!"

When the Beta unit was reading 600 on top it was putting out one heckuva lot of heat!

 

Surprised you didn't get one by mail

 

What are you burning Hollywood in the second picture??

 

I only have maple. That pic was about 2hrs after I cut down the draft.