Production Woodstock IS

I had same conversation with Woodstock on recent visit because pH is pretty, I think it has to do with burn times, IS longer burn time so less BTU per hour. I think in real world same amount of heat, IS bigger firebox carries BTU over more hours.

 

That makes sense. If you want to run either hard, they're both of them blast furnaces.

 

One other thing to think about is how quick you need heat. Say you come home and need to get things heated back up real quick, the steel stove is going to give you that heat much quicker. The soapstone will reward you for the wait, but you might be waiting longer for your house temps to rise. I am away from my stove 11-12 hours a day. The Ideal Steel heats it fine, but things cool off a bit from my desired temperature. I can add wood, run a hot fire, and have my temperatures where I want them within the first hour of being home. That is heating from the basement.

 

Hope it works out for you Steph. Probably these two are so close that either would work, just over-analyzing all the little details I suppose!

Well there are two things to look at for BTU's. How high it can go in 'real time', and then the total delivered for the load. On a max burn, the size of the firebox isn't the only thing but the draft, primary air, and other characteristics of the stove come in to play big time. You could have a smaller stove burning twice as hot in theory. But total BTU delivered for an entire load would lean more heavily on the firebox size, as long as efficiency is similar.

I remember reading a post from someone who had both that attempted to put the same load in both stoves, and was surprised that they could not fit a single more piece of wood in the IS compared to the PH. So I think these stoves are pretty close even if the numbers are slightly different.

Oh actually those pieces don't come apart. There is the corner piece and then each end peice, so not all that customizable.

 

Pretty sure the IS is rated at 72,000 BTU by Woodstock, The PH at 80,000. By all means, call Woodstock.

 

T-Stew, don't know the actual measurements for your room or the sofa. Can you place it in a V then, with the point at the windows? Would that work?

 

The fact that the PH will deliver the heat more quickly means that on really cold days you can get significantly more heat into your home over twentyfour hours if you load the PH full and burn hot. You burn more wood in the 24 hours, of course, but you get more heat for it. This only matters for folks who cannot heat their home on cold days with the max output of the IS. 72,000 BTU to 80,000 is over 10% increase, not peanuts.

Oh....and, in my experience, a PH that is allowed to let the fire go out stays quite warm, and gets the home back up to temp quickly on a full load. I don't think the steel vs Soapstone is a significant factor if you heat 24/7. The PH is really a steel stove jacketed in soapstone, and heats very quickly. Delivers a lot of heat out the glass, while the soapstone is absorbing heat. And unless I let a fire go out for a long time, the soapstone is still at 225 to 250 on my stove when I have only ashes and a handful of coals.

The IS will heat for longer at a low setting. Yet, on a full load, burning low, I've had the PH go over 16 hours. Had planned to see how long a low burn I could maintain during this shoulder season, just for the heck of it, but I find myself reluctant to waste the wood.....I don't need that much heat now. If you have strong draft, then the cat may require regular cleaning on the PH. Not a big deal, takes a few minutes, but it is a bit of maintenance that should be noted. Most people with the PH do NOT need to clean their cat regularly. Only a small percentage, and usually related to excessive draft. I have an excessive draft. Even with my in flue damper completely shut, which restricts airflow to 20%, and is how I burn at all times except the first few minutes at startup, I have to brush the surface of my cat about every three weeks. It is easily accessible, and I do not let the stove go cold. Just burn the coals down to a small coal bed. It's easy to know when the cat needs brushing: it doesn't light off.

I don't think you can go wrong with either stove. If you need regular long burns over 12-14 hours, then you may want the IS. With the PH, there will be days you come home to only coals and a home a few degrees cooler, if you are away 14-16 hours. If greater heat output on really cold days is important to you, then you may want the PH. Then there is cost, and appearance. Cleaning the ash seems to be easier on the PH, if you have the ashpan option. The door on the IS is bigger, I'm fairly certain, so you can probably get some uglies in there that you can't get in the PH. And the IS is front load, the PH side load.

I find the PH very easy to control. Some have stated the IS is easier to control. I suspect that only relates to easier to keep an all cat burn, which is what is reflected in the longer low burn of the IS. The PH is so easy to control, that any difference should not be a significant factor in a decision.

I guess if you are someone who regularly forgets to open the bypass before opening the door,, then that is an added point in the IS's favor, as apparently you cannot open the door if the cat is engaged.

 

One other thing to think about is how quick you need heat. Say you come home and need to get things heated back up real quick, the steel stove is going to give you that heat much quicker. The soapstone will reward you for the wait, but you might be waiting longer for your house temps to rise. I am away from my stove 11-12 hours a day. The Ideal Steel heats it fine, but things cool off a bit from my desired temperature. I can add wood, run a hot fire, and have my temperatures where I want them within the first hour of being home. That is heating from the basement.

 

Their website has the PH at 80,000 max heat output and the IS at 60,000, so the PH is 33% higher. Next time I'm at the factory I will inquire. I have a hard time believing those numbers, especially having actually lived with both stoves and experienced both of them personally.

 

I think my little Quad is rated at 60,000. Holding more wood should extend my burn cycle and more btu's over that amount of time. Kind of a splurge, but should be able to cover it with wood sales next season. Plus everyone else is just having way too much fun with em.

 

Still very indecisive, but just to make sure I got in on the sale I called and put a deposit down on the IS. I didn't specifically ask but hope as I think about it over the weekend if I change my mind they could swap me for the PH.

JA600L and Sherwood, your both saying the same thing - that each is fast to get up to temp. I don't believe there will be a big difference between the two. Yes steel generally heats up quicker but I've heard others besides Sherwood say the PH is very quick to throw heat as well. Truth is half the time (nightshifts) I go to bed within 30 minutes of getting home so how quick it heats back up is almost irrelevant because I'll be sleeping. Even the other half of the time on dayshifts, I get home at 7PM and will be going to bed 8:30-9:30 so still I'm not going to be up much to take much benefit of how fast they heat back up. Perhaps the IS is a bit quicker, but the PH would have retained more heat and be starting out from a higher point so they both nearly balance.

Good point as well. With a higher max output of PH even if the firebox was smaller you could still get more btu's as long as you could keep it fed. I am home more days than most people (I work about 50% of the days, not 5 /7 like most) so I can take advantage of that on those days. But the half of the time I'm working its going to be 2 loads per day max every time. Shoulder season or dead cold of winter, 2 loads is all I can do on my workdays. So on a 14-15hr burn, which will deliver more total btu? I'm guessing the IS slightly better.

I'd really like the PH for my current setup and decor, I think it goes better with the more formal-ish brick hearth and decor, and the door can be on the right side. But I plan on moving and taking the stove with me (I'll keep my current insert and reinstall for future owner). Maybe if I still decide on the IS that my next house I can build a better fitting hearth for it. But probably looking at a couple years I'll be here at least.

 

Has anyone been burning compressed wood bricks? Can't remember if I asked that before or not. I mentioned it to WS and they said it should be fine and they do that themselves. This year I burned more Ecobricks than I did firewood and they really helped extend the burn of my Jotul Rockland. I wonder with the side load of the PH if it would be harder to pack small bricks in there since one might have to reach all the way to the other side. I'm curious how they burn in the cat stoves though, I know someone got some really long burns over 40 hours with a BK and bricks.

 

T-Stew, I definitely recommend calling Woodstock again. Ask them your specific questions. They will KNOW in your situation which stove will deliver more heat per day. I'm thinking it's still the PH, even if the stove is down to little coals when you get home. But ask them.

Also ask them about the bricks. Supplementing with bricks is one thing, loading a stove with them is another. Be very sure that Woodstock feels it is safe to load the stove with bricks.

Burndatwood, Yes, you're right, it's 60,000 vs 80,000 BTU. A very significant difference. Thanks for the correction. I have definitely seen posts from people on this or another forum, I don't remember which, where Woodstock has told certain people to go bigger with the PH, others to go smaller with the IS. Woodstock clearly feels there is a difference in upper end potential.

The figure sticking in my head was the difference between EPA and hardwood testing on the PH, which is the 72,000/80,000 comparison. Glad I conditioned my earlier statement with "pretty sure". I was surely wrong!

 

You're right to caution about use of the bricks. The owner's manual for both stoves cautions against use of artificial logs, which I suppose are regarded the same as the compressed wood bricks. Could be wrong.

 

I never thought buying a wood stove would be this difficult. The wife and I have been on the couch for an hour and a half now discussing side panels and top plates and different designs. In fact the only thing we both agreed on immediately was the color. Charcoal on charcoal.......this may be a long evening

 

Also has anyone burned straight ash? I have a few cords of scrounged wood stacked for next year, 100% ash.

Yes I did talk about them (but only very briefly) about the bricks. I was told they worked best mixed with cordwood. I have been burning straight bricks but I did work up to it carefully since my Jotul tended to overfire. Surprisingly it exhibited slightly better control, maybe more predictable control, since the fuel was always exactly the same. I certainly don't have to burn 100% brick in the future, they just worked well and provided longer burns out of the Jotul. And compared to buying cordwood, they are just as good of a deal if you consider the tradeoffs. Was hoping someone here had burned them, I know I talked to someone here or on the other forum that did in their Woodstock.

Join the club! I suppose I have it easy since I don't have to get it approved by my other half anymore. And I am still struggling! Good luck with your decision!

 

wife and I are doing same thing. Almost seems like options make it harder

 

Yep. most of my wood is ash. It is a great wood.

 

ditto, same level of heat as elm, 10 times easier to split!

 

Well I now own 1/10 th of a stove that hasn't been built yet..........whooop!