Swapping out the Progress Hybrid

Check out the new beta stove on Woodstock's blog!
http://blog.woodstove.com/

 

The black looks good.

 

It looks like the top is copper colored? Or is that just from the lighting/flash?

 

They've linked us on three separate blog posts now.

• Time lapse video of the Ideal Steel Hybrid 1/08/14
• Early news from Beta Testers 12/13/13
• Under the Hood 12: Ideal Steel Hybrid Burn Times 12/06/13

 

That's a sweet color combination. What is it, a copper colored top? Nice looking install.

 

And it looks like they're burning compressed wood blocks?

 

Flamestead and Brian- cosmetics aside, do you prefer the burnability of the IS vs the PH? Both are great stoves no doubt.

 

It is a mixed bag.

• I would pay a bunch for an adapter kit to get the Ideal Steel stove's air control on the PH.
• But I want the PH's airflow on the Ideal Steel for coal disposal.
• We think the PH at max output backs you off from the front a little further than the Ideal Steel does.
• With our conditions (type of wood, draft, etc) the Ideal Steel cat stays cleaner longer.
• The glass stays much cleaner on the Ideal Steel, and is trivial to clean.
• I like not worrying about how fast I take the stove from cold to hot (no pretty stones to fret over).

We are pushing the Ideal Steel harder in this cold. Both stoves are night-and-day different from a 500 degree cat burn versus a 600 degree secondaries burn - a 20% stovetop temp increase, but more like a 40-50% overall heat output increase. To me, with only prior experience on non-EPA stoves, this difference is the "hybrid" part of the stove.

Come shoulder season, the Ideal Steel is going to be sooo nice due to the air control, but then we also both miss the end-of-burn heat buffering from the extra stone on the PH.

So it is a mixed bag. But there are worse problems to have!

 

?
I think I'm following you, but care to explain further.

The PH does make more max BTU's (when pushed hard) correct?

 

My prior stove was a Woodstock Fireview, so I can't compare to the PH. The IS has a huge firebox that is easy to load EW or NS, a huge front loading door, great air control, and twice the heat output of the Fireview. The front opening door, even with the big ash lip, is a lot dirtier in daily use than the small side door loading of my Fireview.

Dittos.

I'd say this is a drawback of the IS stove, but one that is mostly overcome with the bigger firebox and therefore potentially longer burn times.

 

I have been following your Beta testing Flamestead/Brian and it has been enjoyable. Maybe I missed it, but what is the max log length you are able to fit in going N/S?

That might be the only thing we are missing for our Cast/Steel stoves was the faster warm up spike. Seriously contemplating doing an overhaul on our second stack to properly run an EPA stove. Maybe Fireview/Ideal Stove firepower combo?

 

We can load 18" logs N/S with the andirons in place. This IS definitely heats up fast and can throw a lot of heat quickly.

 

It would be fun to play jenga with a stove. The wife likes puzzles! Joking aside, 18" N/S is pretty good. Are you able to get 22" E/W?

 

Yes.

And just a bit longer if placed diagonally. I have yet to have to cut a piece that got too long in this stove, but I kept a small hand saw on the porch in the past for too long ones with the Fireview. I just set the really bad ones aside till I can do a small load diagonally.

 

That is good news to hear of flexible loading. Being consistent when cutting can be a challenge with two people coupled with 5 different saws in being used.

 

I don't think I have seen a published max BTU output for the Ideal Steel. My sense is the PH has a slight edge in that regard, but I don't know that for sure.

But both stoves have a wide range in controllable, clean-burning output. At the lower end it is almost all cat-based. When running in that range the heat is primarily coming off the top of the stove, and stove-top temp is a good indicator. I can have 450 degree stovetop and keep my hand within a half inch of the glass for an extended period of time (indefinitely, until I get bored), when on a cat burn.

Then, as you give them more air, the burn becomes more secondaries. At 600 degrees stovetop, with a good secondaries burn going, my hand is now 2' or more from the glass for a comfortable place to leave it. My general sense is the PH would push me away even further, but I could be imagining that.

Part of my point in the previous post was that the total heat coming off the front and top of the stove increases dramatically as you move into the secondaries burn at the higher stovetop temps.

 

That looks like it is REALLY short. Is that the lowest setting for the legs or did they cut down the legs to fit the stove into this location?

 

Interesting. The stove is lower than the one we have, based on how close the stovetop is to the the top of the side leg covering. Another point of reference is where the bypass control enters the stove - on the stove we have the side covering is only about half an inch higher. Definitely looks like maybe an additional inch lower in the photo of the new stove. I think I measured close to one more inch of downward adjustment for the version we have.

Another limiting factor is the bottom of the ash pan hinge assembly; we are sitting at about 2.5" above the hearth.

{edit: isn't that 13 courses of brick behind the stove? I'd say they have bottomed it out. }