Woodstock Progress Hybrid performance

Yes, of course. But I had some upgrades done to fix the smoke smell, gaskets changed out.... So just to be safe, I did a few small break in type fires over the last few days when it dropped to upper 40's and low 50's at night. So I'm ready now for a full blast burn when required.

 

Doing my 5th burn tonight, paint smell gone but.... I think I might have a stinker around the area above the door... I'm going to give it some time as maybe I'm smelling something curing yet,, it almost smells like a licorice smell... Maybe the cat was not lighting off too... One thing I noticed from the Fireview to the PH... the Fireview only draws through the screen when the cat is engaged... the PH draws through the screen all the time, by pass or not... Jamie said they had the issue fixed and mine is a stove that was built after the modification was done.. I have an excellent draft... I can run my stove with the draft closed 100%, but I open it just a hair... Stove is 500 and pipe flue gas is 550.. draft is just open, like a 16th of an inch... I'm set up with a top exit, a 90 into my wall the into a tee , insulated liner, 22ft chimney... Major draft! Plus it's not even cold out yet, like 55 degrees.. Measure my stove surface temp right next to the flue collar...

 

I doubt the licorice smell is a leak, sounds like glue, paint, new gasket smell. The leak smell, when you put your nose 6" from the stove, smelt like you were standing in a smoker (cooking smoker). Very strong wood smoke smell, not like a burning or other smoke type smell, very clearly a wood smell.

500 or 550 on the collar is really hot on this stove. I rarely see that, even with a rager.

 

Really... And I have the draft almost closed... I'll bet it's my wood being very dry? I'll have to maybe close my by pass sooner,, I think my wood is so dry it's taking off.. Think I need to spend some time with the stove yet.. Just burning the stink off yet while I can open the windows... Weather has been perfect to do this, so doing it while I can.. What stove top temps do you see? Where do you run your draft ? ..... too bad no numbers to reference.

 

Close bypass when the pipe reaches 250 or 260 (color change on woodstock them gage).

 

I just wait for the surface temp on the stove top to show 250 on the gauge. My internal pipe flue gas temps are around 400-450 by then.. Talking with Jamie this morning, I might plug the air inlet hole in the front of the stove located at the bottom between the two irons that protect the glass.. That always allows air into the stove with the draft completely closed. I'll burn my stove again and close things down sooner.. We were discussing the possibilities of me having to much draft, yet the PH likes a lot of draft.. Jamie said he's rarely seen a case where an in pipe damper is needed.. Could be my smaller wood size too or even the wood being very dry.. Just seems like the stoves should be burning slower then it is with the draft closed 100%.. Still only 5 fires so I'm still in the learning stages... I will see if a 1/4 x 20 bolt fit that air hole if the stoves still seems to not settle down as much... That might be a quick fix if needed... 50 degrees out and I have a good draft, can't imagine once it gets down to 20... she'll really be drafting... When my air damper is closed all the way I can here a very slight low toned whistle of air being sucked through the closed damper plates,, so she definitely is pulling some air.. Maybe plugging that hole will be key.. Just some options... Could be all me learning about the stove yet... First I'll just have some more fires and play with the timing of putting the stove into the bypass mode and also once adding wood, closing the bypass sooner... She is a beast of a burning stove,,, some major heat output, long after the stove is down to coals... The 750 lbs really just keeps pumping out the heat once hot...

 

Well, I know woodstock and other users suggest using the stove top temp, but from what I've seen I think that is much less reliable than the pipe temp 6 to 12" above the stove. The reason I say this is, when my pipe is 260, if I flip the bypass, that temp goes down 20 to 50 degrees within a minute. That of coarse indicates the cat is lit up and burning properly. So I know I'm doing the right thing, but at the same time if I measure the stove top, it is sometimes still only 150 or so, and other times (if the stove was already hot and I'm just reloading) the top is 300 to 450. So in other words, I think the top varies to much, there is so much mass up there with all that soap and cast iron cooktop...., and then throw in the heat shield under the cooktop redirecting heat to the sides.

I just find the pipe temp always reliable, the pipe changes temp very quickly based on the flu gasses in it.

Regarding very dry wood, for much of the season last year I was burning super dry 10 year old Cedar. It was too dry, it blazed, and there was no stopping it or slowing it down. But, it never ran away to a point the stove was "too hot/over fired", but it burnt much faster than when I tried normal 2 year old oak, maple and pine. Having said that, it still gave me 8 or 10 hours on a full load.

Lastly, I also think to some extent, the stove ran better sometimes slower when it was loaded at least 1/2 to full load. I think there is just less air and open space in it for it to blaze away. S

 

Jamie said to me, remember, it's not your fireview, a very different stove... I have my stove surface temp gauge right on the cast iron part of the stove top, next to the flue collar... I shot the top of the stove with my IR gun and that's the hottest part... No you wouldn't want to try to read the stove top where the stones are at all, I understand that. So if your reading 250-260 on the stove pipe surface temp, that means the internal temps I should see should be 500 on the probe... But... I'm thinking I read where the internals gases being 300 are enough to lite the cat... I'll have to fool with it and see what happens... I think my wood and wood loads being smaller maybe create a stove that is full a flames instead of quiet and damped down.. In other word the stove needs more meat for a load.. Stove doesn't run away . just seemed like I should be able to smother out the flames with the draft closed... but, maybe it;s that little air hole that always allows air... I'll play with the early temps and see what happens.. Definitely a little learning curve..

 

Yep, I'm also talking the metal flue collar on top, I just found that less reliable than the pipe.

 

I think I'm going to just go by my flue gas temps and try that for a lower light off point... Then what works I'll reference to my stove top temp gauge reading... I'm thinking too like you said,,, need to have more wood in the box... Here's a question.. Can you extinguish your flames anytime you want by closing the damper fully or will you always have some flames?

 

This time of year/weather, shutting air 100% makes me flames slowly disappear after about 30 secs to a minute or 2. If I open a tad, it will blaze back up in a few seconds.... So I have full control of it.

When cold out, it's hit or miss, most of the time there will be a few random lazy flames hanging around, sometimes will go dark for a few minutes and then whip up flames for a few minutes and go dark again. And sometimes with a very hot stove, a lot of wood blazing good, I can't make the flames or secondaries go away.

 

Well I'm just going to keep an eye on things here , my main concern was being able to control the fire to a lower burn.. Like I said it might just be my really dry wood ... I'll keep burning it , a whole new stove for me to get use too..

 

Guys, I'm following this discussion very closely and I appreciate your experiences. I suspect my new stove is going to be very similar to yours but also different with the bigger firebox and steel case. I'm really looking forward to firing it up. I have not heard any recent updates from Woodstock on an ETA yet but I'm still hoping it gets here this month.

 

Brian, that's what this site is all about,,, picking brains, not condemning them.. Glad your able to see what questions I have , maybe helping you out as well... New stove is definitely different from the Fireview...

 

Let the flue temps get to 450 on the PH tonight and the surface temp to 200 , closed the by pass and the draft all the way,, stove took off... Two 6 inch pieces of cherry on top of kindling.. After 2 hours I added three pieces of dead elm , closed the by pass and draft all the way as soon as I loaded the stove... Stove is burning away... I think the Progress has such a big draft area that you can shut the draft real early and get a good solid burn.. I noticed you can just ad fuel and close everything back down right away and your good to go... the stove is continually teaching me . I think this stove will burn less then desirable wood

 

Oh good! I'm looking forward to 24 hour burns from that 40% moisture content Tree of Heaven we just CSS.

 

I'm finding the key is to load and close everything right back up to the long burn mode.. no need to let the new load get going... at least with my set up.. like there is no waste to preheat the wood before going back into a by pass mode... Just trying to fine tune my burning practices for this stove so the next person knows what to expect and do right from the start... Eliminating a learning curve to a point.. That's what this place is all about in my thinking,, helping the next person in line! I like doing that....

 

Thanks Charlie. You do know I was just bein' a smartazz, right?

 

Absolutely, but here you don't have to even worry about that... You have "real" friends here! I'm glad to help in any way I can Brian.. Never too many questions for me... I love learning and sharing... and I appreciate my friends! That's why I think this Forum will do well as long as everyone stays true to their roots! I so appreciate having a good forum again with no tension.. Just great! Burning wood and heating yourself independently is a really good feeling, why ruin that with sarcasm? Good friends = Good forum...