Ideal Steel update

[Tenn Dave]

I know they have a 6 month buy back guarantee if you are unsatisfied and I know that are great about sending replacement parts if there are issues for their newer stoves.


I installed the IS in August. During shoulder season I was burning some punky ash and was loading every 24 hours with plenty of coals. I pushed that to ~30 hours a few times with plenty of coals to start the next load.

Wow, I don't think my PH could ever do 30 hours. For that matter 24 hours would be a challenge.

 

[rideau]

Woodstock has very nice, thorough manuals that come with the stoves as well.

I would not worry about warranty. Keeping a Woodstock stove in good working order is pretty easy, and the company will help you all the way. That said, they do have a good warranty, as stated above.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

JA600L- How many sq ft are you heating and what year was your home built? Trying to gauge if this stove will have enough punch to heat my future home build.

 

[begreen]

Woodstock has very nice, thorough manuals that come with the stoves as well.

I would not worry about warranty. Keeping a Woodstock stove in good working order is pretty easy, and the company will help you all the way. That said, they do have a good warranty, as stated above.

They are a good company and they offer great personal customer service, but compared to many other major stove companies the 1 yr warranty seems quite limited and very short for a stove. That surprised me a bit.

 

[rideau]

From my experience with Woodstock, I believe that if I ran into a problem years after purchasing my stove that was related to a design or production defect, as opposed to my usage of the stove, that Woodstock would not even have to be asked to cover the cost of repairing/updating the stove or stove part.

If I caused a failure of a part in my stove, I would be sent that part by mail the day I contacted the company, and the cost of the part would be extremely reasonable. I would also receive detailed directions on how to replace the part, and phone assistance if necessary.

I also have the option many years down the road of returning my stove to Woodstock for rebuilding, should I prefer this route to any future recementing that might be needed.

 

[Tenn Dave]

They are a good company and they offer great personal customer service, but compared to many other major stove companies the 1 yr warranty seems quite limited and very short for a stove. That surprised me a bit.

From all the posts I have read here and the other site, warranty has never been an issue. The stoves are extremely well built, parts are very reasonably priced (and often issued free of charge depending on the age and failure reason), and the guidance/help is super. A warranty is only as good as the people who stand behind it.

 

[rdust]

I also have the option many years down the road of returning my stove to Woodstock for rebuilding, should I prefer this route to any future recementing that might be needed.

Just curious what would need to be re-cemented? I thought the PH was a steel firebox with a soapstone exterior.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Just curious what would need to be re-cemented? I thought the PH was a steel firebox with a soapstone exterior.

I believe the PH is 700 lbs of cast and stone. The IS is steel and stone.

 

[rideau]

Yes, As Dave said, the PH firebox is soapstone. Stove has two layers of soapstone, interior and exterior, with an air gap between. SP, cement on some stone and on gaskets. There is a bit of steel in the stove: for instance, the secondary burn plate is steel.

 

[rdust]

Yes, As Dave said, the PH firebox is soapstone. Stove has two layers of soapstone, interior and exterior, with an air gap between. SP, cement on some stone and on gaskets. There is a bit of steel in the stove: for instance, the secondary burn plate is steel.

Ahh, not sure where I got mixed up. I could have swore I read the PH firebox was steel(lined with soapstone) and the exterior was soapstone with cast accents. I know the Fireview had a soapstone interior and exterior but for some reason remember reading/seeing the PH was different. I thought the beta stove pictures we seen showed the stove without the soapstone/cast outside. My memory for this stuff is usually pretty good, I remember wanting them to offer it without the soapstone/cast exterior.

 

[rdust]

Looks like a steel firebox in these images. http://blog.woodstove.com/2011/08/first-progress-hybrid-real-burn.html

 

[BrotherBart]

Yup.

 

[rideau]

Yes, sorry: Soapstone inside and outside (two layers), steel between. Stupid of me. You can surely hear the steel as the stove heats and cools...a lot noisier than the Fireview.

But, point stands. There is cement in the stove, as well as cast iron. It can need refurbishing down the road, and Woodstock will do the job for those who prefer not to do it themselves.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Looks like a steel firebox in these images. http://blog.woodstove.com/2011/08/first-progress-hybrid-real-burn.html

Guess you're right. You don't really see the steel.. The firebox is line with soapstone and the exterior is all soapstone and cast iron.

 

[begreen]

I like that Woodstock continues to push the envelope in combustion design and technology. The fact that they share it in their blogs is a refreshing difference from the secretive nature of the big stove companies. It must be a fun company to work for.

 

[brad wilton]

I'm sure the stress levels are through the roof right now with all the backorders

 

[rdust]

I like that Woodstock continues to push the envelope in combustion design and technology. The fact that they share it in their blogs is a refreshing difference from the secretive nature of the big stove companies. It must be a fun company to work for.

I agree, for a smaller company to be the ones leading the way is awesome.

Now I just need them to offer a stove with a blower! I'd like to try an IS for a bit to see how it compares to my current stove. I'm sure I could modify a blower to work with it.

 

[begreen]

Tjernlund makes a retrofit blower system, the SB-1.
Scroll down the page to view it:
http://www.tjernlund.com/Hearth.htm

 

[rideau]

I'm sure Woodstock has considered the possibility of blowers and decided against them. And I am sure they have good reason for doing so. Much thought goes into their development/technology. Maybe someone who wants the stove WITH a blower should call Woodstock and ask them why they have decided not to have blowers. The answer might remove the person's desire for a blower.

 

[JA600L]

JA600L- How many sq ft are you heating and what year was your home built? Trying to gauge if this stove will have enough punch to heat my future home build.

I have a 1977 rancher with half of the basement being garage. The attic has been re-insulated to the current code. The garage ceiling was pumped full of cellulose. The basement walls were all insulated. I am heating from the basement about 1800 sqft. I am not attempting to heat the garage.

 

[JA600L]

The result of a 16 hour burn and yes it would go much longer! Notch#2 white oak fuel.

 

[ambull01]

The result of a 16 hour burn and yes it would go much longer! Notch#2 white oak fuel.

Damn still a lot of fuel left. I'm impressed.

 

[rdust]

Impressive!

Did you have splits standing up and down at the door? I've alawys wondered how I would fill that ackward space in the stove caused by the slanted roof. Did you take any temps of the stove, indoor, outdoor? Did the cat stay active? I assume the door was too blacked out to take a picture through?

 

[JA600L]

So, with this really cold weather I have been pushing lots of oak and locust through the stove. This made it difficult to burn all the coals down and properly sift the ash.

On Saturday I decided to burn it down and clean it out. I ended up taking 4 1/2 ash pan loads out of it. Those familiar with the stove know that this is a lot.

I have decided that I need to manage my coal bed a little better and consider this a learning curve. The good news is this drastically changed the performance of the stove.

The stove really leans more into a cat burn. I have a lot more control over it. Burn times are significantly better as I can fit way more wood in it.

I believe the extra ash insulation piling up was leading to more secondary activity. Looking at it now I would say I was only filling the stove half way!

 

[wildcatbb]

From my experience with Woodstock, I believe that if I ran into a problem years after purchasing my stove that was related to a design or production defect, as opposed to my usage of the stove, that Woodstock would not even have to be asked to cover the cost of repairing/updating the stove or stove part.

If I caused a failure of a part in my stove, I would be sent that part by mail the day I contacted the company, and the cost of the part would be extremely reasonable. I would also receive detailed directions on how to replace the part, and phone assistance if necessary.

I also have the option many years down the road of returning my stove to Woodstock for rebuilding, should I prefer this route to any future recementing that might be needed.

In my case on my PH the fireback is warped after two seasons of burning, contacted Woodstock, Lorin put me in for a swap out (new stove) to remedie the problem, no questions asked. Can't get much better service than that.