Keystone rockin' mad heat!! (With pics.)

[Woody Stover]

Here's the seamy underbelly; Flue collar to 7-to-6" reducer to tee. Doesn't look like it, but the tee snout is angled up, and the vertical section of the tee is vertical. I probably need to get the bottom support more stable. Full concrete blocks might be better. As you can see, I haven't got the block-off plate installed yet. I went ahead and put the flue damper in as long as I had it, just in case.

(broken link removed to http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/h407/2bnator/017.jpg)

 

[VCBurner]

Woody I like the new pics! Seems like Woodstock really has their stoves down to a perfect cat fire heh? As you probably know, I can see the cat in the DW only by kneeling down in front of the stove and looking into the baffle. It must be nice to just look at it and see the cat lit up! I had to put the short legs on the large to get it to rear vent low enough to clear the fireplate lintel. Nice hearth BTW, we have a sort of similar fireplace, not as fancy though. In fact this house was built in the late 1940's like many of the ranch houses in this part of the state and is really "standard" in many features, fireplace included.

 

[Woody Stover]

I can see the cat in the DW only by kneeling down in front of the stove and looking into the baffle. It must be nice to just look at it and see the cat lit up! I had to put the short legs on the large to get it to rear vent low enough to clear the fireplate lintel.

Yeah, that's how I had to view the combustor in the Dutchwest small, and I needed the short 2" legs to top-vent. I wish there were 4" legs; Then the rear flue would be exactly the same height as the Keystone, and would slide right in. I'm gonna miss the front door on the Dutchwest, very handy for cold starts.
You can't see it too well but in the top pic, the edge of my 10" log/stool is visible at the right. I think I'll make a new one out of some lightweight log I come across when I'm cutting this year; My present one has capsized and dumped me a couple of times. :lol:

Nice hearth, VC! I like the variation in brick colors, and the mantel shape. My mantel is just a flat, rectangular piece of Mahogany. The brick was originally painted yellow, probably back in the 50s. We tried to scrape it off but it was just about impossible. Rather than use a stripper, my SIL who does faux painting, went over the yellow. My lousy pics don't really do it justice. I'll try to get better pics sometime...

 

[VCBurner]

Thanks Woody,
I bet you'll be glad to have the extra firepower of the Keystone compared to the small DW next winter. The long stone heat retention will be nice too, I would think. I really like the extra wide window in front of those KS's. Nice looking stoves! BTW, your pictures are better than mine! :lol: I wish I had a clue as far as photography goes. Some pictures I take are clear as day others are grainy and pixelated. Thanks for sharing that new stove with the forum. I wonder how you find the operation of the KS compares to the DW. Other than the obvious additional heating capability and longevity that come with the bigger firebox. I bet you can learn to control the burn better with the KS.

 

[begreen]

You're doing fine VCB. That's a nice shot of your stove. The brick and hearth tile look exactly like what we used to have here.

 

[VCBurner]

You're doing fine VCB. That's a nice shot of your stove. The brick and hearth tile look exactly like what we used to have here.

Thanks BG,
It sure feels good and comfortable in here. We have redone almost every room in the house. Even with all the layoffs I've seen and pay cuts. Refinished the walls, stripped wallpaper, skimmed walls, refaced kitchen cabinets+ new hardware, new oak trim in the kitchen, hardware on all doors, light fixtures, deck and slider of the back yard, the list is too long to mention all of it. Three years later, we still have a long way to go. The stoves have brought us lots of joy! Funny, how almost clear across the country you had a similar hearth and brick work! Small world we live in!

 

[Woody Stover]

Looks great there woody, just like a Woodstock ad. It even has the signature keystone right over the stove.

Is that what that rock is called? That worked out well, didn't it? :lol:

I bet you'll be glad to have the extra firepower of the Keystone compared to the small DW next winter. The long stone heat retention will be nice too, I would think. I really like the extra wide window in front of those KS's. I wonder how you find the operation of the KS compares to the DW. Other than the obvious additional heating capability and longevity that come with the bigger firebox. I bet you can learn to control the burn better with the KS.

The Keystone has a little higher BTU output according to the EPA figures, but the little Dutchwest was putting out, especially with the blower that I tried out over the last couple of months. Fan noise was a problem with the top-vented Dutchwest, which sat all the way back in the fireplace. The fireplace acted like a megaphone and concentrated the noise. When I first got the fan, before I put it on the stove, I ran it and it was barely audible. Not so when attached to the stove and in the back of the firebox. If I were to stick the Dutchwest out on the hearth where the Keystone is now, I think the noise would be cut quite a bit.

The stone stove really evens out the heat, that's for sure. That should keep the room temp up toward the end of the burn, but my main goal is to have enough coals left to throw on more fuel and go. The Keystone actually has a slightly smaller firebox than the Dutchwest, but I've already gotten ten-hour burns from a low cat fire with med/high output wood, like Red Oak or White Ash. The problem will be on cold nights when you want to give the stove more air to get more heat. I think that with high-output wood, overnight burns should still be possible. I should be able to get enough dead Dogwood to cover me next year on the cold nights.

The big window on the Keystone will be nice...if it stays clean. I agree with Todd, I think that will be less of a problem next year when I've got drier wood. I am still not cranking the stove up yet, pretty warm here right now, so that's part of it too. I've only hit 375* stovetop. But with the same wood the smaller window of the Dutchwest, which is closer to the coals, still stayed clean most of the time.
I've found both stoves to be about equally controllable, but I'm still learning the Keystone. Like Todd said, little movements of the air lever go a long way.

 

[Woody Stover]

Nice looking stove!

I swapped the first hearth pic on page 1. I think this one is a little better; Clearer, more fire, and you can see my sittin' log a little better.

 

[Woody Stover]

Whew, it's hot in here! :lol:
I'm down to a tee shirt, but haven't said "adios" to the pantalones yet...