Interested in collecting all available info on this stove. Rumor is it will have a 3.0 cu.ft. firebox. Cool... but how does it work? Seems a bit different in theory, compared to the VC 2-in-1's.
Lopi Cape Cod Hybrid
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I've been chatting with them on face book and this is their response when I asked about burn times. I think all these hybrids are basically a non cat that does most of the work and the cat eats what's left.
"Hi Todd, Our Cape Cod has a 12 hour burntime. Is it possible for us to make a stove with a 30 hour burntime? Sure, but 4-5 pieces of wood only has so much BTU output, or calorific value if you will. If we slow the burn down that much you're not getting any heat of your wood stove. Lopi is in the business of making heaters. It's what we're known for and what we're proud of. Hope this helps!"
"Hi Todd, Our Cape Cod has a 12 hour burntime. Is it possible for us to make a stove with a 30 hour burntime? Sure, but 4-5 pieces of wood only has so much BTU output, or calorific value if you will. If we slow the burn down that much you're not getting any heat of your wood stove. Lopi is in the business of making heaters. It's what we're known for and what we're proud of. Hope this helps!"
That is a ridiculous answer. Blaze King is in the business of making heaters too. The cape cod only has a 12 hour burn time, while the chinook can do 30.
I do agree with your assessment though. Hybrids seem to be very clean burning non cats.
If you look at the pic posted in the other thread, you can see what looks like a burn tube. So I assume that it's a tube burner with a cat in the exhaust path.
I thought it was kind of a ridiculous answer as well. I told them sometimes it's nice to stretch those btu's out for a long low even heat output especially in the shoulder seasons. I guess they figure long burn times don't sell as good as high efficiency and GPH numbers do?
Can anyone sketch the actual method of operation? Are the flue gasses going thru a secondary non-cat burn chamber, and then thru the cat, in series? Or, is the cat in parallel with the non-cat reburn, such that it uses the non-cat function when set for high output and the cat function when set to low output? Either way, I don't see why a longer burn time is not possible. Sure, the non-cat secondary burn will fail, but the cat will stay functional.
I personally don't care to have a 30 hour burn time, but when a stove manufacturer claims 12 hours, I expect I'll be getting closer to 8.
I personally don't care to have a 30 hour burn time, but when a stove manufacturer claims 12 hours, I expect I'll be getting closer to 8.
It's set up in series. The fire box has a baffle with secondary air holes to initiate secondary burning inside the box and then above the baffle there is a cat to clean up what's left or take over during lower burns. I wish there was a way to switch back and forth so you could have the best of both worlds but it doesn't look like that's the case.
Well, maybe there is. If you run it too slow, the non-cat reburn dies, and you have just cat operating. If the thing is going strong and the non-cat reburn is really kicking, then the cat doesn't have much left to burn.
The real advantage of a cat stove seems to be a wider range of burn rate for a given load of wood. You can burn them wide open, or you can crank way down, and still have the cat burning at very low overall output. The non-cat can do the same, and maybe even hit a higher peak output, but will always lose to the cat in any limbo contest. This hybrid stove may have a wider range of operation than either, hitting the same max temp's as a non-cat, and reaching as low as a cat. No?
Anyone seen a photo, yet?
The real advantage of a cat stove seems to be a wider range of burn rate for a given load of wood. You can burn them wide open, or you can crank way down, and still have the cat burning at very low overall output. The non-cat can do the same, and maybe even hit a higher peak output, but will always lose to the cat in any limbo contest. This hybrid stove may have a wider range of operation than either, hitting the same max temp's as a non-cat, and reaching as low as a cat. No?
Anyone seen a photo, yet?
If the air to the tubes can be controlled from the outside of the stove (like an OAK) I see (broken link removed to http://inveninc.com/products.htm)really helping these hybrid stoves, set it to low burn or high burn and have the best of both worlds.
![[Hearth.com] Lopi Cape Cod Hybrid](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/71/71606-944ac8605e386bc18e094db54da646bf.jpg?hash=qTY6oNnvrB "[Hearth.com] Lopi Cape Cod Hybrid")
![[Hearth.com] Lopi Cape Cod Hybrid](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/71/71607-aa5fd78d71cd5cfb6a5d53283a5d0b8a.jpg?hash=VvxYYV9dbP "[Hearth.com] Lopi Cape Cod Hybrid")
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I love the looks of it. Do you know if it will be offered in more than one size? Three cf is way too big for me, otherwise I think I'd like it. Two would be perfect. I think I'll ask my Lopi dealer, if he's allowed to tell me those details. I don't even have a FB account
Good question raised by Sprinter, to which I was alluding in my prior post. It's hard to oversize a cat stove. Get the biggest thing you can fit in your space, and let it run low. What about the Cape Cod Hybrid? At 3.0 cu.ft. in 800 sq.ft., will it be more than I bargained for?
The 12 hour max burn time with 3.0 cu.ft. makes me think this stove cannot be burned quite as low as a cat stove.
The 12 hour max burn time with 3.0 cu.ft. makes me think this stove cannot be burned quite as low as a cat stove.
It's harder to oversize a cat stove, but not impossible by any means. The stove is going to have a minimum cruising temp. Trying to run it too cool can result in puffbacks, snuffing out the cat burn and black glass.
True... Blaze Kings seem to receive a lot of reports of the black glass. Point was just that a cat can keep the reburn going at much lower temps than non-cat, and it's not clear where between the two this stove will lie.
On a selfish note... can this stove be used to heat 800 sq.ft. from a 200 sq.ft. room, with good air circulation?
On a selfish note... can this stove be used to heat 800 sq.ft. from a 200 sq.ft. room, with good air circulation?
On a selfish note... can this stove be used to heat 800 sq.ft. from a 200 sq.ft. room, with good air circulation?
Of course. It is absolutely false to assume that the heat will not travel from one room in the home to others. That's a horrible myth.
This stove is no different than the Lopi Liberty which is also 3 cu ft and has a 12 hour burn time. The only difference is the looks and the efficiency which nobody in the real world would notice anyways. If your a 24/7 burner you want more control and longer burns in a large stove like this, your better off with a similar sized Blaze King IMHO.
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
Just that it might be a bit difficult to control such a stove in an 800 sq.ft. space. Looking at the math, if we assume ~20 million BTUh/cord for a mid-range hardwood, a 3.0 cu.ft. stove can hold 468,750 BTUh's stuffed to the gills. If you could somehow release that evenly over the entire 12 hour burn cycle, you'd be looking at 39,000 BTU's per hour. Knowing most stoves at at least 2:1 peak to average, we're likely talking closer to 70,000 BTU's at the peak of the burn cycle, when stuffed with 3.0 cu.ft. of wood, tapering to maybe 10,000 BTU's at the end of the burn cycle. That 70,000 BTU's is going to roast anyone out of a 800 sq.ft. space.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I told my BK/Country/Jotul/Lopi dealer that we wanted to be able to view the fire; that was part of what we want from a stove. He right away told me that his Blaze Kings got blackened fast and steered me away to a Country or Lopi. (This is not intended to start another cat debate!)True... Blaze Kings seem to receive a lot of reports of the black glass. Point was just that a cat can keep the reburn going at much lower temps than non-cat, and it's not clear where between the two this stove will lie.
On a selfish note... can this stove be used to heat 800 sq.ft. from a 200 sq.ft. room, with good air circulation?
800 sf with a 3 cf stove? Where are you, in a nylon tent on the North Pole? Must be hard to get wood delivered...
No debate to start really, burn them low without burning out some moisture and the glass will blacken in a hurry during the shoulder season. Burn it hot for a bit and turn it down in stages and it will stay pretty clean. Once you're out of the shoulder season and need to burn it a little hotter it's pretty good.
My Endeavor used to stay spotless but I got past wanting/needing that pretty fire all the time and moved to heating my house more efficiently. Processing enough wood to heat my house is enough work I tired of the stove also feeling like work.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Thanks. I thought there must be a way. I haven't completely given up on a cat for us. It does have some awfully attractive attributes. But I do want to see flame.
Dang it, there I go again with the cat thing. No hijack intended.
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