New Ideal Steel now up and running

[corey21]

Nice install.

 

[osagebow]

Keep splitting,67! It's my first year with really good fuel and an adequately sized unit. I've had no problems getting 12 hours with 3 year css oak and 2 year locust. Most of my burns have been about 9 hours on a smaller load.

BUT...I Have not had stove top over 600 yet, haven't really needed to spur it. Heat pump set at 68 doesn't kick on at 5:00 AM like last year. Wife enjoys running it, also. Last stove worked well but was more work and I had to run it harder, 4-5 trips to the basement instead of 2.

I am a bit leery of engaging the cat at 300, trying to wait untill stove top is pushing 350. What say y'all? Would a 300 degree stovetop equal a 500 degree cat? Thermostat says so but...

 

[Ashful]

No harm in trying a bit early. If it stalls before taking off, you just go back to bypass and let it get going before trying again. Just don't leave it more than 5 - 10 minutes with cat engaged and below 500F, 'else the cat can become clogged with creo.

I find I need my stovepipe at 500F to engage my cat and have it take off. Sometimes that happens at 300F stovetop, or sometimes it's 550F stovetop... all depends on how I load her.

 

[smokedragon]

Also how of seasoned firewood do you have? I only have 1 year this season. It's all I had transitioning from the old clunker to this top shelf model.

I worked very hard to get ahead knowing I needed to for the new stove. Because of that, most of what I am burning this year is woods that season quicker (yellow pine, poplar) but also burn quicker. On the really cold days I get 6 - 8 hours of useable heat (depending on how full I stuff it). But I will take that performance with so-so wood. I imagine with dry hardwood it really will shine, but I am not there yet. Most of my hardwood that I have checked is the 20 - 26% range. I want it drier, so I am waiting.

I will say, playing around I have burned a stove with roughly 25% moisture, and it burned quite well (loaded on a bed of hot coals, wanted to see). But I do think I would get a lot more heat from that same load if it were 15%.

BUT...I Have not had stove top over 600 yet, haven't really needed to spur it. Heat pump set at 68 doesn't kick on at 5:00 AM like last year. Wife enjoys running it, also. Last stove worked well but was more work and I had to run it harder, 4-5 trips to the basement instead of 2.
I am a bit leery of engaging the cat at 300, trying to wait untill stove top is pushing 350. What say y'all? Would a 300 degree stovetop equal a 500 degree cat? Thermostat says so but...

Oh I have played with this A LOT. I have stalled mine exactly 2 times. If you are reloading on hot coals and the stove is close to the active zone on your surface thermo, you really need to let it get higher (cause the steel is holding some heat from the earlier fire). However, if you are lighting a basically cold stove (less than 175) I have engaged it right at the 250 - 260 mark. If you have dry wood, the sooner you engage it the more catalytic fire you get. The longer I wait to engage, the more my secondaries light, the faster the wood burns (if I set both fires at 20 - 25% on the air control).

The great thing is, if you are getting too much secondary action, this stove will let you shut it down!

Give it a try. We routinely engage ours right past 250 on our surface thermo. All the fire in the box goes out, completely black. Come back in 15 minutes: If the temp has gone up 50 - 100 degrees, you are good. If it has stayed the same or dropped 10 - 20, open the bypass and try again.

 

[m67tang]

All this user experience is helpful. Most of my hardship is not this stove. It's the part where this is my first Cat stove.
My wood quality is so-so. Outside of the pile is very dry but as I get further in its not as good. Next time I'll stack in more narrow piles to encourage drying easier. Gotta deal with what I have for now. Mostly hoping not to damage the cat this winter.

 

[smokedragon]

Don't forget to pull that cat out and dust it off. We cleaned ours the other day, and it had some ash accumulated. If you get too much ash on it (and the wetter your wood is, the more it will accumulate) it will quit working and kill your fire when you engage it.

 

[Badger]

Smokedragon, did you notice much of an improvement? I clean my BK cat a couple times a year but I've never noticed a difference in how the stove runs. I often wondered if I'm introducing an opportunity to damage the cat when I'm up there screwing around with it.

 

[smokedragon]

No, I just brushed a little loose fly ash off. I think the only issue with Woodstock cats is that they will get completely plugged with fly ash if you don't dust them off every now and again.

I won't let mine get clogged enough that I notice a performance change.

 

[m67tang]

To my own surprise I have not found the cat to be dirty even though I've checked it and vacuumed it every other week. Yes I'm engaging it, just i case someone with a sense of humor asks.
Having 1 year old oak I expected worse. Maybe the wood, being slab- wood helps drying time?

 

[Sconnie Burner]

This thread has piqued my interest in a hybrid. I really like the looks of the stove! I am current running a quad 3100 (tube stove). Can the Ideal Steels be run the same if we wanted to have a fire in the window or must the cat be engaged all the time? I like the idea of a longer controlled burn when leaving the house or overnights but if we have company over or simply want the flame view will leaving the cat disengaged hurt anything?

 

[m67tang]

This thread has piqued my interest in a hybrid. I really like the looks of the stove! I am current running a quad 3100 (tube stove). Can the Ideal Steels be run the same if we wanted to have a fire in the window or must the cat be engaged all the time? I like the idea of a longer controlled burn when leaving the house or overnights but if we have company over or simply want the flame view will leaving the cat disengaged hurt anything?

Now that's a good question. I know when left cat - open, it seems to continue to heat up. I don't know if it can damage the cat while disengaged. Whenever the air is opened up there is a light show for awhile too.

 

[m67tang]

I think I'd sum my time with this IS as a really good experience, for anyone thinking about getting a new stove.
But my total experience is limited to box store cheapies ( US Stove) and then my Dads Buck 94NC.

 

[m67tang]

Just so everyone knows I'm not knocking Buck Stoves as a cheapie. I just wanted something soapstone, and this has the stone liner. And it has longer burn times because it's catilytic.

 

[smokedragon]

Maybe the wood, being slab- wood helps drying time?

Oh yes, that helps lots. I have checked mine once (about 6 weeks in) and it had a light accumulation of very fine fly ash. Only noticed it once I vacuumed one pass, then compared to the uncleaned part.

They suggest every 4 - 6 weeks or as needed. I think I am gonna stick with the "as needed" for the rest of this season.

 

[osagebow]

will leaving the cat disengaged hurt anything?

I am pretty sure that would be fine, but a quick email to them (or ask on their FB page) would answer definitively. Love the stove, it's giving the advertised 10-14 hr. burns. Can get 10 easy with a 2/3 load . Heating 1200 sf split entrance from basment.

 

[smokedragon]

I like that solid black look, I think it helps tone down all the odd angles on that stove. Glad to see you didn't get all that crazy fru fru stuff for it, its a box for fire for crying out loud.

That look is what let me talk the wife into a new stove, so don't knock it

 

[smokedragon]

This thread has piqued my interest in a hybrid. I really like the looks of the stove! I am current running a quad 3100 (tube stove). Can the Ideal Steels be run the same if we wanted to have a fire in the window or must the cat be engaged all the time? I like the idea of a longer controlled burn when leaving the house or overnights but if we have company over or simply want the flame view will leaving the cat disengaged hurt anything?

You don't ever HAVE to engage the cat, but you will be hurting your efficiency. I don't see any reason not to engage it though. The manual says you can run the stove at 1/3 air with the cat engaged. With a full load of wood at a good temp (500 - 550) before you engage the cat, you will get A LOT of heat at 1/3 air. Why not let it clean up the stuff you are missing and get that extra heat.

My reason for advocating this is that I notice a pipe temp drop when the cat is engaged, so more heat is staying in my stove.

 

[pdxdave]

Question for you smokedragon, and any other IS owners that haven't mentioned it, but do you have the soapstone liner, and do you believe there is any benefit to this ?
I'm getting an IS (have it on order), and have opted to not have the liner or ashpan (although i do want the soapstone side panels), but curious if this would have any performance affect ?

 

[cableman]

I would go soap stone liner just because it seems to be much more durable from my experience.

 

[smokedragon]

Question for you smokedragon, and any other IS owners that haven't mentioned it, but do you have the soapstone liner, and do you believe there is any benefit to this ?
I'm getting an IS (have it on order), and have opted to not have the liner or ashpan (although i do want the soapstone side panels), but curious if this would have any performance affect ?

I think there may be some tiny tiny advantage over firebrick because it is denser (so it should hold more heat). But we are talking maybe a few hundred Btu per hour. I would have to run the stove both ways to know for sure, this is just my best guess.

But I agree with cableman, it seems much heartier and more durable than firebrick. That alone makes it worth it to me.

I opted for the ashpan on mine and I wasn't sure I would like it or not. I am glad I did.

 

[Tenn Dave]

I think there may be some tiny tiny advantage over firebrick because it is denser (so it should hold more heat). But we are talking maybe a few hundred Btu per hour. I would have to run the stove both ways to know for sure, this is just my best guess.

But I agree with cableman, it seems much heartier and more durable than firebrick. That alone makes it worth it to me.

I opted for the ashpan on mine and I wasn't sure I would like it or not. I am glad I did.

The ash pan is worth its weight in gold.................

 

[osagebow]

The ash pan is worth its weight in gold.................[/quoteYep, I think it could be awkward removing ash over the andirons. I use a 8",or so wide flat shovel for 90% of my stove fiddling.Glad I got the pan.

 

[Ashful]

I think there may be some tiny tiny advantage over firebrick because it is denser (so it should hold more heat). But we are talking maybe a few hundred Btu per hour. I would have to run the stove both ways to know for sure, this is just my best guess.
.

Energy storage is a product of mass and specific heat, and that is the magic in the soapstone construction. A 500 lb soapstone stove really does store more energy than a 500 lb iron stove. You have to consider the mass and SH on both the soapstone and firebrick, to settle this one.

 

[smokedragon]

The ash pan is worth its weight in gold.................

I made my own ash rake (flat 2" by 5" steel welded to a 28" piece of 3/8" conduit). Rake the ash over the center, and done.

Energy storage is a product of mass and specific heat, and that is the magic in the soapstone construction. A 500 lb soapstone stove really does store more energy than a 500 lb iron stove. You have to consider the mass and SH on both the soapstone and firebrick, to settle this one.

I don't disagree with you, but the lining is a small amount of soapstone compared to an entire stove made of it (and I think it is thinner than what they use for the outer walls of their soapstone stoves). I don't know that that amount will make a noticeable difference.

I would love to have it in a lab and see what difference it does make.

 

[Ashful]

I thought Woodstock made essentially all of their stoves with two layers of soapstone, each being roughly 3/4" thick, held in a cast iron frame. Is this not the case anymore?

I'm not even sure what firebrick v. soapstone liner you're discussing, and was just providing some theoretical / scientific fuel for the debate.