Progress Hybrid tips, tricks, and expectations?

[rideau]

Flame impingement is really not an issue with the PH. The air path to the cat is very long and convoluted: up into the upper chamber, to either side and to the back of the stove, then down toward the center (much of the ash carried in the air stream is deposited along the way - all of it if the air flow is not too brisk), before flowing up into the cat.

I found I had no increase surface ash build up on my cat after removing the screen.

Since adding the flue damper and slowing the flow of air, ash build up has been drastically reduced. I now just get a small amount (maybe 1/16 inch max) of surface coating of very fine white powder. The lighter color is indicative of the more complete combustion I am getting in the firebox with the decreased draft/increased time air is in the box, and the paucity of ash confirms the theory that the problem is primarily that of fly ash being pulled into the air stream by increased draft.

With the damper, I can burn with the stove as is, without adding an ashpan. Ultimately, I have to decide whether to settle for a quick clean of the cat from time to time and continue to enjoy the appearance of the stove without the ashpan, or install the ashpan and perhaps only have to clean the cat at the end of the burning season.

I will install the ashpan as a trial for the next burning season, just for final confirmation that doing so will eliminate the issue. However, I may remove it the following year, depending on how much more convenient I find both ash removal and (anticipated) lack of cat cleaning, as well as how much I find I notice/mind the changed appearance.

I do find the stove very handsome as I presently have it installed.

 

[rideau]

Woodstock tried for quite a while to modify the screen and the way the screen attached to the stove, to overcome the issues of the difficulty of cleaning the screen, and the screen's tendency to pull away from a tight fit, which to some extent defeated it's purpose. They redesigned the screen and sent new screens out to those with the early screens. There were still issues. They were unsuccessful is finding a reasonable solution to the issues, so discontinued the screen because its advantages were outweighed by its demerits.

I would not call this discontinuing the screen because of time lost to dealing with customer issues with the screen, so much as accepting that one technologic advance that they had hoped to incorporate into the stove simply did not pan out.

I would anticipate that if they feel that this ultimately is a technology they want in their stoves, and that provides a benefit they cannot otherwise obtain, that they are working on design changes that will make the screen more functional for future stoves.

 

[Tenn Dave]

The quote I saw on this was that the benefit of the screen was not enough to warrant the service calls they were receiving. Too many issues for not enough benefit. They did not say that the screen was worthless but that it was not worth what it was costing them in customer issues.

My screen is working just fine and causing no problems. I'm keeping it in.

 

[rideau]

That's great. I suspect the screen works best for those without the excessive draft/cat clogging issue. It's probably when you have a lot of fly ash going through it that it becomes an issue. I wish I could use mine. Interested that yours is not an issue.. I may try reinstalling mine part way through the next season, after a trial with the ashpan alone. I wish there was a wing nut set up at either end to hold the screen in place. Are you using the original iteration of the screen, or the later one?

 

[joshrohde]

This is a photo of the notice enclosed about the lack of the iconel screen with my PH when I installed it.

 

[Tenn Dave]

That's great. I suspect the screen works best for those without the excessive draft/cat clogging issue. It's probably when you have a lot of fly ash going through it that it becomes an issue. I wish I could use mine. Interested that yours is not an issue.. I may try reinstalling mine part way through the next season, after a trial with the ashpan alone. I wish there was a wing nut set up at either end to hold the screen in place. Are you using the original iteration of the screen, or the later one?

Woodstock sent me a later one with a new cat and a new cook top when the improved versions were available. (Got to love those people). I have never had a problem with the cat or the screen clogging. I do have the ash pan and good but not excessive draft. I burn mostly aged hickory and oak. Only use Super Cedars to start fires, never newspaper.

 

[toddnic]

Hello All, I just spoke with Woodstock Soapstone Company. They confirmed what has already been posted on here. There is no need to keep the screen installed in the upper portion of the firebox on the Progress Hybrid. If you want to continue to use it, that is fine also. They said that people starting fires with paper and other loose material is causing the screen to get clogged and hamper air flow.

 

[wildcatbb]

Good deal! That screen is the most annoying part of the stove! I'll have to leave it out the next time it gets clogged.

 

[joshrohde]

These are the photos of my cat. I'm going to send these to Woodstock to see what they think. It almost looks like someone used a tool to pry it out at some point and perhaps it warped after I started heating it.

 

[rideau]

That does look like a compression injury rather than a warp. It clearly does not go all the way to the back of the cat, so when the cat is installed with the non-damaged side toward the exit air, then the cat should not leak air, though flow at that point may be slightly reduced as air hits the narrowed side. Do those cells that are compressed clog?

As long as your seal is tight, I think that cat will be OK. Is the gasket at the back of the cat chamber high enough to cover that gap? If not, you'll be more apt to get some air flow under the cat, though the gasket that you wrap the cat with will likely stop air flow.

It is recommended that you flip the cat with each cleaning, but if there is lesser performance or more clogging with it when the compressed area is toward the air flow, then I'd opt for just cleaning it well and simply rotating rather than flipping. Rotating might help even wear on the cells a bit, since airflow is probably slightly different from one side to the other.

 

[joshrohde]

I saw that the manual recommended rotating the cat but my cat has a big lip welded to the top of it which holds a rope gasket in place for the top half of the cat. I can't rotate my cat because of this. It only goes in one way. It isn't warped in the back so I don't think I'm getting any smoke leakage around the cat. The gasket on the front side only goes across the top behind the lip and an inch down the sides.

 

[rideau]

So that is a change. Interesting. (Also, those two circular extensions are a change...not on my stove (top, either end of the cat)). Makes it a bit easier to put that extra gasket around the cat. I don't find it a problem as is, however.

 

[joshrohde]

I figured it was a new addition for my stove as I read a lot of folks rotate their cats after cleaning and mine can not be rotated or flipped in any way due to the lip and circular extensions. I suppose they added the lip for the rope gasket on the top of the cat and the circular extensions to make removal of the cat for cleaning and inspection easier. It does appear like someone put the cat in and then pryed it out with a tool at some point. I think I would rather have the ability to flip or rotate the cat instead but I didn't get a choice when I bought the stove. I also didn't get a choice if I wanted the inconel screen shipped with my stove. The letter I posted a photo of a few posts back makes it seem like they discontinued the screen.

 

[joshrohde]

I just got an email from woodstock and they are replacing my cat free of charge and requesting I send my current one back for inspection free of charge. I can't complain about Woodstock's excellent customer service.

 

[rideau]

josh, if you call them quickly, before they ship the cat out, you may be able to get one without the new frame. I got one recently without it. Worth asking. I don't have a problem taking my cat out, at all, without a frame to tug on. It comes out easily.

 

[joshrohde]

josh, if you call them quickly, before they ship the cat out, you may be able to get one without the new frame. I got one recently without it. Worth asking. I don't have a problem taking my cat out, at all, without a frame to tug on. It comes out easily.

I just talked to Mike at woodstock about the catalysts they're using now and they all come in the style that mine is now to utilize a heavier rope gasket and for ease of removal. I guess rotating or flipping the catalyst is not something they tell people to do anymore now that the catalysts all come in this configuration with the upper lip and end extensions.

 

[rideau]

good to know, Thanks for posting.

 

[fire_man]

When the secondaries fire I would hear a extremely rapid metallic noise coming from the secondary intake.

How long were the rapid metallic noises lasting?

I had a strange but and somewhat similar issue this year. I have burned the stove for 3 years and never heard a strange sound until the beginning of this 3d burning season. For the first 10 or so fires this year, the stove made a single, loud "BANG!" every time it was warming up and sometimes when it was cooling down. I swear it was coming from the ss baffle but was not sure. It sounded like the noise a thin cookie sheet makes when being heated too quickly in an oven.

I know one of the bangs was the cooktop finally cracking, I was expecting that. But the other bangs were not. It has stopped - so whatever it was was gone for now.

 

[rideau]

When that cooktop cracks it sounds just like a rifle shot.....surely makes you jump.

 

[fire_man]

Yup that is an excellent description - sounds like a rifle shot.

I never did replace the cooktop - the crack just adds more character

 

[joshrohde]

The noises would last anywhere from a couple seconds to a couple minutes. My stove still does it occasionally but it isn't pronounced anymore so it doesn't really bother me. Seems to be getting better with time.

I uploaded a video to YouTube of it making the rattling noise from 3 days after I installed the stove almost exactly 4 weeks ago.

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The noise is by no means this severe anymore. It's barely noticeable now.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a rattler crawled in there for the winter. Have you shared that with Woodstock?

 

[joshrohde]

Sounds like a rattler crawled in there for the winter. Have you shared that with Woodstock?

Yeah. I posted about this earlier. That is the video I sent Woodstock and they couldn't explain why it was happening. Ron said everyone just stood around scratching their heads after watching it. After four weeks the noise lessened to where it's hardly noiceable. I can always send the stove back after the heating season for a new one if it gets bad again.

 

[begreen]

In that case, who pays for the shipping to and from Woodstock?

 

[joshrohde]

(broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/prices-shipping?id=50)

This is their guarantee on their website. It appears like they cover return shipping but don't refund the initial shipping costs. I'm not sure if they would cover shipping if I wanted to trade stoves. They have been great so far. They sent me some new studs to hold the back heat shield on for free as I over tightened one of the original studs and broke it. They sent me a free 18 inch rope gasket and are swapping out my cat for free also due to premature warping (I posted photos of it earlier). I don't think I'm going to have to resort to swapping out stoves anyway. The one I have is working great.