Warm today, did a little maintenance.

[Woody Stover]

69* here today so the stove is out. I can clean the combustor scoop screen without removing it but I took it out to vacuum the face of the cat. Removed the two hairpin clips that hold the scoop/screen and had it done in about ten minutes. Virtually nothing on the face of the cat but the pic is after I dusted it.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

That’s almost as warm as it was here in Texas today (72 or 73 for us, I think). It was warmer outside of the house than inside when I took the kids out after lunch. We’ll get cooler again, but I wonder if we’re done with cold. I suspect you’ve still got plenty of freezing in the weeks to come, so it’s nice that you got a chance to go over the stove.

 

[Mark8]

I was on the Woodstock website and really like their stoves, might be leaning towards a freestanding.

 

[Woody Stover]

That’s almost as warm as it was here in Texas today (72 or 73 for us, I think). I suspect you’ve still got plenty of freezing in the weeks to come

No doubt. Today the high was 30 degrees colder and we have wind (a light breeze by TX standards, I'd imagine.) Going below freezing tonight. Stove is on..
You're missing out on a good winter to have a stove, but who knows what next year will bring?

I was on the Woodstock website and really like their stoves, might be leaning towards a freestanding.

I've not seen their steel stoves yet but based on what I've seen with the models I've run, it would be hard to beat their quality, engineering and ease of operation. I'll probably grab an Absolute in the not-to-distant future..

 

[Mark8]

I've not seen their steel stoves yet but based on what I've seen with the models I've run, it would be hard to beat their quality, engineering and ease of operation. I'll probably grab an Absolute in the not-to-distant future..

I talked to Woodstock today and gave them all my info 2400 sq ft single story ranch, fireplace central location living room, 12' high vaulted ceiling, lows 30 night, highs 50/60 days, mild CA. winter temps. They said for my climate the Progress would cook me out of my house, they said the Progress is the stove that gets returned the most because people don't relize how much heat it puts out and they exchange it for a smaller stove. They suggested for my climate the Fireview is plenty of stove because the soapstone keeps radiating the heat for long hours after the stove has gone down. I do like the looks of the Fireview as for that, all their stoves look great.

Very pleasant people to talk to over there at Woodstock.

 

[kennyp2339]

Progress is the stove that gets returned the most because people don't relize how much heat it puts out

For that reason I think that will be my next stove, love the BK but I want to try something else, whats most appealing is the radiant nature, no blower needed.

 

[Woody Stover]

They suggested for my climate the Fireview is plenty of stove because the soapstone keeps radiating the heat for long hours after the stove has gone down.

I wonder if you could make it work with the Keystone? Then you get the big window, grated ash-handling and top- or rear-venting. Easier to lift the lid and pull the cat for a dusting with the Fireview though. Cool-looking stove and longer heat life as well. I've run both stoves in here, and yes the Fireview is a notch above the Keystone in output but not a huge notch..

 

[Mark8]

I wonder if you could make it work with the Keystone? Then you get the big window, grated ash-handling and top- or rear-venting. Easier to lift the lid and pull the cat for a dusting with the Fireview though. Cool-looking stove and longer heat life as well. I've run both stoves in here, and yes the Fireview is a notch above the Keystone in output but not a huge notch..

The Keystone is also a nice looking stove and the big window is nicer, thanks for the suggestion. I just made up my mind that I'm not going to listen to any fans from a pellet or insert. Going to build out my hearth and go with a freestanding.

Why did you change from the Fireview to the Keystone, because of The extra features.

 

[Woody Stover]

The Keystone is also a nice looking stove and the big window is nicer, thanks for the suggestion. I just made up my mind that I'm not going to listen to any fans from a pellet or insert. Going to build out my hearth and go with a freestanding.
Why did you change from the Fireview to the Keystone, because of The extra features.

I first got the Keystone, but almost never ran it with flame in the box, which gives less output. In super-cold, windy conditions it was doing better than the Dutchwest, but instead of opening up the air and running a bit of flame for more output, I instead started thinking I need a little more output for extreme weather in this leaky, no-wall-insulation cabin..so I got the Fireview.
I soon realized that the bigger window was great for seeing more of the fire when ramping up, and that I missed the ash grate, which the Dutchwest also had...don't like shoveling at all. I figured that if I sealed up a few of the worst air leaks in the house, the Keystone would be plenty. I sold the Fireview to my BIL, who was running an old smoke-blower stove. It's great over there, 1500 sq.ft. with fair insulation, and they often let the stove burn out in our climate.
Now that I'm used to running some flame in the box when needed, and I've tightened up the air leaks a bit, the Keystone has handled these single-digit windy nights well. House temp might drop a bit at the end of the load, while burning coals, but only a few degrees if I manage the stove well. Another trick is to throw a split of quicker-burning wood like Cherry on the coals, and kick off the cat and heat up the box again while burning down the coals. I need to do that, then stir the ash down the grate, and I can get a bigger load in the little box. Even at 1.5 cu.ft. it will burn overnight easily. I burn three loads on the worst days, usually two in average temps, just one if it's near 50 daytime high.
Both stoves are easy to run, dang near foolproof.
You'll love the quiet of a free-standing stove. All you hear are little clicks and ticks, telling you what the stove is doing.

 

[Mark8]

Woodstock says my lintel needs to be at least 27" high, my lintel is 26". With the flue center height at 22-3/4" that means I would clear the lintel by a 1/4" but not really because they want a 1/4" rise per foot on the maximum 24" horizontal pipe, now the pipe would be touching the lintel.

The stove is 28" tall, does that mean I need to maintain the 20" clearance from the back to the 3-1/2" thick masonary brick, if that's true, you can not bring the stove out that far and stay below the 24" maximum horizontal pipe length, if I tear out one row of brick on the hearth it would lower the stove, but that would look strange.

Am I understanding this correctly, or can I install the stove one or two inches from the brick lintel.