Woodstock Keystone Scoop Replacement

[Todd]

Woodstock has the new s/s replacement scoops for the Keystone and Palladian. Looks just like the Fireview's. Even though my old cast scoop is in good shape I went ahead and replaced it in the basement stove which has also has the s/s cat. The new scoop has a s/s mesh that wraps around the sides instead of the front only expanded metal old one. It's held in with some cotter keys and seems much easier to remove as well as light weight. I was told the new scoop keeps more fly ash from getting through to the cat and the new s/s cat has smaller holes than the ceramic cats so it should help keep it from clogging and less apt to warping.

Here are a few pics of the replacement.

 

[Todd]

Pretty simple install, just remove a few screws, screw in the new post bolts and slip the scoop up into the groove.

 

[raybonz]

Good informative post Todd with excellent pictures that will help any tackling this repair..

Ray

 

[BrotherBart]

Glad that stuff about cat stove maintenance was all wrong.

Sorry good friend, the devil made me do it. :lol:

 

[Todd]

That's ok BB, I've come to expect it from you. I just can't help myself, if there's an upgrade or mod I just gotta do it. Maybe this mod will force me to stay with this stove for awhile? Nah, I doubt it. :lol: The grass always looks greener.

 

[BrotherBart]

I'm just jealous. I wanna try a few more stoves but the knees say "No, you ain't lugging any more of those things Jack.". And that hearth is just a few bricks too short to put a Fireview in front of the fireplace.

Thank goodness because that beast in the fireplace throws a ton of heat as it is. But I will always be curious about a cat stove there. And only because of you and what you have to say about'em.

 

[Todd]

You know it's not a crime to have someone else install a stove for you BB. I'm still in pretty good shape but still cringe at the idea of moving these 500lb rocks around.

That Englander is serving you well but it's your duty as Hearth.com Administrator to burn as many different stoves as possible. :lol: A big ole Buck or Blaze King would look mighty fine it that fireplace of yours.

 

[KevinG]

I just did the same upgrade on my Fireview. The new scoop looks very similar to yours. I did have trouble getting the scoop up far enough to put clips on the pins. I ended up using a screw car jack to hold and push the scoop up into position

I'm quite interested to see if this new scoop & tighter screen make a difference in how clogged my stainless CAT gets. I was having trouble with maybe 10-20% of the holes being clogged last winter between cleanings. I was cleaning every cord or so. Maybe the almost 100% poplar resulted in more light ashes? This year will be 2-3 cord poplar and then switching to oak and other hardwoods for the cold months.

 

[Todd]

I just did the same upgrade on my Fireview. The new scoop looks very similar to yours. I did have trouble getting the scoop up far enough to put clips on the pins. I ended up using a screw car jack to hold and push the scoop up into position

I'm quite interested to see if this new scoop & tighter screen make a difference in how clogged my stainless CAT gets. I was having trouble with maybe 10-20% of the holes being clogged last winter between cleanings. I was cleaning every cord or so. Maybe the almost 100% poplar resulted in more light ashes? This year will be 2-3 cord poplar and then switching to oak and other hardwoods for the cold months.

Yeah, they look about the same. Before I sold my Fireview I installed the new scoop. I screwed in those pins all the way and found out I had to back them out a bit to have enough room for the cotter keys. Did you back the pins out or screw them all the way in? You shouldn't need a jack to make it work.

I was told the screen has smaller holes than the s/s cat and anything passing through should not clog the cat. But they also told me to watch the screen for build up. I'm just going to use a grill wire brush to clean the screen if needed. I think this new system is a good mod that will extend the cat life and make maitenance a little easier.

 

[KevinG]

I backed the pins out a turn or two but there just wasn't much leverage when working inside the stove. I didn't use much pressure; it just made the job much easier.

 

[Woody Stover]

The new scoop has a s/s mesh that wraps around the sides instead of the front only expanded metal old one.

Very interesting. Maybe you remember me commenting last season that sometimes when the stove was up to temp and I had lazy flame up around the combustor, I would still see some smoke out of the stack. Maybe my wood wasn't quite dry enough, but I'm thinking that another possibility is that smoke was coming in the sides of the scoop where there's no expanded metal, hence not enough turbulence. At any rate, I'll be getting the new combustor and scoop. Being able to light off at lower stove temp is a big attraction with a stove that's slower to heat up...
What's the cost of the SS scoop?

I wanna try a few more stoves but the knees say "No, you ain't lugging any more of those things Jack." But I will always be curious about a cat stove there

They've got a few refurbs available now. Maybe the hearth community can pitch in to help you move it. Failing that, just bag up some of the hot air from my posts and float that puppy to the hearth. :lol:

 

[Todd]

$52 included shipping. I always wondered why they didn't enclose the sides of the scoop before. I never noticed any smoke once engaged but always thought there was a bigger chance of flame impingement.

 

[KevinG]

I haven't noticed smoke while the cat is engaged either. But I rarely stick my head outside and look.

I'm hoping the enclosed SS scoop reduces the ash buildup on the cat. When I last cleaned the cat this spring, I noticed that one side of the cat appeared to be plugged so only maybe 30-40% was lighting off. It happened pretty quick since I had cleaned it out only a cord or so before. Maybe it's due to shoulder season burning?

 

[Todd]

I've never seen my cat plug up that much but noticed some woods seem to produce more fly ash than others. Black Locust seems to have more ash than the Oak I burn, maybe it's the thick bark? Could be wood species, moisture content or draft issues?

 

[leeave96]

The new scoop looks a lot lighter to handle than the old one. With prices of everything going-up in leaps and bounds, I am tempted to get a new scoop and maybe a couple of SS cats for the shelf.

Thanks!
Bill

 

[Todd]

The new scoop looks a lot lighter to handle than the old one. With prices of everything going-up in leaps and bounds, I am tempted to get a new scoop and maybe a couple of SS cats for the shelf.

Thanks!
Bill

Much lighter Bill, also doesn't have those sharp edges like the old one. I was thinking the same thing about an extra cat but I'm also thinking there may be some new mods similar to the new stove coming out in the next few years. I don't think it would be hard to remove the guts of any of their stoves and turn them all into cat/non cat hybrids.