"Woodstock Burners" What's Your Opinion On The S/S Scoop? "UPDATE"

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Todd

Minister of Fire
Nov 19, 2005
10,323
NW Wisconsin
Well, I've burned about 2 full cords through mine so far and here's a picture of the bottom. Looks like it's breakin down and won't last long before it burns through? Also noticed I get soot build up on the screen after about 2+ weeks of burning 24/7 but it easily brushes off. I guess it's better to have it on the screen than on the cat.

Another thing I've noticed is the stove seems to breath better with the old screen with the larger holes and open sides. I'm not totally sure but it seems like I got a better low burn with the old one at lower air settings.
 

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Don't seem like that is good.
I clicked on because I was curious to what a "scoop" is.
I have a steel plate in front of my cat with drilled holes in it..is that where your scoop is or is it under the cat or is it a tube stove?
 
HotCoals said:
Don't seem like that is good.
I clicked on because I was curious to what a "scoop" is.
I have a steel plate in front of my cat with drilled holes in it..is that where your scoop is or is it under the cat or is it a tube stove?

The scoop surounds the cat and protects it from direct flames just like your steel plate.
 
10-4..was just curious..thanks.
But I would not be happy with that after 2 cords.
 
Huh, i wonder why woodstock is pushing them then? They recomend this ss unit over the original. I believe mine needs to be replaced and was considering the ss unit. Maybe hold off...

What gauge is the ss solid bottom piece anyhow?
 
Looks like the same discoloration that PE baffles get and they seem to last a while.
 
Not a Woodstock owner, but am a SS Cat burner. Going into the second season, approx. 3 1/2 cords burned with no problems. Nor have I had to change burn/maintenance cycles. Still liking mine.
 
Not sure on the gage but it looks to be about 1/16" thick. It's not eating through just discolored and starting to rust. They just came out with these last year to replace the cast iron scoops that did seem to sag over time.

I wonder if the new scoop also effects the air circulation inside the stove? Since I installed the new one my stoves burn more left to right than before. I'm going to switch back and see what happens.
 
That's SS, must not be the best quality, will a manget stick to it?
 
Definately doesn't look good but looks can be deceiving. The SS burn tubes in my stove are looking a bit like that but seem to be holding their own.

Have you asked woodstock how long they expect this piece to last? The life of the cat? Less?

pen
 
Still have the old one in ours and no problems with it.
 
I am not sure how I feel about mine yet. My stove seems to be a little smokey with the new scoop. Maybe next time I let it cool down a bit I'll have a closer look at it. While mine is discolored, it does seem to still be the same size and shape.
 
I switched back to the old scoop to see if there's a difference and I think there is. Just seems like the old scoop lets the stove breath easier and I don't have that consistant flame going inside the scoop for a low burn, the lazy flame stays underneath and is a better looking show. I'm also using a tad lower air settings.

I also noticed less left to right burn like I had before, more spread out. Could be the new scoops more square front and closed side design verses the old scoops slanted front and open sides? Also less soot on glass this morning after a low .75 burn.

Still waiting for some feedback from Woodstock on this.
 
Unfortunately, I tossed my old iron one. It was pretty warped anyway.
 
I definitely have a more flame on the left compared to the right side of the stove. But that doesn't really bother me since it all burns eventually. I have switched from all poplar last year to a mix of poplar and oak this year. So unfortunately I can't confirm your findings on air settings. I also threw my old scoop into the dumpster.

I would think the old scoop is less restrictive given the smaller screen openings and complete coverage of the SS scoop. How is that a problem?
 
Woodstock says it shouldn't restrict flow anymore than the old scoop unless it's plugged. Maybe it's just my setup and draft or maybe I'm crazy but the old scoop is definetly burning differently for me. They also said they won't know for sure how long the new scoop will last since it's new but should last at least as long as the old one which seemed to last about 5 years on average. The manufacture of the steel cats recommended the smaller screen to keep the fly ash to a minimum from plugging the cat.

They also told me that rolling flame inside the scoop during low burns shouldn't hurt anything because the flame isn't being pulled into the cat. I get this most of the time at lower air settings and also see some occassional flame suck up into the cat. Hope that isn't too hot and cause some warpage down the road. That whole scoop and cat can get beet red at times.
 
I worried about the scoop and screen turning red on my original designed one. Figured it was how it was supposed to be with the cat glowing like the sun.

Smaller holes in the screen i could see as causing more turbulance and slow down the combustion air that enters that area. Im thinking fireview, with the 'x' amount of holes in the airwash plate aimed at the cat.


Does the new scoop sit lower in the box than the old one? Or is that simply the boxier screen?. Either way theres more room in there it seems.
 
I haven't really noticed fire inside the scoop on my Fireview. But the screen glows red very quickly, well before the cat starts to glow. I do see fly ash buildup on the screen as well. But I haven't had a chance to brush it off recently. This dry oak is just keeping the stove too hot to allow reaching my hand in there.
 
Stump_Branch said:
I worried about the scoop and screen turning red on my original designed one. Figured it was how it was supposed to be with the cat glowing like the sun.

Smaller holes in the screen i could see as causing more turbulance and slow down the combustion air that enters that area. Im thinking fireview, with the 'x' amount of holes in the airwash plate aimed at the cat.


Does the new scoop sit lower in the box than the old one? Or is that simply the boxier screen?. Either way theres more room in there it seems.

The new scoop is boxier so it sits a little closer to the glass than the old scoop which slanted away from the glass. Maybe that box shape effects the air flow different than the slanted scoop?

I measured them both and the height from the fire box floor is the same 12" in my Keystones.
 
Here's some side by side pictures of the two different scoops.
 

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Todd,

Nice pics - old scoop vs new scoop.

I'm still burning my original scoop, haven't really had the need to try the new one. It's good to know what they look like. I can see where the new scoop would hold flames and fly ash away from the cat better than the old one. I think I could live with either scoop given the overall quality of the stove as a whole.

I would think the new SS scoop would extend the life of the cat and lower maintenance with it's larger coverage area and small mesh.

Thanks!
Bill
 
so thats the purpose of the thick steel plate with all the holes in it in front of the cat, i thought it was a wood guard but this makes more sense.
 
leeave96 said:
Todd,

Nice pics - old scoop vs new scoop.

I'm still burning my original scoop, haven't really had the need to try the new one. It's good to know what they look like. I can see where the new scoop would hold flames and fly ash away from the cat better than the old one. I think I could live with either scoop given the overall quality of the stove as a whole.

I would think the new SS scoop would extend the life of the cat and lower maintenance with it's larger coverage area and small mesh.

Thanks!
Bill

You have the steel cat don't you? Have you noticed more build up than the old one? I didn't have much time with it last year before I changed out the scoop.

I think I'm sticking with the old scoop for a while. It just seems the stove burns hotter and a little longer, the cat glows longer and I don't like that rolling flame stuck inside the new scoop so close to the cat. Woodstock says the new scoop shouldn't reduce the air flow unless it's plugged up but my personal experience shows different. I think they are both pretty similar at higher burn rates but you can tell the difference at low burns.
 
I have the old style scoop.

Bill
 
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