Hybrid Elm on the Way (on the hearth) Pics

After dozens of emails back and forth with Steve Slatter, owner of Vermont Elm Stoveworks, and being a former Cat Elm owner, I decided on getting a Cat Elm again. While Steve has offered parts for Cat Elm owners, he has basically gone down the path of secondary combustion via various air tubes in the firebox, and left off making Cats. In our communications I explained my thoughts and needs here at the house, and he offered to make me a Cat if that's what I wanted, but in the spirit of good ol' American ingenuity and entrepreneurial enterprise he offered a twist, a Cat with secondary tubes in the box and his steel baffle as well. He asked if he could fire it up and post the results on youtube. I said sure. The results are incredibly impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JdCQCtJyQo

I've watched many different videos of stoves in action and have never seen secondary tubes throw off flames like this. They look like gas jets firing off.

I always liked the Catalytic Elm. I consider the Elm a turn of the century looking stove on 21st century steroids. The 36" unit I had in Maine always served me more than well. The round barrel seems the perfect environment for an efficient burn cycle, and throw of heat for a radiant stove. I couldn't fit a 24" on my heart here, but after asking a bunch of questions settled on the 18" firebox, which has more cubic footage than my current stove, so it should perform well for what we need - fast heat, long clean burn.

For those unfamiliar with Elms, a few links to check them out:

http://www.vermontironstove.com/index.html

http://benchman.smugmug.com/Business/Elm-Wood-Stoves-and-Slatter/8441935_7ZeEF#554797827_5ndCF

http://benchman.smugmug.com/Machines/Elm-stove-and-foundry-patterns/9963269_DF8UZ#680549169_VvNzi

He's got a bunch of vids on youtube, showing his stoves in action.

I have to applaud Steve Slatter for his devotion, not only to customer service, but to pursuit of stove innovation, improvement and passion for his work. I hope he ends up being one of the major players in the stove manufacturing world. Although he may be just as happy to produce these stoves on the level he does. In either case, my hat's off to him.

He mentioned that. He just wanted to see what kind of heat and performance he would get in full tilt.

I should also mention the stove I'm getting is not a new stove per se. The good ol' EPA frowns on such capitalism.

I find myself more sick of the federal government with each passing week, and alot of it seems tied in with wood stoves, ironically enough. Is there anything the federal government does not stick its nose into anymore?

Next thing you know some fed will be telling me I can't cut down trees on my own land for firewood.

What happened to common sense in America?

I should also add that Steve does most of this with refurbished Elms. Some new parts to go with sturdy original stuff and it's good as new again. But in the end I would love to see him making all new units and models, all keyed up for the current manufacturing environment. It's amazing (if not disgusting) how much the government places upon you to manufacture stoves in the USA.

He sells refurbs from 1-2k, depending on details, like nickel plating, combustion system, etc. That can add up pretty fast. Did on ours, but we really want that old fashioned look for this home, like antique stoves. So we had everything nickel plated - apron, tree, handle (normal package), plus 14" legs, and the warming shelves.

What I find cool is this sort of 'a la carte' kind of thing for each owner. Now that he has done the gig with both cat and tubes, he has another offering in the mix. Plus he's got the box beams that can go with the tubes, either, or, etc. I find this the best of all consumer worlds. And after all the discussion I've had with Steve I know he will not stop trying to find every possible thing to create an ultimate burn. And he makes his stoves all updatable, so owners can get the newest stuff.

In my case, with this new design, I am looking forward to see if the cat lasts longer than normal. That would be a great benefit.

Oh, I forgot to mention this. In an age when so much comes from China, even cast iron, Steve owns all the forms for his castings, and they are original from the Waterbury, VT company, and his stuff is American made. To me, that's an important point.

Well, I'll tell you. Based on the stuff Steve Slatter gets into, I'd say Elms are still state of the art stoves.

I mentioned something to him this morning. It's chilly here, so I had to fire up my Homestead (still waiting on nickel parts for the Elm). As usual, tough to start, but I also noticed something in comparing to the Elms, and probably some other companies, as well. The modern stove uses pre-heated air to aid in full combustion. But on my stove that air enters at the side and must travel through a series of channels to get to the main entry and to the upper tubes. But this series of paths, at least in my stove, moves air very slow requiring the door to be cracked to get a decent fire going, and also allowing for alot of smoke to go up the flue before air gets hot enough, and turbulent enough to actually begin sucking air into the box through the secondary tubes for combustion of volatiles in the fire box. But the Elm has a direct to fire air intake on the door, and direct to secondary tubes and/ or box beam up top. Both the U-tubes and box beam are large reservoirs of hot air. And, of course, a cat does what it does once up to temp, but you need a good supply of air to get a decent fire going. My Homestead just struggles to start a fire, even a kindling fire. And smoke rolls around in the box until I open the door. Then everything bursts into flames and the smoke rapidly exits up the chimney.

Having owned a Cat Elm before, I guess it's the barrel, or depth of the barrel which really sucks in air at the main intake. Most 'cigar' stoves with direct air to fire box have that feature to their burn. I just think common sense is at work here. Slatter states lots of people get on him about computer calculation and design and mock-ups, and alot of other stuff. The reality is the stove ..."works, and works well for everyone," he says. Simple as that. Can't argue with simple logic and proof.

Pie plate. What a hoot. It does have a tendency to distort the view of the burn, and I may take it out to see the fire more clearly. All you have to do is replace the circumference space with 3/8" gasket. But, it also has a tendency to magnify things, as well, like colors of the burn, etc. So, I may just leave it on there.

Interesting observation. One thing I found out after owning 5 stoves - I didn't watch the fire anywhere near as much as I thought I would. Even now, with a large window, it is mostly to check what's happening in the stove, not so much romantic ambience. I have no time to just sit and watch a wood stove. Even when I do, it's kind of a "seen one, seen them all" reaction. The novelty wears off after awhile. Nice to watch but the show is a rerun every time, basically.

Having said that, and having owned an Elm before, and reading how the Jotul 602 has been the world's largest selling wood stove, with Jotul's Black Bear along with it, I don't think the Elm's view of the fire would put any manufacturer out of business. I would even say if Vermont Iron is able to increase sales large enough, through serious clean burn capabilities and an attractive unit, other companies might even offer a barrel model to seize that market.

Well, Steve just emailed me after reading this and said he watches the fire, his assistant watches the fire, and his wife watches the fire, especially with the box beam blazing, so I stand corrected. But, Dakotas Dad, just curious. How much time do you sit and actually watch the fire, rather than the stove being a warm, inviting kind of atmospheric thing happening where you glance at the stove now and then? I tend to think most people 'view' their stoves and fireplaces in that light. Background, sense of presence feeling while watching TV, reading a book, or talking with people in the room the unit exists.