Progress Hybrid tips, tricks, and expectations?

[BrotherBart]

Got a burn on the right arm and the left arm this year. What is that about? Long way to the back of that firebox and too long a way to my brain anymore.

 

[weatherguy]

It's easy to get burned with the PH, loading with the small side door I've burned my forearms a few times, I have a permanent callous burn on the side of my right thumb from setting the air without a glove.

 

[joshrohde]

I've burnt my hands and arms a few times on the PH loading it without gloves. The door is a bit small if I try to completely fill the firbox. Otherwise the door is adequate size for regular loading and doesn't bother me much. My old cast iron stove would give 3rd degree burns from touching it for a fraction of a second and the PH hasn't done a lot of damage. I still have scars on my arms from loading that old stove in the middle of the night when I feel like I'm still half asleep. The PH doesn't require me to wake up in the middle of the night to add wood. I should know better being a welder and working with hot metals to use a bit more safety but sometimes I try my luck without gloves. The PH has yet to come even close to burning me as bad as the cast iron stove and that's just because I was careless. I find the PH feels much safer to load and operate in regards to getting burnt. My biggest gripe for getting burnt would be that little movable smoke baffle on the top of the door. I could remove it but I find it is helpful to keep smoke from spilling into the room when the weather is warmer and my draft is reduced. I suppose it is pretty nice that its hinged for loading very large splits or completely filling the firebox. burns are easily avoidable with proper protection with this stove. The firebox was so deep on my old stove (with a smaller loading door than the PH) that if I tried loading a small split all the way to the back that my gloves weren't long enough sticking my arms in there. occasionally I would bump my bare arms into the sides of the loading door doing this and would get a severe burn. The PH is much easier to load and I don't have to reach way into it. I'm still very happy with my PH and it far exceeded my expectations in almost every way.

 

[Mitchhorne8]

I really want to thank everyone one this thread. I'm a young father with 4 children, and I like I'm sure most of you where, I sometimes struggle paying the bills. So when I spent more than I should have on the PH my wife was nervous. I assured her that since firewood is in abundance here it would pay for its self in one very northern winters worth of heating bills. Well we had the worst winter in 100yrs and I couldn't seem to get this thing heating the house properly, I was freaking out cause other option was electric heat which would run 500$ a month, which we couldn't afford! Well thanks to all you great ppl and awesome tips, I was able Identify with some of your problems and cherry pick from the solutions, since they too where in abundance. 1 late night of reading was all it took, and the next morning I had that baby cruising at 400f stove top for 10 hrs straight and wife so excited on the phone, as I was at work and couldn't stick around to see if would stay hot. Apparently I was just engaging the cat way too soon, I would engage at 450 and it would cool withing 45min to 200f. I needed to get the whole stack engulfed top to bottom before I should engage. Plus I picked up a bunch of other great tips. I love this stove so much it's mid July and I can't wait to fire PJ (pride N joy) up! Thanks again everyone! You guys save my bacon!

 

[fire_man]

Mitch

I'm glad it worked out but your solution puzzles me. If you were engaging the cat at 450F (I assume that's the stovetop temp and not a cat probe temp) then no way is that "too soon" as you say. Where and how are you measuring that temp?

 

[Mitchhorne8]

It was stove top. And yes that's exactly what was stumping me. But what was happening was only the bottom few splits would be burning And once I engaged and lowered the intake, the top 2/3 never really caught fire, if at all. So the smoke that would feed the cat would only be 30 % of what it could be. The entire load would burn right down, but basically only one split at a time. Which would be fine in a shoulder season, but in Dec and - 20 it wasn't cutting it. So the solution was to med intake for about an hour, so even the top splits where black and flaming, then engage lower intake to 15 % open For 30 mins then close all the way. Runs like a train at 400 stove top for 8 hrs or so.

 

[begreen]

Partially seasoned wood? Did the moisture content of the wood get measured?

 

[Mitchhorne8]

2 and 3 yr maple. I didn't get I measured

 

[fire_man]

Medium intake for an hour and 30 minutes engaged at 15% is a very long time. Have you talked with WS about this? It seems to me the air intake flapper has problem.

 

[Mitchhorne8]

I have not. But if you guys think it seems too long, I will give them a call

 

[rdust]

Medium intake for an hour and 30 minutes engaged at 15" is a very long time. Have you talked with WS about this? It seems to me the air intake flapper has problem.

I doubt it's the stove, it's probably just the learning curve along with wood or a chimney set up that's not ideal. I'd suggest not closing it down all the way, I haven't read too many IS users that can close it to 0 and not have issues.

So the solution was to med intake for about an hour, so even the top splits where black and flaming, then engage lower intake to 15 % open For 30 mins then close all the way. Runs like a train at 400 stove top for 8 hrs or so.

What is your loading process from a cold start and loading from a coal bed? Maybe we can help tweak a thing or two.

 

[fire_man]

If I understood properly, Mitch was operating the stove without the cat engaged for the first hour after loading. If that was loaded on an established hot bed of coals it's WAY tool long to operate without the cat (even if it was from a stone cold start it's too long). Begreen is right, unseasoned wood could definitely explain the problem.

Can you tell us what type wood, and how long it was split and stacked?

 

[Mitchhorne8]

It would be on a bed of coals with 2-3 yr seasoned maple, I also get good draft. I also Dubble check with my wife since she did most of the reloads, she says it was more like 30mins to 45min before engaging the cat.

 

[fire_man]

I found the magic cure for my problem with the cat not lighting off properly was to engage the cat after the stovetop reached 300F but keep the air supply open really wide - I think around 40% for about 10 minutes, then lower it. Some persons lower the draft in stages but I don't.