Is this typical for catalytic stove?

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If so, I could live with that: cranked down to .5 during the day and overnights, open it up to setting 1 or more in the evening when we want to view the fire show.


On a cat stove : yes

On a hybrid stove : no
 
So why do the cat stoves keep getting a bad rap for poor fire view? That view is pretty awesome.

So to get a cat flame show to look like a non-cat, just allow more air?

And then the rate of wood consumption/heat output would be the same for both stove types when operating in this range?

If so, I could live with that: cranked down to .5 during the day and overnights, open it up to setting 1 or more in the evening when we want to view the fire show.

Actually what we found when last shopping for a new stove is that dealers gave cat stoves a bad rap......because they weren't selling any cat stoves. That to me is the worst type of salesmanship. You don't build your product up by running another one down!

Yes, if you want constant flame, all it takes is just a tiny movement of the draft and you have plenty of flame. You will also get a bit more heat by keeping some flame in the firebox. If you want to really cut the air a lot and get no flame, this too is possible. The nice part of the Woodstock line is that if you choose that route, the glass will stay clean anyway and not turn black. Well, it might if you have some really poor fuel but that would not be the fault of the stove. That would be the fault of the stove operator.

As for dirty glass, we get some ash on the glass but no black at all. Not sure why someone would want glass in the stove if the thing was black all the time or needed cleaning daily or even weekly.

As for the setting on the stove, we see different folks having different settings with the same stove and that is normal. For us, in winter .75 seems to hit is about perfect. In fall or spring 1 is closer to perfect.
 
I believe that I own the stove that is famous for the blackest glass. The target of all black glass jokes. The Blaze King.

Yes, it gets black on bottom corners. Less than 50% of the window is darkened and the majority of that is see-thru amber and not like black paint. Only the very bottom corners get chunky gunk and none of it ever NEEDS cleaning.

In exchange for this reduced viewing pleasure I am the happy recipient of 30+ hour burn times on low btu swamp wood. That is DOUBLE the best that any other stove maker can do. It's a choice really. Half to a quarter of the operating effort for a slight reduction in viewing pleasure? Sure. I'll take that.

Thing is, there's not much to see in the firebox when a cat stove is cruising along in low burn. At least not in the efficient ones. If you see flames, look for reduced burn times and high heat output. This is good if you need the heat. If I tried to maintain a flame in the firebox, we would be roasted out.
 
And we are perfectly happy getting a nice 12 hour burn cycle which fits into almost anybody's schedule.
 
I have a good flame show with decent wood. IT DOES NOT GO ALL THE TIME(sorry for caps) but may not be there when I shut down then it will appear for an hour or more depending upon the wood, then it will go away and have a glow. I get an amazing show if I want.
 
No flames as of yet with my BK King, but, it is on low.
I am hoping that next year, when it is -30C outside, and I have it cranked, it will give me a flame show. If it doesn't, it really wouldn't matter as it is not in a room that we use.
 
If I tried to maintain a flame in the firebox, we would be roasted out.

There's a simple solution for that, too: bigger or less efficient house.

I'll stick with flame show and 12 hour burn times for myself, but you have to admire any stove that can run 30 hours.
 
Woodstock definitely has a great looking fire and I think it's caused by the air wash plate that has holes on the outside to help ignite the gases near the cat. It's almost like having a secondary burn tube in there. I run my Keystone at .5- .75 most of the time and I get that secondary rolling flame for about an hour or two then its just glowing coal for a good 12 hour burn. If I shut her down further the glass does get dirty and I may end up with unburnt chunks in the back.

My BK cuts the flame off at lower settings but you can still have a great looking fire and a 12+ hour burn at a medium setting. Like Highbeam says my glass only blackens up at low 24+ hour burns around the lower corners but is crystal clear at medium settings for 12 hour burns.
 
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Woodstock definitely has a great looking fire and I think it's caused by the air wash plate that has holes on the outside to help ignite the gases near the cat. It's almost like having a secondary burn tube in there. . .
+1
I'd say that the video OP posted is typical for a Fireview or Keystone, operated properly with dry fuel. I dunno if the PH does the floaty flames as much or burns more like a non-cat with flames where the hot air squirts out of the many holes in baffle. If you're interested in the PH, maybe ask PH owners to post some burn videos. . .I'm sure some have been posted, but I'm not remembering them right now.
 
+1
I'd say that the video OP posted is typical for a Fireview or Keystone, operated properly with dry fuel. I dunno if the PH does the floaty flames as much or burns more like a non-cat with flames where the hot air squirts out of the many holes in baffle. If you're interested in the PH, maybe ask PH owners to post some burn videos. . .I'm sure some have been posted, but I'm not remembering them right now.

I can't find any on you tube of the PH that shows that type of flame pattern.

The keystone is a definite contender, as it will work with my fireplace hearth setup, but I'm thinking it's a little small for my house.
 
Prefer more of a radiant type to a convection type and therefore moved the Cape Cod lower on the list.
That's too bad. I really can't figure out why the Cod keeps getting called a convection stove? It's set up to do both really well. It only has a convection top, nothing else. It pours heats from the sides as well as the front, but mostly the front, this thing pours more heat off of the glass alone than some other stoves are ever able to produce.
It's my sole source of heat and do not have a blower.
 
On a cat stove : yes

On a hybrid stove : no
Once mine is up to temp, I reduce the air all the way. It will run on nearly all cat with occasional flare ups. I don't get BK burn times, but their not bad.
 

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"Slow Motion Explosion" flames, my favorite. Mesmerizing. Nothing constant to get bored of. I can't stop staring, waiting to see what happens next. I often get a constant ribbon of flame the full width of the window, across the top 1/4 of the glass. They are entertaining, but not my favorite. The air wash system introduces preheated fresh air into the top of the firebox that mixes with the smoke and burns it. Sound familiar?

Pardon the wife's singing/glare/reflection()
 
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I can't find any on you tube of the PH that shows that type of flame pattern.

The keystone is a definite contender, as it will work with my fireplace hearth setup, but I'm thinking it's a little small for my house.


Here is one I took at Woodstock's factory. If you do a search on youtube for Woodstock Progress there are several videos.

 
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That's too bad. I really can't figure out why the Cod keeps getting called a convection stove? It's set up to do both really well. It only has a convection top, nothing else. It pours heats from the sides as well as the front, but mostly the front, this thing pours more heat off of the glass alone than some other stoves are ever able to produce.
It's my sole source of heat and do not have a blower.

Just lower on the list, still high though.
I keep getting told its a convection stove. But I can be persuaded otherwise.
It's just so expensive, though. 4400$ at dealer.
 

"Slow Motion Explosion" flames, my favorite. Mesmerizing. Nothing constant to get bored of. I can't stop staring, waiting to see what happens next. I often get a constant ribbon of flame the full width of the window, across the top 1/4 of the glass. They are entertaining, but not my favorite. The air wash system introduces preheated fresh air into the top of the firebox that mixes with the smoke and burns it. Sound familiar?

Pardon the wife's singing/glare/reflection()


That IS beautiful. That is exactly what I was hoping it could do. I've seen it with the fireviews and keystones. just not the progress.
 
Here is one I took at Woodstock's factory. If you do a search on youtube for Woodstock Progress there are several videos.



Thanks for the video. I'm still not seeing the ghost flames, though. Is it because of the secondary burn tubes in the progress? Someone mentioned it was harder to get that ghost flame with burn tubes. Overall. a very nice show, though.
 
I keep getting told its a convection stove. But I can be persuaded otherwise. It's just so expensive, though. 4400$ at dealer.
Prepare to be persuaded!;) It's not a convection stove, it simply has a convection top. It allows air to naturally circulate around the stove, or be forced with a super quiet blower if you choose.
The Cod is $3,300 here, I know that the East coast is higher, but $4K seems a bit excessive.
 
Here is a sample of what the harman does on a slow after burn. I can get mine to do this constantly ,not just intermittently and fill the whole firebox. THe primary air is likely all the way down the wood looks like its almost gone out but the afterburn continues. looks like the northern lights.
Starts about 28 seconds in. Stove cost about $2500 ,i got a deal on mine $1900 in 2008.
 

Here is a quick video of the Cape Cod running on low. Sorry for all the ticking, it's not really noticeable at all in person.
 
I've never been a big fan of those gas grill type fires. Here is a couple videos of my stoves burning.

 
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I've never been a big fan of those gas grill type fires. Here is a couple videos of my stoves burning.

Ditto on that. They've spent a generation or more, trying to get gas fireplaces to look like wood fires. Then they come out with these non-cat reburn stoves, and their flame looks more like a propane grill than a gas fireplace! ;lol
 
I am really liking the burn pattern on the keystone. It will fit nicely on my hearth/fireplace set up: maintaining front clearance and getting access to side door.

But at only 45,000 BTUs it is probably to small for my house.
 
Ditto on that. They've spent a generation or more, trying to get gas fireplaces to look like wood fires. Then they come out with these non-cat reburn stoves, and their flame looks more like a propane grill than a gas fireplace! ;lol
No, they spent a generation or so trying to make a better burning stove!:cool: And FYI it is a cat stove.
Having a gas burner in the top is very cool, admit it. Go ahead!
 
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