Absolute Steel beta testing... my first cat

[branchburner]

I'll get some pics up when I have more time, but just wanted to start this thread... less than 24 hours into having a Woodstock Absolute Steel Hybrid beta installed and I can't believe how much I love this stove. It's the first cat/hybrid stove I've ever run and is already exceeding expectations of how much useful heat, and for how long, you can get from a fairly small load of wood.

No full loads yet, as I wanted to break it in with a few smaller ones, so running it mostly 300-400f. But where my last few stoves would have higher surface temps, the house is actually feeling warmer, or at least warm in a more even, steady way. The lower flue temps with the cat tell me more heat is getting thrown into the room rather than outside. I think the last two stoves I had were worse than most in this respect.

The stove to me is more attractive in person than online images led me to believe, and the light show on medium-low burn has been great, with dancing blue flames. The air control is incredibly responsive. Had a heating/plumbing guy over helping fix some frozen pipes and he couldn't believe the heat from a few medium splits. So far so good...

 

[weatherguy]

Good stuff, what was your last stove?

 

[OhioBurner©]

Great! I'll be following yours and Flamestead's beta test posts closely, as I may be in the market for another stove. What color/design is yours? Hope to see some pics, but I know what you mean about pics not doing it justice. Even with a good dslr camera, lighting, and various angles with different lenses I just never got a pic of my ISH that I thought made it look as nice as in person. In any case, even a plane black box can be fine as long as it is a good heater!

I know it will take a bit of time to learn the stove, especially if you've not operated a hybrid or cat stove before. But I am very interested in the long burn capabilities, 14-15 hours is my magic number for a work shift, but it would be nice to know if it could hit 24 hrs+ on a low and slow cat burn too, but that is not as important to me as reliable 14-15 hr burns.

 

[branchburner]

Good stuff, what was your last stove?

After running the Harman for years, I had an older Jotul F600 for the past few months. I have to qualify my Jotul experience with the fact that I'm pretty sure it had a few leaks and needed a rebuild, but even so, both stoves would tend towards higher heat output (and flue temps) earlier in the burn cycle, giving me a bit more heat than I really needed for my space. If the first day is any indication, I should now be getting more even output and flue temps over the length of the burn cycle.

 

[branchburner]

What color/design is yours?

It's the Wildwood, with the contrast between the stove body kept to a minimum using a charcoal and black combination. (Was originally thinking plain black would be preferred, but now quite sure this looks much better.) Right loader, with an ash pan, rear vent w/ about 20% of the stove recessed into a brick fireplace.

 

[begreen]

Pics or...

 

[branchburner]

Pics or...

... it didn't happen. I know. Coming.
Pushing 80f in here w/ just a few wisps of visible flame, so it's happening for me, happily.

 

[fortydegnorth]

Details about your house, like square footage, basement, insulation? I'm torn between the two hybrids. I'm curious about how the absolute is heating based on house size and insulation.

 

[branchburner]

Details about your house, like square footage, basement, insulation? I'm torn between the two hybrids. I'm curious about how the absolute is heating based on house size and insulation.

Antique cape 28x36, one-and-a-half story w/ 12x18 addition on slab. Lousy windows, plenty of drafts.
Insulation: anyone's guess (but not redone in decades).
Basement: granite field stone w/ concrete floor, nice and cold.

Too soon to really give the stove it's due, as I have barely read instructions and tips for best technique. Just winging it for now, but so far so good... not quite the blast of heat that my Harman delivered, but longer and steadier with similar cu ft box (about 2.5). The firebox seems roomy and easy to load to stated capacity, which is a real plus. About as large a firebox as I'd need for this size house, but as small as I'd want for the sake of longer burns.

What are the details of the space you're hoping to heat?

 

[xman23]

LOL when I read about your frozen pipes. Sounds like the stove start up was a week late. Yea that was real cold last Saturday. Wonder who else had frozen pipes.

 

[fortydegnorth]

Antique cape 28x36, one-and-a-half story w/ 12x18 addition on slab. Lousy windows, plenty of drafts.
Insulation: anyone's guess (but not redone in decades).
Basement: granite field stone w/ concrete floor, nice and cold.

Too soon to really give the stove it's due, as I have barely read instructions and tips for best technique. Just winging it for now, but so far so good... not quite the blast of heat that my Harman delivered, but longer and steadier with similar cu ft box (about 2.5). The firebox seems roomy and easy to load to stated capacity, which is a real plus. About as large a firebox as I'd need for this size house, but as small as I'd want for the sake of longer burns.

What are the details of the space you're hoping to heat?

Our space is a real toss up at this point. We have 1118 sq ft on the main floor. Full basement, about 600 sq ft finished. We plan to put the stove in front of an existing fireplace in the north west corner of the house on the main floor. That's a small house, and we won't own it until the 25th, but we plan to add on about 550 sq ft. At that point the stove may move to a more central location. We don't believe the walls are insulated, windows are within the last 10 years and decent, attic will be blown insulation to 22-24". The ideal steel is huge overkill for southwest Ohio in this size house, the absolute probably fits the bill much better, but I like overkill. I'd rather burn small fires. We had a Clydesdale in a 1486 sq ft house and loved it. It's rated to heat much more. Right now we are about 2 weeks away from ordering an ideal steel. I know the absolute is smaller, but by the measurements, the ideal actually isn't any bigger. We will have a rear outlet and I think the ideal is just as low, if not lower, with the leg adjustment for the fireplace. I just don't want to melt us out of the house.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Our space is a real toss up at this point. We have 1118 sq ft on the main floor. Full basement, about 600 sq ft finished. We plan to put the stove in front of an existing fireplace in the north west corner of the house on the main floor. That's a small house, and we won't own it until the 25th, but we plan to add on about 550 sq ft. At that point the stove may move to a more central location. We don't believe the walls are insulated, windows are within the last 10 years and decent, attic will be blown insulation to 22-24". The ideal steel is huge overkill for southwest Ohio in this size house, the absolute probably fits the bill much better, but I like overkill. I'd rather burn small fires. We had a Clydesdale in a 1486 sq ft house and loved it. It's rated to heat much more. Right now we are about 2 weeks away from ordering an ideal steel. I know the absolute is smaller, but by the measurements, the ideal actually isn't any bigger. We will have a rear outlet and I think the ideal is just as low, if not lower, with the leg adjustment for the fireplace. I just don't want to melt us out of the house.

Uninsulated walls? I don't think the ISH will be overkill. I'm probably similar climate here in central Ohio, a bit bigger drafty and poorly insulated house, but each of my stoves really only heat their half of the house, the ISH is on 1584 sqft side, and my pellet stove on 1152 sqft side. I have no problems with the ISH being too large (so far, only had since Thanksgiving) remember it can run down real low if need be. Not to dissuade from the ASH, not enough data yet on that, but just throwing that out there.

 

[branchburner]

I take back what I said about "not quite the blast of heat that my Harman delivered" ... I hadn't been loading the ASH really full, and had been burning a mix of wood that included some pine and poplar. Just put in a FULL load of all maple... this thing is cranking! (Getting to re-visit that new-stove burning paint smell of the first fire.)

About an hour into the burn and a much more vigorous secondary, at far lower air setting, than my earlier burns. Rather than tubes, there is a manifold with maybe 150-200 (?) holes, and they are nearly all jetting flame like crazy, with air setting very low. Stove top pushing 500, flue below 250. Because of the way this stove is built, I am guessing the stove top temps will alway read deceptively low compared to my cast iron stoves, which would probably be running around 700f with this type of load and heat output.

 

[begreen]

There will probably be many nice surprises compared to the Oakwood. Not a cast iron stove difference, it's more a difference of combustion technology.

 

[branchburner]

Not a cast iron stove difference, it's more a difference of combustion technology.

True... I guess what I was trying to get at is that having both a secondary manifold and a cat chamber above the firebox may be keeping the stove top from hitting the highs that other stoves might show with such an inferno in the firebox, even as it cranking out as much (or more?) useful heat. Because the non-cat secondaries were so active at that point, I was thinking there wouldn't be much left for the cat to burn to push stove top temps higher... next time I have a full load I'll shoot temps of the stove sides to see how hot they are getting (I know they run hotter than the top).

One thing for sure, this stove throws a lot of heat straight out the front, while my Harman threw it out the back.

 

[begreen]

Yes, there's a big difference with the AS tech from the downdraft afterburner design. The AS should be much more reliable. I like it's clean burning efficiency.

 

[branchburner]

Right now, there are the partial remains of two medium poplar splits I put in the box nearly 3 hours ago, looking like charcoal and ash with barely a sign of any glow. Basically it looks like the fire is out, but I know when I open the air back up there will be useful coals in 3-4 hours, or more. The top is still 300f, sides are 350f, flue about 130f external. After rising for a few hours, indoor temps steady over the past hour, mid-40s outside.

I'd say the soapstone liner is doing its job.

 

[JA600L]

Our space is a real toss up at this point. We have 1118 sq ft on the main floor. Full basement, about 600 sq ft finished. We plan to put the stove in front of an existing fireplace in the north west corner of the house on the main floor. That's a small house, and we won't own it until the 25th, but we plan to add on about 550 sq ft. At that point the stove may move to a more central location. We don't believe the walls are insulated, windows are within the last 10 years and decent, attic will be blown insulation to 22-24". The ideal steel is huge overkill for southwest Ohio in this size house, the absolute probably fits the bill much better, but I like overkill. I'd rather burn small fires. We had a Clydesdale in a 1486 sq ft house and loved it. It's rated to heat much more. Right now we are about 2 weeks away from ordering an ideal steel. I know the absolute is smaller, but by the measurements, the ideal actually isn't any bigger. We will have a rear outlet and I think the ideal is just as low, if not lower, with the leg adjustment for the fireplace. I just don't want to melt us out of the house.

The nicest thing you will appreciate about these stoves is the fact that you can reload several hours after the fire goes out. It's something I had never seen before. Even with the junkiest softwoods it still leaves many coals behind. So if you don't need a lot of heat you can dial them into a long slow cat burn and it will retain the coals for a long time after the fire goes out. The stove will still make some degree of heat for the next 24 hours + with coals for a reload. Either stove should do this the same. One just holds more wood and could go longer.

 

[3650]

I kind of wish I hadn't just bought the little fireview and Enviro omega recently. If I hadn't I would be all over this sale they are having. Did they tighten up the clearances any?

 

[branchburner]

The nicest thing you will appreciate about these stoves is the fact that you can reload several hours after the fire goes out. It's something I had never seen before. Even with the junkiest softwoods it still leaves many coals behind.

Agreed. I noticed this in just the few days I've run the stove. Through the window I see what looks like cold charcoal and ash, which in my other stoves is what it would have been. Open the door, and the coals come to life, still throwing a surprising amount of heat. (And of course the soapstone liner is still holding some heat, too.)

 

[weatherguy]

The nicest thing you will appreciate about these stoves is the fact that you can reload several hours after the fire goes out. It's something I had never seen before. Even with the junkiest softwoods it still leaves many coals behind. So if you don't need a lot of heat you can dial them into a long slow cat burn and it will retain the coals for a long time after the fire goes out. The stove will still make some degree of heat for the next 24 hours + with coals for a reload. Either stove should do this the same. One just holds more wood and could go longer.

My PH does the same thing, I'll let the over night fire go out and when it gets dark and the temps drop I'll open up the door and rake the coals and they come to life, no super cedar necessary.

 

[branchburner]

 

[Woody Stover]

Hey, that stove don't look half bad.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I didn't realize there was some artwork on the load door too. I like that perspective - most shots are head on. It shows how the profile is very tall. Still trying to picture a stove with that view without the wings. I think the wingless ones also have no lip under the glass?

 

[Rearscreen]

Yeah I've owned quite a few stoves in my life, and if the Absolute is anything like my Progress, what a relief it is to not have to keep the door open to light or restart and always be able to start simply by adding a few sticks without starters etc. and sitting, blowing, adding...They really are amazing stoves. I'm so glad they are marketing an affordable model with some flair.