Likely New Stove - Woodstock Progress Hybrid -

[KDubU]

So after reviewing a few stoves and liking the Hearthstone I had in a previous house, I am leaning towards the Woodstock Progress Hybrid. Called the company today and thinking about putting down a deposit but want to make sure all if good with our hearth first (whether it needs to be expanded or not). I have read a couple threads on here of people who have this stove and they were positive. Anything to look out for about Woodstock and this model in particular?

Background is the house has a Mendota (sp) propane fireplace and it is coming out. The chimney was inspected and cleaned so all good there. It’s located on the southeast part of the house and it’s a fairly open concept layout although I would prefer the stove to be more centralized. Currently heating with oil via water baseboard but miss the radiant heat of a wood stove.

 

[begreen]

The Progress is a good heater that has an established track record. Woodstock is a small company that delivers personal service. The only caveat is that the catalyst sometimes goes out of stock for an extended period. It wouldn't hurt to have a spare on hand.

 

[mdocod]

The only thing I would keep in mind with that stove is that it calls for more clearance than most modern stoves, in fact, the rear-clearance, when used without a heat shield, is 3 feet, which is what we generally see required on "untested" heating appliances. If this doesn't impact your install then please disregard. Most stove buyers have become accustomed to stoves that are rated for placement closer to combustibles.

I did lot of research when selecting a stove for our new home and this one was on the list because it was so beautiful and owners seemed very pleased with it. We wound up with a Hybrid Mansfield instead, as it fits the look of our house a bit better, and the front-load and clearances were better suited to the corner we wanted to put it in without a heat shield.

 

[KDubU]

Thanks for the feedback and good callout on the catalyst. Planning on the heat shield for the rear as I also noticed the large setback. We had a shield on our Heritage in the previous house and are not against getting another Hearthstone, just read very good things about Woodstock.

 

[bsw]

Have you pulled the trigger on a purchase yet? I'm in a similar situation and have it narrowed down to the Progress Hybrid vs. the Hearthstone Manchester. The only thing holding me up on the Progress is the lack of a front door. I've never owned a side load only stove and it's got me pretty hesitant, even though most comments indicate that it's a non-issue.

 

[KDubU]

Have you pulled the trigger on a purchase yet? I'm in a similar situation and have it narrowed down to the Progress Hybrid vs. the Hearthstone Manchester. The only thing holding me up on the Progress is the lack of a front door. I've never owned a side load only stove and it's got me pretty hesitant, even though most comments indicate that it's a non-issue.

Yes I put a deposit down earlier this week on the Progress Hybrid. Side door is a non issue for us as that is how we used our previous Hearthstone. I do not like loading from the front as some do or at least have not been very successful at it.

 

[bsw]

Nice. Keep us posted. From what I've been told the Progress is 2-3 months out and the Manchester is more like 6-7, not sure if that's in line with what people have been seeing in the real world or not but either scenario is outside of prime burning season so I'm not in a significant hurry.

 

[KDubU]

Nice. Keep us posted. From what I've been told the Progress is 2-3 months out and the Manchester is more like 6-7, not sure if that's in line with what people have been seeing in the real world or not but either scenario is outside of prime burning season so I'm not in a significant hurry.

Right now they have the stove ready early March but will try for earlier if they can. Hearthstone Heritage I was told by a dealer in 8 weeks if I recall correctly.

 

[mdocod]

Have you pulled the trigger on a purchase yet? I'm in a similar situation and have it narrowed down to the Progress Hybrid vs. the Hearthstone Manchester. The only thing holding me up on the Progress is the lack of a front door. I've never owned a side load only stove and it's got me pretty hesitant, even though most comments indicate that it's a non-issue.

I think that the utility of a side-load is maximized when the stove has plenty of room around the side-load door for the operator to work inside of if needed. If you're standing in front, doing a sort of reach-around movement to load logs, that is more of a 1-handed operation that may require more dexterity and strength than being able to look down the barrel and use two-hands so to speak. There's also the occasional scenario where you might want to be able to reach in with the welding gloves and move a log. The PH is often depicted free standing in the middle of a room, which would be the ideal for this sort of loading situation, and also helps with the high clearance to combustibles that this stove calls for when installed without heat shields.

 

[bundy150]

How hard is cleaning the glass on a side loader?

 

[KDubU]

How hard is cleaning the glass on a side loader?

Easy especially if you burn good dry hardwood. Seriously, it is easy IMHO.

 

[Calentarse]

My parents have a progress hybrid because they needed to rear vent and it was the best option. The side load was a concern of my dad but he likes it. You don't get roll outs and the reloads are never smoky. The glass stays very clean on the PH in his setup. The stone stays warm long after the stove dies down. It's a good stove. I suspect lots of heat goes up the chimney versus the Blaze King with it and he does get ash buildup on the cat with it but a simple cleaning gets him right back to business. Take the good with the bad, I suppose.

 

[John Kuhn]

My parents have a progress hybrid because they needed to rear vent and it was the best option. The side load was a concern of my dad but he likes it. You don't get roll outs and the reloads are never smoky. The glass stays very clean on the PH in his setup. The stone stays warm long after the stove dies down. It's a good stove. I suspect lots of heat goes up the chimney versus the Blaze King with it and he does get ash buildup on the cat with it but a simple cleaning gets him right back to business. Take the good with the bad, I suppose.

We have had our Progress Hybrid for five years, and love it! I think it uses less wood than our old Vermont Castings Defiant, and love how the soapstone holds heat for a long time. Our previous stove was front loading, and we find the side load is preferred for keeping the hearth cleaner. I have noticed that the catalyst gets ash caught in it, reducing the airflow, but is so easy to remove and clean in five minutes with no tools. One thing that your stove will have that is better than ours is the latest air inlet control. I found mine to be very vague for getting a consistent location, and prone to drifting down to the closed position. Fortunately, a retrofit kit is available, which I will be installing at the end of this heating season.

 

[Woodboy]

We have had our Progress Hybrid for five years, and love it! I think it uses less wood than our old Vermont Castings Defiant, and love how the soapstone holds heat for a long time. Our previous stove was front loading, and we find the side load is preferred for keeping the hearth cleaner. I have noticed that the catalyst gets ash caught in it, reducing the airflow, but is so easy to remove and clean in five minutes with no tools. One thing that your stove will have that is better than ours is the latest air inlet control. I found mine to be very vague for getting a consistent location, and prone to drifting down to the closed position. Fortunately, a retrofit kit is available, which I will be installing at the end of this heating season.

I did the air control retrofit last April 2022. Huge difference for controlling the fire. The old air damper would only work in the last 1/8 " of the control rod. Glad that is gone. So you know, if you have the rear heat shield installed, you will need a new one with the new air damper. You can install the air damper without it but you loose rear shielding. I don't have one as my stove is 24" from my back wall. I also did the ashpan installation. I purchased my stove in April 2017. Also purchased a spare catalytic combuster to swap out. I always pre heat them before installing by putting them on the running wood stove for about 30 minutes. I also run my stove with the soap stone tops off. More heat as I live in an uninsulated farm house. Family home stead. We inherited the house and 3.5 acres.

 

[John Kuhn]

I did the air control retrofit last April 2022. Huge difference for controlling the fire. The old air damper would only work in the last 1/8 " of the control rod. Glad that is gone. So you know, if you have the rear heat shield installed, you will need a new one with the new air damper. You can install the air damper without it but you loose rear shielding. I don't have one as my stove is 24" from my back wall. I also did the ashpan installation. I purchased my stove in April 2017. Also purchased a spare catalytic combuster to swap out. I always pre heat them before installing by putting them on the running wood stove for about 30 minutes. I also run my stove with the soap stone tops off. More heat as I live in an uninsulated farm house. Family home stead. We inherited the house and 3.5 acres.

Thank you for sharing your experience! The Woodstock folks told me about the heat shield need, and so I have it. Probably won't install the parts until after this heating season, as I'll have to take the chimney apart. New catalyst works great, noticed the pattern is a little coarser than my original, so hoping less sensitive to ash particles. Good to know the new air damper works great!
We also run the stove without the top soapstone, as we have a large pan of water there for humidifying.

 

[WarmerWithWood]

How hard is cleaning the glass on a side loader?

First winter with our PH - read up at wood stove.com - the glass is ‘self cleaning pretty much. the design is such that any build up is burned away (sorry not tech explanation). When we dump the ash reservoir underneath (great accessory) we sometimes give a wipe.

 

[John Kuhn]

How hard is cleaning the glass on a side loader?

It's a bit of a reach, but what makes it difficult is the andirons don't come out, so it's harder to get a paper towel between them and the glass. The ash comes off quite easily, have never had to scrub or use anything other than water.

 

[Woody Stover]

what makes it difficult is the andirons don't come out, so it's harder to get a paper towel between them and the glass.

I can take the andirons out on the Keystone, they're held in with bolts, but there's no reason to do that since I can pretty easily clean the glass with the andirons in place.
If the andirons are as close as on the Keystone and Fireview (maybe @Woodboy can say,) there's not a lot of room, but I just flatten my hand and can get to the entire area behind each andiron.

 

[John Kuhn]

I can take the andirons out on the Keystone, they're held in with bolts, but there's no reason to do that since I can pretty easily clean the glass with the andirons in place.
If the andirons are as close as on the Keystone and Fireview (maybe @Woodboy can say,) there's not a lot of room, but I just flatten my hand and can get to the entire area behind each andiron.

For sure doable, but would be so much easier if the andirons were held in by gravity like on my old stove. Not a big deal, but would be a nice touch.

 

[peakbagger]

FYI, I have not done so but unless Covid has changed things, its worth driving over and getting a tour when your stove is ready. Nice to connect the folks who made your stove in person.

 

[Woody Stover]

would be so much easier if the andirons were held in by gravity like on my old stove. Not a big deal, but would be a nice touch.

For sure--that's how they are on my backup stove too, the Dutchwest. Just snatch 'em right outta there.
Plus they are the cool-looking sheaves of wheat...or are they little Lisa Simpsons? 😏

 

[John Kuhn]

For sure--that's how they are on my backup stove too, the Dutchwest. Just snatch 'em right outta there.
Plus they are the cool-looking sheaves of wheat...or are they little Lisa Simpsons? 😏

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Haha, nice!