Need all the information you can give me on the Woodstock Progress Hybrid...

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There are tons of long and detailed threads on this stove that should be read for a complete picture. The Woodstock folks are also easy to contact and talk about site specific questions.
Begreen,

I have searched every possible key word that I can think of for this stove over the last two - three weeks.......I have read them all.

Many people are heating 1400 square feet with the stove and love it. But they don't tell what type of windows/insulation they have. They don't tell the inside temperature.

Many people from New England will say the stove keeps their house comfortable, but they don't say what that is. My smoke dragon kept my house comfortable unless it got really cold. But comfortable for my family is 78 - 82 in the stove room, 70 - 73 in the upstairs living area (kitchen, dining room, play room) and 67 - 70 in the bedrooms (furthest from the stove).

I just want a more detailed picture of insulation and temperatures (then I can take into consideration the climate).

I will search again tonight and see if there are any more progress hybrid posts that I haven't already read.
 
I'm on the side of a larger stove, 2 stoves or perhaps a wood furnace.
 
For best results with the heating aspect, put the ph on the upper floor and keep the insert as is.....otherwise I agree that your asking for too much.....
 
I'm on the side of a larger stove, 2 stoves or perhaps a wood furnace.

A wood furnace is out of the question because of the layout (no way to tie into our existing duct work).

I am trying to avoid a 2nd stove because i would have to run a class A chimney (which would take all of the money that I have saved for an EPA stove).

I may eventually run a 2nd stove, but if I do, I will not keep the old smokedragon insert.

Step one is to replace the insert with something better. If I want more BTU then I will go from there.

Any other suggestions for large 6" flue stoves/inserts? If someone suggests something, it needs to be bigger and throw more heat than the progress hybrid for me to consider it.

Thanks
 
A wood furnace is out of the question because of the layout (no way to tie into our existing duct work).

I am trying to avoid a 2nd stove because i would have to run a class A chimney (which would take all of the money that I have saved for an EPA stove).

I may eventually run a 2nd stove, but if I do, I will not keep the old smokedragon insert.

Step one is to replace the insert with something better. If I want more BTU then I will go from there.

Any other suggestions for large 6" flue stoves/inserts? If someone suggests something, it needs to be bigger and throw more heat than the progress hybrid for me to consider it.

Thanks

No such animal, PH is probably the best heater using a 6 inch flue.

I have a 2800 sf house, two story, well insulated, cathedral ceilings built in 1994.
My original goal wasn't to heat 100% with wood but rather to cut down on oil usage,
I cut it down to about 300 gallons per from 900-1000 yr. I think I can do better with the PH so I may go with that or possible the IS.
 
The house: 3,500 sq ft of living space, with 1/3 behind closed doors (closed rooms have plumbing, don't freeze, but far from 70 degrees). The basement (an additional 1750 sq ft) has a one side as a walk-out, with an uninsulated brick wall, and the rest of the basement is dry-layed stone foundation (we haven't wasted anyone's time asking for a blower-door test). Attic has 6" of blown-in insulation. Walls are a little less than a 2x4 width, with blown-in insulation, plus house wrap on three sides. 40+ new windows, double glazed, foamed around them. House sits in the open. A breeze is not unusual, but winds of 25mph+ are rare. We are in a relatively cold spot compared to the general region.

Forced hot air oil furnace, thermostat usually set at 64 or lower.

10 years of a pre-EPA stove, then 1.5 seasons running the PH, and now half a year with Woodstock's Ideal Steel. Burning 2yr Red Maple. 6" liner, 30+ feet in internal chimney.

We use about 100 gal of oil annually, plus 8 cord of firewood.

-6 F last night, -4 F and falling tonight. No one home stoking the fire during the day today. Tonight the kitchen (stove room) is 64 degrees (far wall, next to a window, just re-loaded after burning down some coals, so I expect to get back up around 70), living room is 61 degrees. We bumped the oil on once tonight, thermostat is set at 58 for the night. The furthest room (upstairs) has a cold-air return in the floor, so the warm air goes up quite nicely, but I'm not sure what it is running for a temp tonight.

When burning hard (reload 4+ times per day), we clean the cat in the PH every other week. It is a simple task, but with our wood, draft, etc, it will have reduced performance if we don't clean it. We cleaned the liner monthly with the pre-EPA stove, and were still in the frequent checking mindset with the PH, but could probably do just a mid-winter check and a Spring cleaning. The Ideal Steel has been even cleaner burning.

The PH is a simple, enjoyable stove to run. The Ideal Steel is even easier to run. I think the PH will put out a little more top-end heat. We need a second stove - it will make the dead-of-winter more bearable, and will allow us to do longer, slower burns in each stove in more mild weather. After this winter there is an R60 attic in my near future.

In short, we have more extreme circumstances, and we are cooler than you and my wife prefer. We both very much enjoy the PH, and if you've read the archives you know about the company's support ethics. For your circumstances it sounds unlikely that a woodstove on a 6" liner will be a 100% solution, but it might well be an 80 - 90% solution.
 
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In short, we have more extreme circumstances, and we are cooler than you and my wife prefer. We both very much enjoy the PH, and if you've read the archives you know about the company's support ethics. For your circumstances it sounds unlikely that a woodstove on a 6" liner will be a 100% solution, but it might well be an 80 - 90% solution.

If my heat pump runs one or two nights a week I could live with that. Your information has helped a lot. I would bump the thermostat down further and could probably make it a 100% solution, but we have a baby who doesn't like to stay under his covers. The older kids just cover up at night.

I appreciate the info.

One other thing: Do you think the Ideal Steel will put out even more heat as the Progress (or about the same) when all is said and done?

I am thinking about waiting for the IS this summer/fall, but I don't think it will be as much of a looker as the PH.

Thanks,

Chris
 
Awww get the ph and keep the kids warm......
 
The IS is testing pretty well but it is uncertain when it will be available. At half the Progress's price its homeliness may be more palatable.
 
One other thing: Do you think the Ideal Steel will put out even more heat as the Progress (or about the same) when all is said and done?

I am thinking about waiting for the IS this summer/fall, but I don't think it will be as much of a looker as the PH.

They are quite similar in heat output. I think the PH may actually put out just a little more peak heat, and the Ideal Steel excels at the very low draft settings. In my mind the PH is a refined lady, and the Ideal Steel is a no-nonsense man. That said, take a look at some of the newer color schemes and refinements to the Ideal Steel on Woodstock's website - there is a cream-colored stove whose color seems to give it a different character.
 
I saw that almond and sand stove today. It does look nice. Now just get rid of the gears on the top.
 
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Spoke to Woodstock about the IS, they say it is supposed to be in production this summer for the coming fall. I would love to get the same heat output/efficiency at a lower price. The big thing that sways me towards the IS is the front load. Even in redoing my hearth to accommodate a free standing stove, I will have to pull up some carpet and lay some new tile if I go with a side loading stove. If I put in a front loading free stander, I might just be able to leave my carpet alone.

I guess it will all depend on when the IS comes out. I am planning on having the new stove in the house and hooked up by the end of September.

Any other progress hybrid or ideal steel users wanna chime in?
 
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