New Progress Hybrid Up and Running

[clarksvilleal]

Never thought I would look forward to temps back in the 20's in mid-April, especially this year. But hey, it was the perfect opportunity to fire up the new Progress Hybrid and put it through its paces.

I did have a small fire in it for a bit a couple of weeks ago, but last night was the first full overnight burn, and it's been running all day today as well. This stove is great - it puts my old CDW 246 - which I liked and used well for 26 years, not knowing what I've been missing - to shame. It definitely puts out a lot more heat, and it seems to burn the wood much more efficiently. The firebox is huge in comparison, the soapstone stays warm for hours after the fire dies down, the lowered floor of the firebox keeps the ashes in where they belong when you open the side door, and the huge window, that stays really clear almost all the time, makes the fire gorgeous to behold. The ash pan is about twice as big in volume as the CDW ash pan, so I am looking forward to emptying it much less often. I also like the design and positioning of the catalytic combustor chamber that should make it easy to service when necessary.

There were a few negatives - starting with a 750 lb. weight that took four of us to lift onto the hearth and get in position - though I did figure out a way to use my garage floor jack to move it around once it was up there. Of course in reality the weight is actually a positive, since it is the mass of the iron and soapstone that stores and radiates the heat so effectively.

The other negatives were a couple of small quality problems - a small chip in the right-hand top soapstone pieces, the center top soapstone piece didn't sit flat and wasn't centered properly on the the cast iron burner top, and there was a small but visible defect in one of the corner column castings. Woodstock sent me a new cast iron burner top and corner column, plus a new center and right-hand soapstone pieces for the top. Unfortunately the soapstone pieces they sent were not even a remote match in either color or grain to the rest of the stove, one of them was more badly chipped than the original chipped piece, and the new center piece still did not set flat, on either the original or the new cast iron burner plate, though it was better centered on the new one. So I wound up keeping the old soapstone pieces. I was able to make the center piece sit flat on the burner plate by shimming the brass shield (it rests on a bracket on the burner plate). I decided I could live with the small chip on the other soapstone top piece. All in all a little disappointing given the price of the stove, but I don't want to nitpick too much - it really is a beautiful stove, and even made in the good old U.S. of A.

I put a load of cherry in last night, not even completely filling the firebox, and there was a nice bed of hot coals in the stove this morning, with the stove still quite warm. You might notice in the second photo that I have positioned a fan on the floor behind the stove. I was originally a little disappointed that the Progress did not have a fan option like my old CDW did, but in truth the external fan is probably more effective and it's definitely much quieter. So all things considered I am quite happy with the stove and looking forward to a couple of decades of abundant warmth from this beautiful behemoth.

 

[begreen]

Looking good!

 

[clarksvilleal]

Thank you, begreen. And thanks to all the good info and advice I got from everyone on this great forum. I sure am glad I found y'all before making my final decision on the CDW 264 replacement.

 

[osagebow]

wow that looks good! Should be burning tonight too. Maybe last burn of the season.

Whoops, probably just jinxed us.....

 

[clarksvilleal]

wow that looks good! Should be burning tonight too. Maybe last burn of the season.

Whoops, probably just jinxed us.....

Yup - they're calling for 28 degrees tonight. No problem - still have plenty of wood. I'm not even quite done burning the crate the PH came packed in.

 

[weatherguy]

Looks real nice Clark, how many square feet you heating?

 

[clarksvilleal]

Looks real nice Clark, how many square feet you heating?

Thanks, weatherguy. We're heating about 2000 sq. ft.

When I installed the stove a few weeks ago I also installed a thru-the-wall fan in the wall at the top of the stairwell that blows the warm air wafting up the stairs into our Master BR. Up until now the MBR has always been relatively cold when the old stove was running; and since that is where the thermostat is located, the heating system - an electric heat pump - would often turn on even though the stove was burning away and the rest of the place was pretty warm.

All in all we're pretty pleased with the way this has all worked out. I just wish I had gotten the PH last year, what with our having the coldest winter ever since we moved here back in the early 70's. Better late than never, though.

P.S. How do you like that BK Princess Insert? My daughter and son-in-law have a masonry fireplace that they hardly ever use 'cause it takes more heat out of the house than it gives back. I was thinking of trying to talk them into installing a good insert.

 

[weatherguy]

Thanks, weatherguy. We're heating about 2000 sq. ft.

When I installed the stove a few weeks ago I also installed a thru-the-wall fan in the wall at the top of the stairwell that blows the warm air wafting up the stairs into our Master BR. Up until now the MBR has always been relatively cold when the old stove was running; and since that is where the thermostat is located, the heating system - an electric heat pump - would often turn on even though the stove was burning away and the rest of the place was pretty warm.

All in all we're pretty pleased with the way this has all worked out. I just wish I had gotten the PH last year, what with our having the coldest winter ever since we moved here back in the early 70's. Better late than never, though.

P.S. How do you like that BK Princess Insert? My daughter and son-in-law have a masonry fireplace that they hardly ever use 'cause it takes more heat out of the house than it gives back. I was thinking of trying to talk them into installing a good insert.

I like it but 'm selling it, I put a deposit on a Woodstock, I'M going to have a set up like yours with ether the IS or the PH.

 

[smokedragon]

Nice, glad to hear you got to enjoy it this year and that it is meeting and exceeding your expectations.

Cannot wait to get the IS installed and running..........

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Congratulations clarksvilleal.

Don't give up on Woodstock. They will work with you to match that stone. I'm not sure I like the fan idea but it does probably help some. On the other, with the through-the-wall fan up top, you might also try putting a small fan on the floor blowing toward the stove room. That will do even more to move the warm air into the far rooms because it is easier to move cool air than to move warm air into the cooler air.

One word of caution; you have been accustomed to burning an old stove for many years and you'll quickly notice a big difference. Do not expect this new stove to like fresh wood. It wants dry wood. This means you should already have next winter's wood put up, even if you are buying it. Actually, I'd prefer to have 3 years worth on hand at all times. Come on over to the Wood Shed for more information on wood.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Congratulations clarksvilleal.

Don't give up on Woodstock. They will work with you to match that stone. I'm not sure I like the fan idea but it does probably help some. On the other, with the through-the-wall fan up top, you might also try putting a small fan on the floor blowing toward the stove room. That will do even more to move the warm air into the far rooms because it is easier to move cool air than to move warm air into the cooler air.

One word of caution; you have been accustomed to burning an old stove for many years and you'll quickly notice a big difference. Do not expect this new stove to like fresh wood. It wants dry wood. This means you should already have next winter's wood put up, even if you are buying it. Actually, I'd prefer to have 3 years worth on hand at all times. Come on over to the Wood Shed for more information on wood.

You idea of a low fan back out sounds interesting - I may try that. But I can tell you that the high thru-the-wall fan is definitely working. Been running it the last couple of days and nights and it definitely moves lots of warm air into the MBR. The heat pump hasn't kicked in once, and the MBR, while not as warm as the family room downstairs where the stove is located, is definitely much warmer than it had been without the wall fan.

And I can also say with certainty that the fan on the floor behind the stove is helpful. One of the main benefits besides keeping hot air from getting trapped behind the stove in the fireplace recess is that it is moving air into another room adjoining the family room, which happens to be my wife's home office. She has noticed that when the office door is open it is much warmer in her office with the new stove and the fan than it had been before with the old stove, and I am quite sure it is not just the stove but the fan moving the warm air through the doorway. (I wanted to put a through-the-wall fan into the office she nixed that idea right off the bat. Problem is she is a counselor and has clients in there at times for private counseling sessions. A through-the-wall fan would enable someone in the family room to overhear what was happening in the office, which is a no-no.)

 

[clarksvilleal]

Nice, glad to hear you got to enjoy it this year and that it is meeting and exceeding your expectations.

Cannot wait to get the IS installed and running..........

Smokedragon - I look forward to your review of the IS once you get it running. I could see putting one in my basement some day if we finish it off, which we are thinking about doing.

 

[fire_man]

Clarksvilleal: I like the massive all-brick mantle area and hearth. Hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like the brickwork is super wide on the sides.

One think I noticed is that you are not using the ashlip. It was added by WS to reduce front clearance requirements. Your hearth is raised so it might be ok, just wondering.

 

[clarksvilleal]

Clarksvilleal: I like the massive all-brick mantle area and hearth. Hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like the brickwork is super wide on the sides.

One think I noticed is that you are not using the ashlip. It was added by WS to reduce front clearance requirements. Your hearth is raised so it might be ok, just wondering.

The brickwork extends 25" on either side. The total width of the brick column, which runs from floor to ceiling, is 8'. So the opening the stove sets into is 46" wide.

I don't have any need for either the ashlip or the front ashpan shield. The floor in front of the brick hearth is ceramic tile on top of a 4" concrete slab, over 4" of stone and dirt under that. The nearest combustible surface is the ceiling, which is almost 10' high (from the floor; 6-1/2' from the top of the stove). We designed this room to be as firesafe as possible. We can leave home with the stove going full throttle and not worry at all about any risk of fire. (Assuming, that is, that the Dura-Plus chimney flue is still in good condition. I am going to get a pro to inspect that after we shut down the stove for the season.)

 

[fire_man]

Wow, sounds like a terrific setup. Bulletproof and nice to look at!

 

[clarksvilleal]

Wow, sounds like a terrific setup. Bulletproof and nice to look at!

Why, thank you, fire_man. We do get a lot of enjoyment out of it - especially now with the new Progress Hybrid, but even when we had the reliable but ugly old CDW. It's our favorite place to sit and read or talk in the dead of winter. The grandkids enjoy playing in there, too, when they come to visit. We keep a good stock of toys nearby for them. (We also have a portable railing w/gate that we place around the hearth to keep the little ones safe.)

BTW, your setup looks nice and cozy, too. The dog seems to be enjoying it just fine, too. Looks like something Norman Rockwell might paint.