I'm new to these forums, but not new to burning wood. I currently have an old VC Resolute from the early 80's, which I bought second-hand some years ago. It's been a reliable stove, but it is a little small to heat my 2,072 sq ft home, the burn time is shorter than I like (I'm lucky to get 7 hrs) and I believe it has a warped back panel. I'm thinking of upgrading to a Woodstock Progress Hybrid. This stove has great reviews, but I'm a little nervous about buying a stove with catalytic technology. I have no experience with it, and I'm having some trouble finding good information on what to expect. (People seem to have passionate opinions one way or the other). This is probably a well-worn topic on these forums, but I'm not turning up any solid discussions using the search feature. I'd like to hear about the pros and cons of a catalytic system versus a non-cat.
Upgrading
- Thread starter WestBrancher
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Welcome to the forum WestBrancher.
We too wondered exactly the same thing as you are before we bought our Woodstock Fireview. We had almost decided against it but then talked face to face with some other owners. They cleared up a lot of the questions we had. That was 7 years ago and we have never been sorry for making the decision to buy from Woodstock.
There have been a few problems with the cats and they continue to improve them. That is, working with suppliers to make them better and better. In our case, we've found that cleaning them is either an annual or semi-annual thing. Cleaning once during the winter may or may not be required but if it is required, it takes only a very few minutes. The Progress and Fireview are about the same in this manner; cool the stove a bit (they tell you to get the stove cold but we don't) then lift the top lid and pull out the cat. We just use the same gloves we use for loading the stove. Take the cat to the porch and brush with an old paint brush. Usually there is just a fine fly ash on the cat and it brushes easily. One can also use the little cans of compressed air that is used for keyboards and such if it appears more dust is on the inside of the cat but for sure don't ever use a regular air compressor. Then gently sit the cat back in and close the lid. It takes about 2-4 minutes to do this.
One can also do a vinegar bath if it requires. Some experiments have been done and as of late we hear that you can just use a spray can to spray the vinegar/distilled water solution on the cat, rinse, dry and then put it back in. That should be faster and easier and we hear it works. This would really be good for the Progress as the cat is much longer than in the Fireview so putting it into a container is problematic. You would need a long container.
Going back to our purchase, we were amazed to find our wood needs cut in half and even more! Most with the Progress have found similar results although perhaps not as extreme as ours. Then there is that cook top. We wish we had it. Also, these stoves are very clean burning so we find we rarely have to sweep the chimney. Of course that also requires some good fuel. We won't burn wood unless it has been 3 years in the stack after being split. That means a lot.
Good luck.
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