Considering a Woodstock Absolute for approx 1400 sq foot (850 sq ft footprint and 550 sq ft loft, some of loft enclosed) home we are building this summer in Northern ID (zone 5). Woodstove will be in the middle of the downstairs. Does anyone have one or know someone who does? It's so new to the market we can't find many reviews.
Woodstock Absolute?
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toddnic
Minister of Fire
Sugar Cookie, welcome to the forum. I do not have a Woodstock Absolute but I do have a Woodstock Progress Hybrid. First, Woodstock does an incredible job on their stoves. They stand by their product and there is almost never any complaints. When there is a complaint, they take care of it. Regarding the size of your home and the Absolute, it looks like that stove will be perfect for the size and space. The Absolute has a soapstone liner which is great for retaining heat. Also, I would recommend purchasing the ash pan. It definitely makes life easier when you clean the stove out. If you upload a pic of your house layout, there are others on the forum that can comment on the stove placement to best heat your home. There are also others on the forum that may have some additional stove recommendations for you.
It sounds right-sized. There are some past reviews posted here if you search for them.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-woodstock-absolute-steel-review-love-this-stove.173489/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woodstock-soapstone-absolute-steel-beta-install.153426/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-woodstock-absolute-steel-review-love-this-stove.173489/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woodstock-soapstone-absolute-steel-beta-install.153426/
I think they took the design of their first steel hybrid, the IS, and improved upon it in the AS. That's plenty of firepower and long burns for 1400 sq.ft. with its firebox size. A cat stove will also be good in that space for when it's not as cold out; If it's like my Keystone, you should be able to burn pretty low, yet cleanly. The radiant nature of the stove should keep you cozy downstairs, yet not roast out the upstairs as badly as a convective stove would. It will get pretty warm up there in any case, though...
Yes, I think we've decided not to go w/ the Absolute after all. After speaking with the folks at Woodstock, although they think it would be OK, they seem to think the Fireview would be a better fit for our size house (which is actually the one we were considering to begin with; the price tag is about a grand less on the Absolute at the moment tho...). So now we are back to looking at the Fireview. The only thing that I'm struggling with is no ash pan. The other contender next to the Fireview is the Hearthstone Shelburne. What I don't like on that one is that it only claims to have an 8 hr burn time. The firebox is the same size as the Fireview too, which I don't understand; as Fireview is 10-12 hrs. Is that because the Fireview is a cat? We would really like to wake up to some hot coals in the morning if possible and forgo starting a fire from scratch. I also wonder about the thickness of the soapstone on the Shelburne, as well as the overall quality compared with the Fireview. I know the Fireview has two layers of soapstone and the quality on those things is second to none. Those guys at Woodstock seem to bleed wood stoves. Any thoughts or opinions on the two?
Woody Stover- you mentioned you had a Keystone? How big an area do you heat with it? Is it your primary source of heat? We were considering that one as well before but I thought it may not provide the burn time we're looking for.
The Fireview came to mind when I first read your post. It is an easier install with the 6" flue requirement vs the Keystone's 7". For longer burns in a non-cat look at the Enviro Boston 1700 and the PE Alderlea T5. They will definitely do an overnight fire.
OK, the Shelburne threw me. That is not a soapstone stove, just has some soapstone firebrick. A cast iron jacketed stove will provide a similar gentle heat effect in a tougher package.
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Before Woodstocks, I had a Dutchwest 2460. That's when I got spoiled on the ash grate. I also picked up a Fireview for a while, before really learning how much heat I could get out of the Keystone, thinking I would need more firepower. It was a notch up in output from the Keystone, but not a huge leap, so I figured I would be fine with the Keystone if I tightened up the air leaks in the house a bit. There's no wall insulation here, and the wind can get between the walls and the 1" wallboard, pulling heat out of the house. It's about 1000 sq.ft. We keep the mudroom/bedroom door open about 6", and it stays a nice sleeping temp out there. The wood stove is our only heat now but we plan to get supplemental heat.
I got pretty good at shoveling ash out and keeping the dust pulling in the door of the Fireview, but it's a pain. Multiply that by how many times you will have to do it as the years roll by, and to me there's no substitute for having the grate. Plus the Keystone has a nice, big window. You can see the cat glow from the couch.
I know it gets cold where you are, my wife's cousin lives in Spokane. But I'm assuming that in new construction the insulation and air-sealing will be good. I'd bet the Keystone would handle it most of the time, and leave you coals to start, but my experience is with hardwoods, mostly Red Oak, medium-high output wood. If you are burning Pine you might need a bigger firebox to have coals left. But once you get better using kindling and firestarters, starting a fire is not too big a deal, and takes not much more time to get the stove up to temp, cat light and stove cruising, as loading onto a coal bed which isn't real big. Burning Pine, you may opt for a bigger firebox to stretch out the burn.
I also assume you have backup heat..?
You could go for the AS, where you have a big window, ash grate, welded steel box with no cemented seams that will eventually leak (although it may be many years before they need attention.)
Yes, cat stoves can run lower and stretch out the load. With your tight house, you may be able to run on low quite a bit.
My SIL got a used Fireview, that's when I saw the quality construction and thoughtful engineering. I had no qualms about buying the Keystone, sight unseen. I've never seen an AS, but what I've seen in the others inspires confidence.
Woodstock says it's fine to run the Keystone on a 6" chimney, which is what I'm doing using their 7 to 6" adapter. I saw no difference in apparent draft between the Ks and Fv, with both rear-vented. They are both easy breathers.
Woody Stover-thank you so much! Really helpful info. No, no supplemental-it will be our only source of heat.
I keep re-thinking the Absolute. Love the look of the Fireview...don't like that there's no ashbox. Not loving the look of the Absolute-the Ideal is much more easy on the eyes in my opinion...but, of course way too big. The Keystone I could live with but the firebox size is what concerns me since it will be our only source of heat. Trying to decide if I can live with the look of the Absolute (and hope it doesn't cook us out), or if the inconvenience of no firebox on the Fireview is worth it.
Yeah, I like the looks of the FIreview too, but I see it as less stove overall, for more money. We were looking at an AS for my SIL..the wildwood design in the muted moss green was looking OK to us.
WIth Red Oak the Keystone gives me an 8-hr. burn most of the time, longer if burning real low, shorter if putting the hammer down a bit. The Keystone measured at about 1.5 cu.ft. usable space, the Fireview about 1.8. We ended up putting in a PE Alderlea T5 Classic at my SIL's, and although I forgot to measure yet, I believe their claim of 2.1 will translate to usable space.
Are you cutting your own wood? What species do you have access to?
I'm guessing the AS will be about 2.2 usable based on the Ws stoves I measured, but I don't know. I think someone measured it, I'll see if I can find that.
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Yeah, and the fact that they're having such a killer deal sale on the AS right now is hard to say no to. We were looking at the Wildwood design as well-in metallic brown with sand accents..
I found it, AS is right at 2.5 usable like they say.
Any of the Woodstocks, if you sit within line of sight of the stove up to 20', will warm you with radiant heat.
I think that Ws would want to err a bit on the side of caution, and suggested the Fv. I'd think it will hinge on what kind of insulation you are building into the place. Did you describe that to them? Is the downstairs open space, no walls? What's in the loft...are bedrooms the "enclosed space?"
Is that Yellow Birch? It's supposed to be decent BTU, along with Tamarack and Doug Fir, in the ballpark with Red Oak more or less.
She's a sweetie.
Any of the Woodstocks, if you sit within line of sight of the stove up to 20', will warm you with radiant heat.
I think that Ws would want to err a bit on the side of caution, and suggested the Fv. I'd think it will hinge on what kind of insulation you are building into the place. Did you describe that to them? Is the downstairs open space, no walls? What's in the loft...are bedrooms the "enclosed space?"
Downstairs is currently 600 sq ft with a 300 sq ft loft on one end (24x28 footprint...it's a shell at the moment), with cathedral ceilings and a 2/12 pitch roof. We are adding on at both ends to make it approx 42' x 24' rectangle (finished footprint will be approx 850 sq ft) The new additions will not be cathedral ceilings. Loft is currently 300 sq ft on one end. We will be adding approx 112 sq ft on each side of that which will be like wings that come to the front of the house, with the middle front open to the cathedral ceilings. One wing of the loft will be open with railing, everything else will be closed off. When all is done, it will be about 1350-ish sq ft usable space. we plan to insulate the heck out of it, double pane windows.
Woody Stover, why do you say you see the Fireview as less stove for more $? Because of the lack of ashbox? If it had an ashbox, what would you think? Does the Keystone have double soapstone panels like the FV?
Downstairs is partially closed off-a pantry, bedroom, bathroom, mudroom. Kitchen/Living room is open. The part that is closed off upstairs is two bedrooms.
Yeah, the grate, big window and welded seams are more desirable to me, so it's worth more to me. OTOH, it's more labor-intensive to build the stone stoves, they look better, and other buyers may see it from that perspective.
With that floor plan, you may well need to heat more air so that it can move into the other rooms a bit better, and that would mean one of the bigger stoves on your list. If you ran all this by the folks at Woodstock, I'd agree that following their sizing advice is going to be a safe bet.
The AS is a great stove, and should suit you fine. I beta-tested one, and like it better than my IS that replaced it (due to less smoke and ash spill with side-loading).
Would the Fireview work? Sure, but I don't see any significant functional improvement for you over the AS, unless the folks at Woodstock are suggesting you can dial it down to a longer slower burn than the hybrid. I'm curious, did they tell you why that might be better than the AS?
I initially thought I preferred the look of the IS to the AS, but after having both in my hearth I actually preferred the AS. It looked much better on site than expected. The Fireview is of course an entirely different look, but that is a matter of personal preference, anyway.
Having used many stoves over the decades, I definitely prefer top or side-loading stoves to front-load, and prefer stoves with ash-pans, and prefer cats or hybrids to non-cats. So to me, the AS is a winner.
The Keystone would definitely be big enough for your space, assuming it will be well insulated. But you won't get the longer burn times, simply as a function of the smaller firebox. If the house was incredibly well-insulated, the smaller stove might be my first choice. (I personally think the Keystone is one of the most attractive stoves made, period.)
But a bigger firebox means the ability to use larger splits and extend coal life. Just realize, it also means a better ability to cook yourself out of the house when it's not that cold out. A larger stove has more thermal mass that keeps radiating heat even when you don't need it. For a leaky or poorly insulated house, that's not a problem, and it's not a problem in a tighter house so long as you have enough windows in your loft to cool it down as needed.
Would the Fireview work? Sure, but I don't see any significant functional improvement for you over the AS, unless the folks at Woodstock are suggesting you can dial it down to a longer slower burn than the hybrid. I'm curious, did they tell you why that might be better than the AS?
I initially thought I preferred the look of the IS to the AS, but after having both in my hearth I actually preferred the AS. It looked much better on site than expected. The Fireview is of course an entirely different look, but that is a matter of personal preference, anyway.
Having used many stoves over the decades, I definitely prefer top or side-loading stoves to front-load, and prefer stoves with ash-pans, and prefer cats or hybrids to non-cats. So to me, the AS is a winner.
The Keystone would definitely be big enough for your space, assuming it will be well insulated. But you won't get the longer burn times, simply as a function of the smaller firebox. If the house was incredibly well-insulated, the smaller stove might be my first choice. (I personally think the Keystone is one of the most attractive stoves made, period.)
But a bigger firebox means the ability to use larger splits and extend coal life. Just realize, it also means a better ability to cook yourself out of the house when it's not that cold out. A larger stove has more thermal mass that keeps radiating heat even when you don't need it. For a leaky or poorly insulated house, that's not a problem, and it's not a problem in a tighter house so long as you have enough windows in your loft to cool it down as needed.
Thank you for your reply, Branch Burner. That's very helpful info. May I ask what sq footage you had your IS/AS in, and the type of insulation? Our home will be very well insulated.
The peeps at Woodstock said either the Keystone, Fireview or AS would work for us, but they said they thought the Fireview would be the best fit out of the three-they do seem to think that we would be able to burn it at higher capacity on a more regular basis, which is recommended.
The Keytone, they said, probably wouldn't get the burn times we're looking for, and kept saying they "thought" it would be sufficient to heat our home.
They said the AS would be OK as long as we were willing to crack open windows in the in-between months. They said that it's not recommended that the AS be burned long and slow all the time (which is most likely where we would be at with it), or that, if we did choose to burn it that way, that we make sure we burn it at full capacity, and high every once in a while to burn soot off the glass, as well as creosote buildup.
I believe the AS would work, the question we're facing is- do we want to have a much larger stove than we really need (and I mean that literally too, as the house will only have about an 850 sq ft footprint, so we're not sure we want a big 'ol stove in the middle of it, one that is almost too big for the space), as opposed to the smaller FV which would be a "good size" and not have to open windows.
My husband says he's fine w/ no ash pan on the FV-maybe because he grew up without one in Maine, or maybe he's saying that because I love interior design and he's questioning if I'll be happy w/ the AS long term. No ash pan kinda sounds like a pain to me. I def like the look of the FV more than the AS (although I dont LOVE the FV look either-I actually prefer very modern, sleek, European designs). But I also I love how the AS is so unique looking; it can be customized somewhat, and it has the industrial flair...but it seems huge for our space...maybe the wings make it look that way in the pics. The price tag on the AS is def calling me...
I wish Woodstock made a soapstone/steal stove w/ a 2 c. ft-ish firebox-the Survival is too small, and the AS (seems) too big; or that they would put an ash pan on the FV!!. :/ Maybe I'm totally off. I guess it just comes down to what are we willing to do/not do, what we perceive as more important.
The peeps at Woodstock said either the Keystone, Fireview or AS would work for us, but they said they thought the Fireview would be the best fit out of the three-they do seem to think that we would be able to burn it at higher capacity on a more regular basis, which is recommended.
The Keytone, they said, probably wouldn't get the burn times we're looking for, and kept saying they "thought" it would be sufficient to heat our home.
They said the AS would be OK as long as we were willing to crack open windows in the in-between months. They said that it's not recommended that the AS be burned long and slow all the time (which is most likely where we would be at with it), or that, if we did choose to burn it that way, that we make sure we burn it at full capacity, and high every once in a while to burn soot off the glass, as well as creosote buildup.
I believe the AS would work, the question we're facing is- do we want to have a much larger stove than we really need (and I mean that literally too, as the house will only have about an 850 sq ft footprint, so we're not sure we want a big 'ol stove in the middle of it, one that is almost too big for the space), as opposed to the smaller FV which would be a "good size" and not have to open windows.
My husband says he's fine w/ no ash pan on the FV-maybe because he grew up without one in Maine, or maybe he's saying that because I love interior design and he's questioning if I'll be happy w/ the AS long term. No ash pan kinda sounds like a pain to me. I def like the look of the FV more than the AS (although I dont LOVE the FV look either-I actually prefer very modern, sleek, European designs). But I also I love how the AS is so unique looking; it can be customized somewhat, and it has the industrial flair...but it seems huge for our space...maybe the wings make it look that way in the pics. The price tag on the AS is def calling me...
I wish Woodstock made a soapstone/steal stove w/ a 2 c. ft-ish firebox-the Survival is too small, and the AS (seems) too big; or that they would put an ash pan on the FV!!. :/ Maybe I'm totally off. I guess it just comes down to what are we willing to do/not do, what we perceive as more important.
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