How do you like your stove? Would you get the ash pan? Any dislikes? How many square ft. are you heating? Thanks!
Woodstock Ideal Steel owners
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I'm not an IS owner but I can tell you that a grated ash system is da cheese. 
Once you have it, you'll never want to go back. I got spoiled on the grates about 15 years ago.
Once you have it, you'll never want to go back. I got spoiled on the grates about 15 years ago.This is my first woodstove so I don't have anything to compare it to but I've had an Ideal Steel for a few weeks now.
My house is an almost 3000 sqft rancher and so far it does seem like I'll be able to heat the entire house but it's going to take some experimentation with moving air around.
Since I've gotten the stove hooked up the main furnace hasn't turned on once. I've been working on getting the heat back to the bedrooms and I've had some success there which has reduced the need for the back furnace to kick on but it does still run to keep the bedrooms at temperature we like.
Being a total newbie I don't have any real insight into the ash pan but I'm glad I got one and it's really easy and mess free to use.
Tell us about your house.
My house is an almost 3000 sqft rancher and so far it does seem like I'll be able to heat the entire house but it's going to take some experimentation with moving air around.
Since I've gotten the stove hooked up the main furnace hasn't turned on once. I've been working on getting the heat back to the bedrooms and I've had some success there which has reduced the need for the back furnace to kick on but it does still run to keep the bedrooms at temperature we like.
Being a total newbie I don't have any real insight into the ash pan but I'm glad I got one and it's really easy and mess free to use.
Tell us about your house.
That's all the insight you need. Any other method of ash removal, be it an ash dump or shoveling 'em out
is never going to be as easy or mess-free. Multiply that by the number of times you are going do it over the life of the stove, and deciding weather to get the ash grate becomes a no-brainer...for me, anyway. Now, some people enjoy shoveling 'em out, like the guy in the DIRECTV commercial who enjoys banging his head into the rafters. 
He's been on an epic search.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/search/48750763/
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Cold Holland
New Member
I am waiting on my IS meanwhile working a kuma that heats great but glass is just black as nite, always. Had a lopi 1750 insert for 5 yrs and was not very effective. Can't wait to see that huge glass door! Also Devonian would love to hear your results! My home is 2000sq ft with loft with some good size cieling. The kuma has a cat and I like the savings on wood, just wish I could see what's going on in that firebox.
Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
Have an Ideal Steel installed in an unfinished basement of a 3100 sq ft rambler w/ vaulted ceilings in main living area, in Western Wi. It does an excelent job heating! Does way better than I expected it would thats for sure. I use a combination of a fan blowing across the top, a fan blowing towards the stove at the bottom of the steps, and the hvac fan running on circulate cycling on and off every 1/2 hour. Keeps the temps as warm as I want them anywhere in the house and still making good heat at the 10 hour mark.
Insulation and airsealing will be key to be using it as a whole house heater though. And a good stash of dry wood also.
Insulation and airsealing will be key to be using it as a whole house heater though. And a good stash of dry wood also.
Yes to the ash pan. Great stove, but I actually preferred the slightly smaller Absolute Steel because it was a side loader (less ash and smoke spill, easier to load and max out the firebox volume, even though that volume was a bit less).
Do tell. That's an interesting observation. Were you loading the Ideal Steel E/W? Any other insights and comparisons between the 2 stoves?
Indeed it will be interesting to hear branchburner's comparisons. I also need to look up his threads again on the Absolute beta test he did.
My observation on different stoves entirely..Man, that radiation blast when I opened the front door on the Buck 91 would broil me in short order. But I was loading N-S so it wasn't quite as bad as E-W would have been, sticking both arms in there. I like the side door since it allows me to jockey the splits for the tightest fit, out of the direct radiation from the coals. I need to do that in my small Keystone firebox when it gets cold out and I want as long a burn as possible at as high an output as possible. You can really see well from the side as to which split is going to fit where..
The AS, though smaller than the IS, still has a bigger box than the Fireview..I'm guessing at least 2.2 cu.ft. usable judging from what I measured the Fv and Ks at, compared to published specs.
After reconfiguring my stack, I was rewarded with almost no smoke or ash spillage with our IS. Something the old dutchwest never had a problem with when side loading. But I'll take 10-12 hour burns any day of the week over the neverburns 3 hour cycles
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I've had 4 wood stoves at this place and finally settled on the IS. Very happy with it though I have yet to fire it up this season (trying to get a large enough pot to do the combustor vinegar boil). I'd much rather had a side loader too, since my wood stack is next to the stove. Or at least the door opening the other way - right now my wood stack is right of the stove but the door opens on the left.
toddnic
Minister of Fire
JA600L
Minister of Fire
This stove makes wood heating easy. I will say that it is extremely sensitive to draft. Not enough means smoke spillage. Too much means going through wood quicker. The good news is that a little fine tuning of the air control and exhaust damper and it works perfect. I work 10-12 hours a day all year and the 1800 sqft house is nice and warm when I get home and then for a while after that too.
The PH has a little better ash pan I think, but yeah I would definitely get it on the IS. Just takes a little bit more moving the ashes around since the grate is just in the center area not the entire bottom like the PH.
Cold Holland
New Member
So I purchased my stove however they did not give me my catalyst. I have been burning for about two days and I only get about 3 1/2 hours of burn. I am burning as they suggest close the bypass at 350 then shut the damper at 500. So at 3 1/2 hours I am hovering around 300° or less on the stovetop My last stove was a Sequoia and was all steel with a convection also have a catalyst but burn for about 8 to 10 hours. I was hoping and assuming that I cannot produce the heat without the catalyst???
This is the one problem I have with these stoves. There seems to be a problem sourcing catalysts for the progress hybrid and ideal steel. I know the progress catalysts were not available for about two months this fall. Now the ideal steel catalysts are apparently out as well. In January.
Tegbert
Feeling the Heat
I don’t think it is just Woodstock that is having issues getting them. I bought a brand new blaze king and found that it had a damaged cat. Got the dealer to order a replacement and it took about 3 weeks to get. Could be the suppliers for the cats are having a hard time keeping up.
Lopi Rockport
Blaze King Ashford 25
Did they advise it would be ok to burn with no cat? I know if my IS didn't have a cat in place there wouldn't be much point in operating the bypass. I don't have a PH but I would have to assume much the same holds true
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Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
Its not going to work correctly without the cat installed.
Which way are you loading n/s or e/w. And what type of wood are you using? Damper setting?
I typically load 18" red oak e/w to the right side and run a couple n/s to the left. Like this:
I can keep the stove top with a fan blowing across the top over 350 for 5+ hours at the right settings and it slowly tappers down after that. It will hold a full cat burn below the big 1/4 open hash mark and pipe damper nearly closed, depending on wind and draft. Anything above that and it will run hybrid with secondaries going for 4-5+ hours.
I will add that I have a key damper right above the stove and normally set that to nearly closed because I have a strong draft. That helps moderate the burn and keep it even and longer. I like to see the secondaries dancing at a nice slow pace with maybe a little flame licking the top of the glass. If they are looking like blow torches its either cranked for the heat I need or I close down the pipe damper a bit more. A little adjustment goes a long ways on these stoves. I loaded around 7:30 this morning and still have secondaries, stove top at 320 on IR thermo right next to flue collar w/ a 10" fan on medium stripping heat of of it (probably be 400ish w/out), cat probe at 1000, stove front at 550 on IR at 12:30. All the logs are still in their form but ashy and chared about ready to fall apart in thenfront of the stove. The ones buried in the middle are probably still pretty solid. Air setting was set at the 1/4 hash mark. Lots of playing and fiddling to learn the ins and outs and quirks to each set up.
My splits range in diameter from palm size (4-5") mostly, and a few here and there that are 6-7" at the largest. Of course have smaller ones for gap fillers also. I load a tight load and can get 9-12 logs in per load on average.
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Cold Holland
New Member
Yes. They were out of stock! It is coming Monday. Meanwhile only getting 2hrs at 500+ 2hrs at 350 and then about 300 for 2 or so. Only 6 hrs right now. Hope I can do 8-10 when that cat shows up. Any experience you have would be great!
Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
The best thing I can recommend is to observe the different settings you put it on and see how it reacts. Spend a couple weekends fiddling around with it. Also Get yourself a Condar 3-12-1 catalytic probe and install it in the little Allen screw hole on the face of the stove above the door. It is truly the ticket to learn how your stove is running. I've had a completely blacked out fire box and had that thing cruising at 12 to 1300 sometimes even higher.
Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
Sconnie Burner
Feeling the Heat
Just got home from helping my dad fix his truck and the stove top is at 225, cat probe at 650, and stove front next to probe hole is still 415 with plenty of radiant heat still being felt from 10ft away. All from tje load this morning still. I will also add that it seems to take a full day of running to get everything warmed up to where it really throws the radiant heat. I can also squeak an extra hour or 2 of useable heat out of the stove if I can be home to keep bumping the air open.
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