Hi All,
I recently installed a Woodstock Ideal Steel into an existing fireplace. The Ideal replaced a Kuma Sequoia insert that I had installed 3 years ago.
The fireplace is setup with a 27' terracotta lined chimney, within which I installed an 8" insulated SS liner for the Kuma. In general, the Kuma never really handled the draft well, and was very difficult to operate efficiently. Despite many attempts to resolve the issue, I was never able to get what I felt was satisfactory performance. I also found the noise of the blower and the electronic cat temp probe annoying.
The year I installed the Kuma, I also installed a Woodstock Absolute Steel on the other side of the house. The AS is just a dream to operate on a similarly sized chimney and is super efficient. My gut told me that I should install a Woodstock in place of the Kuma, so this year I decided to put that idea to the test, and I ordered an Ideal.
I chose the Ideal in this case because of the larger firebox and the adjustable leg height. With the ash pan, on the lowest leg setting I was just able to sneak it into the fireplace with about 1" to spare. I used a 6" to 8" adapter to tie into the existing liner (Woodstock told me this would be ok). I opted for the full works, with the soapstone liners and ash pan.
So on to the review. All I have to say is this thing is a flame thrower. Firstly, and most importantly, it has no issue calming the draft of my chimney. I can easily dial it back and get long burns. Frankly, I can get 12 hour burns easily without even filling the firebox completely, and if I do fill it, it will throw massive heat and run for as long as 14-16 hours.
Startup and operation on the Ideal is the same as the AS which I am used to, so running this came naturally to us. I used to sit in front of the Kuma for 30 mins trying to get it to start up and light off the cat, getting frustrated in the process. With this stove I just fill it, walk away for 5-10 mins, and when I come back its ready to close the bypass and take off. I used to get upset fighting with the Kuma, but now with this IS its enjoyable to start it up and let it rip!
The only "issue" I had is that I found the cat temp probe included with the unit to be inaccurate at the higher end of the spectrum. While the probe would read my cat temp at 1700 on a high burn, IR reading would only show about 700 on the front face, which would be 1400 on the cat. Funny thing, is that I had the original Condar manual probe from my Kuma that was never used (since you use the electronic probe on an insert install) and that reads the cat temp accurately in this unit, so I left it installed.
My wife commented on how much warmer the house feels with the IS. I'm using less wood than the Kuma, getting longer burns, and most importantly more heat, despite the install into the fireplace and no blower. To be honest, I really cant think of any downsides to this stove. My wife also loved the designs on the side and burners, which I thought was a really nice touch. Overall, I rate the stove a 10/10 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality burner made in New England.
I recently installed a Woodstock Ideal Steel into an existing fireplace. The Ideal replaced a Kuma Sequoia insert that I had installed 3 years ago.
The fireplace is setup with a 27' terracotta lined chimney, within which I installed an 8" insulated SS liner for the Kuma. In general, the Kuma never really handled the draft well, and was very difficult to operate efficiently. Despite many attempts to resolve the issue, I was never able to get what I felt was satisfactory performance. I also found the noise of the blower and the electronic cat temp probe annoying.
The year I installed the Kuma, I also installed a Woodstock Absolute Steel on the other side of the house. The AS is just a dream to operate on a similarly sized chimney and is super efficient. My gut told me that I should install a Woodstock in place of the Kuma, so this year I decided to put that idea to the test, and I ordered an Ideal.
I chose the Ideal in this case because of the larger firebox and the adjustable leg height. With the ash pan, on the lowest leg setting I was just able to sneak it into the fireplace with about 1" to spare. I used a 6" to 8" adapter to tie into the existing liner (Woodstock told me this would be ok). I opted for the full works, with the soapstone liners and ash pan.
So on to the review. All I have to say is this thing is a flame thrower. Firstly, and most importantly, it has no issue calming the draft of my chimney. I can easily dial it back and get long burns. Frankly, I can get 12 hour burns easily without even filling the firebox completely, and if I do fill it, it will throw massive heat and run for as long as 14-16 hours.
Startup and operation on the Ideal is the same as the AS which I am used to, so running this came naturally to us. I used to sit in front of the Kuma for 30 mins trying to get it to start up and light off the cat, getting frustrated in the process. With this stove I just fill it, walk away for 5-10 mins, and when I come back its ready to close the bypass and take off. I used to get upset fighting with the Kuma, but now with this IS its enjoyable to start it up and let it rip!
The only "issue" I had is that I found the cat temp probe included with the unit to be inaccurate at the higher end of the spectrum. While the probe would read my cat temp at 1700 on a high burn, IR reading would only show about 700 on the front face, which would be 1400 on the cat. Funny thing, is that I had the original Condar manual probe from my Kuma that was never used (since you use the electronic probe on an insert install) and that reads the cat temp accurately in this unit, so I left it installed.
My wife commented on how much warmer the house feels with the IS. I'm using less wood than the Kuma, getting longer burns, and most importantly more heat, despite the install into the fireplace and no blower. To be honest, I really cant think of any downsides to this stove. My wife also loved the designs on the side and burners, which I thought was a really nice touch. Overall, I rate the stove a 10/10 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality burner made in New England.
