Beta Tester: Meriden, NH

It's nearing the end of February and we are still working on getting few more Ideal Steel Hybrid beta stoves out in the field for the last couple months of burning.

Saying Goodbye to Charlie Wolz

We received the very sad news today that a very active customer of ours, Charlie Wolz, passed away on February 8th.

We first met Charlie in person in May of 2012 when he and his wife, Maribeth, came to see our stoves. This meeting was just the beginning of our relationship with Charlie.  Charlie went on to purchase  a Fireview stove, but due to the age (circa 1840) and size of the home, decided to utilize the 6 month buy back, to exchange the Fireview in for the larger Progress.

Charlie's dog, Benny, with the original Fireview

Throughout the two short years of knowing Charlie, we had many conversations about his stoves and wood burning in general,  and Charlie became a big proponent of our company and our work on the Ideal Steel Stove, and was always at the ready to offer a helpful thought or suggestion. It's customers like Charlie who have helped to to make the Woodstock Soapstone story brighter and richer.

Benny and his Progress Hybrid

After Charlie & Maribeth came up to exchange stoves, we received the following email:

"Thanks for all your time today... We had a blast! Beer was good at the 7 Barrels Brewery... as was the food... Had the Dublin Brown Ale, yummy! Thanks for the cricket.... I’ll bring you some growlers next time I stop in!"

      Charlie & Maribeth Wolz

Charlie, it looks like we'll have to put the growlers on hold for a while.

To read Charlie Wolz's obituary and to write in his guest book, please visit the links below:
Charlie Wolz Obituary 
Charlie Wolz Guest Book

New Beta Tester: Newbury, VT

When Doug and his wife Amanda came in to pick out the colors for their Ideal Steel beta stove, Amanda quickly took over the reins to create a color combination that would work well in their home.

New Beta Tester in Goffstown, NH

Two weeks ago we got Nick, another beta tester, up and running with a beta version of the Ideal Steel Hybrid.

Nick was the first to submit his own artwork of a maple leaf and mountains motif, which Nick generated using AutoDesk. With a little bit of translation on our side we were able to get a file that Nick and his wife were happy with and since we had already designed and cut a maple leaf andiron, we were able to pair an already cut file with Nick's design.

Bow, NH Beta Tester: Stove Design

One of the interesting aspects of our Ideal Steel Hybrid, is that the side medallion, burners, and andirons can be customized.

Kurt, our beta tester in Bow NH, decided to submit a photograph for a customized art set. Below is the file Kurt originally sent,  followed by the side medallion and andiron files we created. The center burner of the stove mimics the side medallion, and the andiron design was taken from the simple leaf like ends on the spiral.

A quick note and pictures/video from a new Beta Tester

"I just wanted to send a quick note.  First off, thank you for including me in this beta test and thank you for the quick ship on the parts.

It's all up and running!  The house is nice and toasty again.  Here are a couple of quick pics from last night.

Mid-Winter Woodstove Maintenance

Have you cleaned your combustor lately? Or checked the protective inconel screens at the ceiling of the firebox? 

This winter has been particularly eventful with drastic changes in the weather. Making sure that your combustor and its protective screen are clear of ash build up will help ensure that your stove will provide warmth and comfort regardless of the weather. A simple vacuuming or brushing off of the combustor and screen is often sufficient to keep the stove functioning well.

Cleaning the combustor every 4-6 weeks should become routine maintenance. Every combustor has two sides a "face side" and an "exhaust side" the face side where the smoke initially passes through is more prone to clogging (as shown above).  Make sure both sides of the combustor are checked and cleaned.

The inconel screen provides protection for the combustor and will accumulate fly ash. If the build up is not cleaned severe clogging will occur (clogged Fireview inconel screen shown above) and the stove performance will drastically diminish.

If you have a newer stainless foil combustor, you can do a thorough cleaning with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and distilled water. Put the solution in a spray bottle and give both sides a good spritzing and let drain over paper towels, and/or foil pan. The vinegar solution is also great for removing any hard deposits on the inconel screens. Rinse with distilled water (ordinary tap water may contain minerals and chemicals that may have adverse effects on your combustor). After rinsing, let dry and put back in your stove.

Click below to see a slideshow on cleaning your combustor:

Progress Hybrid Combustor Cleaning, Fireview Combustor Cleaning, Keystone/Palladian Combustor Cleaning.

Your catalytic combustor (stainless or ceramic honeycomb materials) will work for 12,000 to 14,000 burn hours. That typically translates into a 3-6 year time span, depending on how long your winters are, wood quality, and stove operation.

One of the most common questions we hear from our stove owners is: How will I know when your combustor is worn out?  There are three symptoms that will indicate that the catalyst in your stove may not be working:

First, your stove will generate noticeably less heat than it will when the catalyst is working. 

Second, you will notice an increase in the amount of soot and/or creosote in you stovepipe or chimney. 

Third, the color of the smoke produced when the combustor is engaged will change. Smoke will appear brownish, instead of clear heat waves or white vapor. If you suspect your combustor is not working, let the stove cool down, remove and clean the combustor and screen and try again.

Please feel free to call us toll free at, 1-800-866-4344, if you have any question about your catalytic combustor.

Mid-winter is also the time to give your chimney and chimney cap a check, particularly if there is a screen around or under your cap. Build up of soot at this vulnerable point can inhibit draft flow, resulting in back puffing or reduced performance.

A clogged chimney cap will restrict air flow 

And remember- it’s never a bad time to be thinking about getting next year’s wood supply ordered, cut, split and seasoning!

Time lapse video of the Ideal Steel Hybrid

We are very excited to share this video from Brian K, one of our Ideal Steel beta testers. Brian's video is a 16 hour time lapse, with ever 4 seconds representing about an hour of burning.  Below the video you will see some of Brian's description of the burn and a link to his forum post for more information.

Early news from Beta testers

We hate to admit it, but some of our beta testers have better videos and pictures than we do!
The two videos below from Brian, our beta tester in PA, shows some of the beautiful secondary flames that the Ideal Steel Hybrid can produce. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
To follow Brian's posting on the Firewood Hoarders Forum, use the link below:
FHC Exclusive! Long low oak burn in the new Ideal Steel stove

Low EPA Emissions Across All Outputs

The Ideal Steel Hybrid achieved weighted average emissions of 0.54 gm/hr using method 5G3, and an “Adjusted Emissions” of 1.04 gm/hr.  The adjustment factor was created in 1988 to account for prospective differences in test methods, and is currently the result published by EPA.  The new EPA regulations propose to eliminate the adjustment factor.  In any case, the Ideal Steel Hybrid will have among the lowest, if not the lowest, emissions among affordably priced stoves.