Woodstock Soapstone Blog

It is almost Labor Day, and we are busy getting our barbques ready to fire up.  However, it won’t be long now, and we will be firing up our woodstoves.  The autumn air brings a chill in the morning, and in the evening; a chill that our Woodstock Soapstone woodstoves can easily dispel. Get a jum..

It was an "ouch" moment for us, but it has been turned into an "ahh" moment for you.   We had an unfortunate morning last Friday, when our website went down.  We apologize for this mishap, and hope you did not encounter the same frustration we experienced.  This issue has been addressed and r..

The ancient Romans called the hottest, most humid days of summer the “dog days”.  This did not pertain to all of the dogs laying around this time of year, it was because they associated this time of year with the Dog Star, which is at its brightest this time of year. Here at Woodstock Soapsto..

Thank you Popular Mechanics!  What a lovely article. The February, 2016 edition of Popular Mechanics, page 52-53, has a nice two-page spread on our Ideal Steel Hybrid  stove entitled “A Beautiful Thing”. The article focuses on the history of our second hybrid stove, the Ideal Steel Hybrid, and expla..

Blue Water Lily   Water lilies grow in all climates, all over the world, from tropical to temperate. And, just as the water lily can survive in the rugged terrain of Northern Canada and Alaska, our Ideal Steel Hybrid Wood Stove will enable you to survive the cold when the harsh winter weather ..

We have entered into the sixth month of our calendar year – half way through 2016!  June is here, and we are thrilled, what’s not to love about Summer Solstice?  Ideal Steal Swan Andirons June brings summer, weddings, and celebration.  Named after Juno, the Goddess of Marriage and Protector of W..

Oops!  We must apologize.  Our website was recently hacked, and many of our valued customers may have received undesirable results when accessing or searching our site on Memorial Day, and the day after.  We like to think of ourselves as “hot” but perhaps not in the manner that was depicted during ..

Absolute Steel - Charcoal & Brown Our new Absolute Steel Hybrid Stove is shipping, and we think now is a good time to give you a tour of what is going on - both inside, and outside. Absolute Steel - Soapstone Lined Firebox The Absolute Steel Hybrid has a firebox that is completely lined with so..

We have been anxiously anticipating the first day of production on our Absolute Steel Hybrid Stove, the stoves that are going into the homes of our customers. And, it's here!!  The welders are very busy creating an amazing hybrid stove that will heat your home with emissions of 0.5 gm/hr. Wel..

May is upon us, and we are in a celebratory mood here at the Woodstock Soapstone Company.  May brings us, among other holidays, Cinco de Mayo.  Our Ideal Steel Steal of the month honors our Southern Neighbors who are commemorating a military victory over France, which happened on May 5, 1862.  “This..

The Wolf Moon arrives on January 23, 2016.  In the Native American tradition, the full moon for each month has a name.   The January Moon is also known as the Snow Moon, North Moon or Cold Moon.   We all know January brings cold weather and darker days.  One of the symbolic meanings of the Wolf Moo..

You asked, and we listened.  It’s been a while since we’ve featured our “catalytic stars” with a sale this big!  This occasion has come about because we have a substantial hybrid woodstove backorder, and we need to reorganize and expand our steel fabrication operations.  Turning finished inv..

There are some very respectable technical and scientific reasons why a “top down” fire works best when staring a cold stove.  Here are a few reasons: First:  The distribution of oxygen to the hottest spot is better in a “top down” start-up.  Complete combustion requires adequate oxygen, and when the..

We are now in the “shoulder season”, where we have warm days and cold nights.  There’s no need to burn the stove all day – it is a waste of wood, and the house will be too warm during the day when the sun is out. The most efficient way to heat with wood, during this time of year, is to bui..

April has finally arrived and many parts of the country are enjoying Spring in all its glory. Tulips are among the first flowers out of the ground so it is not surprising that there are Tulip festivals this time of year from New York to Washington & Oregon, from Michigan & Iowa to Mississippi.  We t..

After a fairly long wait, we finally have the official report on the Absolute Steel Hybrid clearances from the independent UL Safety and Clearance testing. Minimum Rear Clearances Rear of stove to combustible wall.... 14” Rear of stove with heat shield.......... 8.5” Minimum Side Clearances (l..

After our last hybrid email and blog post, we received requests for additional clarification about hybrid combustion. What is the difference between a hybrid stove and a stove with a catalytic combustor or secondary combustion? The definition of hybrid is “a thing made by combining..

The short answer is that there is no difference.  Outdoor Air becomes Indoor Air.  Most of us spend more time indoors than out, so the quality of Indoor Air is just as important as Outdoor Air.  Perhaps even more. A lot of people don’t give much thought to Outdoor Air Quality.  We at Woodstock Soap..

As a factory direct company, we get calls everyday with customers asking questions about our hybrid technology. If you are curious about hybrid technology but have not called, please read our Q&A addressing some of the most commonly asked questions, and be sure to comment below if you have a que..

As we noted in an earlier post, we are taking a slight detour in our Race to Zero.  We are testing older stoves made in the 1970s and 1980s.  Stoves which were made with little technology to reduce emissions or improve efficiency. Huntsman Stove - Before the Makeover Our first test stove is a “Hu..