Comfort Max 75 Stove From DS Machine Stoves

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Tue. Feb. 24, 2015 6:13 pm

You mention the steel Comfort Max plate that is inserted between glass and coal or wood--to retain logs and coal away from glass. This piece comes up several inches, to be just visible through the front glass. I have seen other older designs (I think the Vermont Castings Vigilant?) that had a high cast iron front grate to hold coal back from glass--it filled from the top. The Comfort Max front plate is easily removed, but would there be any reason to remove it? I suppose a higher front plate would prevent loading--is it meant to be adjusted up and down?
jwplunkett wrote:Friendly Update :
- DS Stove lined with Firebrick
Front, Sides and back

Another Benefit over other Stoves :
- For review & Consideration
- Continuation of your Due Diligence PRIOR to purchasing Stove of Choice
- Being Firebrick is lined to Top of Re-burn Tubes
- Able to Fully Load up to very Top - Per DS Technical Representative
- Great for times you desire Long Burn cycle
- During Day I feed Wood as Needed per Heat Output required
- However I Load Firebox Full with Seasoned Firewood before Going to Bed
- In morning simply add wood and continue on

For Anthracite Coal :
- Similar Strategy as wood
- But bank from Front Comfort Max Stainless Steel up as far as possible towards Back of Stove

Hope this helps anyone who may view this post

Sharing of Knowledge / Experiences from all of US is Key


 
jwplunkett
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Post by jwplunkett » Tue. Feb. 24, 2015 7:20 pm

Comfort Max 75
- You are correct = Designed to assist in holding Logs and or hot Coals within Firebox while opening Front Door

Simple but effective Design
- Single Piece of Stainless Steel bent to DS Stove Specifications ... last two lifetimes
- In my viewpoint DS has the Better Design versus Cast Iron style that if breaks difficult & expensive to repair

Removal = Yes

Adjustable = No

It definitely can be removed
- Assuming a User doesn't need to load up to that Level

Or I would imagine a Higher one could be used
- If have Need to load higher.... being Comfort Max 75 is Equipped with Fire Brick to top of stove / Just below Re-burn Tubes
- But it would be more difficult to Insert Wood or Coal
- Before implementing Suggest contacting DS Technical Support Department to gain feedback & approvals

Hope this helps all who may view this Reply

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Tue. Feb. 24, 2015 8:32 pm

Thanks!

 
krupper
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Post by krupper » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 8:23 am

I am thinking about buying a Comfort Max 75 wood/coal stove and need your experience with the stove. Pros and cons on this. I want a good wood stove that is non catalytic.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 8:33 am

krupper wrote:
Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 8:23 am
I am thinking about buying a Comfort Max 75 wood/coal stove and need your experience with the stove. Pros and cons on this. I want a good wood stove that is non catalytic.
I've had one for several years, and I really like it, but I've only ever burned wood in it. Built like a tank, with a weight of 596 lbs. when empty to prove it. That's in the ballpark of 200 - 250 lbs. heavier than many other stoves of its size. This stove is no longer permitted to be sold as a wood/coal stove, and is now sold for use with coal only, so I doubt that current versions can legally ship with the wood burning insert that fits over the grates. That's not to say that you can't burn wood in it, but to do so is a violation of EPA regulations, and without the necessary wood burning insert it will quite likely suffer in efficiency.

 
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Post by krupper » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:38 am

How long does it burn with a load of wood? Do you have any problems with smoke back up, any cons?

 
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keegs
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Post by keegs » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:52 am



 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:53 am

krupper wrote:
Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:38 am
How long does it burn with a load of wood? Do you have any problems with smoke back up, any cons?
I burn compressed sawdust blocks. Typically 4.5-5 hours on 3 x 3.5 lb. blocks, and 5-5.5 hours on 4 x 3.5 lb. blocks. This for a warm stove. Knock perhaps an hour off of these figures for the very first fire, which needs to expend energy heating up 600 lbs. worth of stove.

No smoke or issues. The only con (if you can call it that) is a bit warmer living room than is necessary, and having to add sawdust blocks roughly every 4.75 to 5.25 hours (give or take a wiggle). Sawdust blocks are down to about $150 per ton around here.
Last edited by lsayre on Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
krupper
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Post by krupper » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:11 am

Thanks for your info.

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:12 am

lsayre wrote:
Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 8:33 am
I've had one for several years, and I really like it, but I've only ever burned wood in it. Built like a tank, with a weight of 596 lbs. when empty to prove it. That's in the ballpark of 200 - 250 lbs. heavier than many other stoves of its size. This stove is no longer permitted to be sold as a wood/coal stove, and is now sold for use with coal only, so I doubt that current versions can legally ship with the wood burning insert that fits over the grates. That's not to say that you can't burn wood in it, but to do so is a violation of EPA regulations, and without the necessary wood burning insert it will quite likely suffer in efficiency.
Just a minor point--EPA does not regulate our use of stoves, it only regulates their manufacture and sale. If we feel a stove is satisfactory we can use it without penalty, and this one was satisfactory to the strictest EPA standard when it was designed fairly recently. It is certainly cleaner than using electric heat made by the cheapest coal generators, losing much of its power over long wires to the plant. An issue EPA does not give weight in this case is that the Comfort Max is the most efficient of all wood stoves--per BTU the emissions are miniscule, but the hour emissions that they go by are just a tad over the manufacturing goal. It was tested independently by government methods at 94% efficiency because of some unique design elements, far above any government guidelines and unmatched by anybody. (There are convection air tubes running through the firebox to circulate hot air into the room, convection sides and back, as well as the overall radiant output. The cast iron downdraft baffle in the back adds to the efficiency.) So if you consider efficiency with emissions together, there is no cause for shame about it. The woodburning plate to cover the coal grates might be available as a part for those who have the stoves, as there is no law against servicing the older versions. The Congress expressly had no intention of taking away people's stoves, just regulating future ones. You can even make your own stove any way you like unless it is a fire hazard.

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:23 am

krupper wrote:
Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 10:38 am
How long does it burn with a load of wood? Do you have any problems with smoke back up, any cons?
They thought about smoke back up because of the back downdraft plate--so they put a top damper in the stove. Leave it open when starting a fire, to let the smoke go right out the flue, then when the chimney has strong draft and the stove is hot, close it to let the downdraft take over. My Vigilant has this, and I think many others do if the flame path passes through the inner chambers of the stove--this requires a good draft in the flue. It might also be necessary to use the direct updraft if the outside temp is above 50 (maybe in the 40's too) in other to maintain good draft, but in that case the effectiveness of the stove is still fine. The updraft of hot air is not as effective if the ambient temp is warm.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:24 am

The wood burning plate is so simple anyone could fabricate it. It is a flat piece of metal, and it only partially covers the grates all the way around, leaving the center open. ~40% by my guess (since I have a fire in it and can't get in to measure) left centrally open, and the rest covered over.

I just went 5.5 hours on 4 x 3.5 lb. compressed sawdust wood blocks (the nominal BTU equivalent of about 18 lbs. of typical well seasoned hardwood firewood), and it fired right up upon reload, but it was about at the end of the line as to firing right back up. If I had gone 6 hours it may have needed assistance.
Last edited by lsayre on Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:41 am

I did think of another con (again, if you can call it that) for the ComfortMax. It is so air tight that you can and will starve it for air if you leave it fully damped down, and as a consequence get what I can only describe as the wood fire equivalent of coal puff-backs out of it. I learned early on to do two things when burning wood.

1) Put a small paper clip on the bimetallic air inlet flapper so it can't ever see 100% closed.
2) Never close the over the fire "air wash" damper lever down more than 50%.

 
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lsayre
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Post by lsayre » Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 11:51 am

From memory, the grate cover for wood burning looks like this. Gray = steel (I believe it is stainless).

ComfortMax Grate Cover.pdf
.PDF | 1.5KB | ComfortMax Grate Cover.pdf

 
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Post by vess_40 » Sat. Feb. 02, 2019 9:26 am

How is the air wash on these stoves? Does the glass get dirty burning wood? I saw these stoves after I bought my Hitzer. I was really impressed with the secondary burn these stoves have.


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