Stovetop Thermometer Placement?

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dylskee

Feeling the Heat
Sep 28, 2008
349
Central MA
I'd like to ask all the catalytic stove owners where they place their stove top thermometers for proper cat engagement? And where is the best place for your flue pipe thermometer? I have mine about 16" from the top of the flue collar. My main reason for asking about the location of the stove top thermometer is the fireview has a sheetmetal shield under the lid directly over the cat so I'm sure that's dropping the heat quite a bit.
 

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Mine is above the cat. And the flue therm is just slightly above the tee, reason being that any higher and it would be in the brick chimney. ;)
 
I'd like to ask all the catalytic stove owners where they place their stove top thermometers for proper cat engagement? And where is the best place for your flue pipe thermometer? I have mine about 16" from the top of the flue collar. My main reason for asking about the location of the stove top thermometer is the fireview has a sheetmetal shield under the lid directly over the cat so I'm sure that's dropping the heat quite a bit.
According to my Fireview manual that I read today, that's where they want you to place the thermometer. I'm going to shoot my IR gun at the top once I get mine running to find the start up hot spot. The IR gun works well for that.
 
I have always wondered about that, being a non-cat kinda guy. Always wondered what the rest of the stove body temp on a cat stove is since a thermo over the cat chamber can't be telling you that.
 
Woodstock tells us that if we place the thermometer directly over the cat, we can work on the assumption that the interior stove temperature is twice the temperature being read on the stovetop.
On the Fireview you can engage the cat with a stovetop temperature somewhere between 200 and 250.
 
I have always wondered about that, being a non-cat kinda guy. Always wondered what the rest of the stove body temp on a cat stove is since a thermo over the cat chamber can't be telling you that.
On a VC stove, when the cat is freaking out, the back casting can be north of 800 with the top griddle sitting at around 600 or lower.

It's one of those VC 'features.'
 
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dylskee, you have it place correctly. This is exactly what Woodstock recommends.
 
dylskee, you have it place correctly. This is exactly what Woodstock recommends.
Okay, I did place it where the manual recommended but I was curious where others place them. I just figured it would be hotter if I didn't place it right over the cat shield.

What do you do when you reload after an over night fire and you have just coals? The manual says you can reload and re-engage the cat after 15 minutes or so but when I did this morning it didn't look like the cat was fully engaged before I left for work. I put 3 splits in and let it go with the damper open all the way and the cat bypassed for about 15 minutes the engaged the cat. It was glowing a little but not 100%, is this acceptable or am I shortening the life of the cat? I'm not too worried about it considering a cat replacement is $125.00 but I would like to run this stove as efficiently as possible. I really love the stove so far, I put those 3 splits in this morning at 4:45 AM and the stove was still hot when I got home a little after 5:00 PM! :eek:
 
You should do fine. The cat will not always glow red but for sure you can tell because that stove temperature will go up pretty fast once the cat is on. Rather than time, I like to watch the fire and make sure the wood is charred. Then flip the bypass lever and turn it down to 1 or lower.
 
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You should do fine. The cat will not always glow red but for sure you can tell because that stove temperature will go up pretty fast once the cat is on. Rather than time, I like to watch the fire and make sure the wood is charred. Then flip the bypass lever and turn it down to 1 or lower.
Thanks for the replies BS, as always very much appreciated.
 
Okay, I did place it where the manual recommended but I was curious where others place them. I just figured it would be hotter if I didn't place it right over the cat shield.

What do you do when you reload after an over night fire and you have just coals? The manual says you can reload and re-engage the cat after 15 minutes or so but when I did this morning it didn't look like the cat was fully engaged before I left for work. I put 3 splits in and let it go with the damper open all the way and the cat bypassed for about 15 minutes the engaged the cat. It was glowing a little but not 100%, is this acceptable or am I shortening the life of the cat? I'm not too worried about it considering a cat replacement is $125.00 but I would like to run this stove as efficiently as possible. I really love the stove so far, I put those 3 splits in this morning at 4:45 AM and the stove was still hot when I got home a little after 5:00 PM! :eek:
Dylskee, keep asking and posting those questions ,, because I'll be right behind ya soon getting to know my Fireview as well. Maybe saving me from asking any questions;). Wow nice burn time!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to be loving that!
 
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Dylskee, keep asking and posting those questions ,, because I'll be right behind ya soon getting to know my Fireview as well. Maybe saving me from asking any questions;). Wow nice burn time!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to be loving that!
Anything to help out..... :)

I am loving this stove so far, holds heat like crazy. I need some cold weather to properly compare this stove to my last one but I'm sure it will blow it away. I've only been burning low fires because the weather hasn't been that cold at all around here. Getting warmer for this weekend but then some crazy weather moving in on Monday, and the latter part of next week looks like high 30s at night so that's burning weather!
 
Okay, I did place it where the manual recommended but I was curious where others place them. I just figured it would be hotter if I didn't place it right over the cat shield.

What do you do when you reload after an over night fire and you have just coals? The manual says you can reload and re-engage the cat after 15 minutes or so but when I did this morning it didn't look like the cat was fully engaged before I left for work. I put 3 splits in and let it go with the damper open all the way and the cat bypassed for about 15 minutes the engaged the cat. It was glowing a little but not 100%, is this acceptable or am I shortening the life of the cat? I'm not too worried about it considering a cat replacement is $125.00 but I would like to run this stove as efficiently as possible. I really love the stove so far, I put those 3 splits in this morning at 4:45 AM and the stove was still hot when I got home a little after 5:00 PM! :eek:

It's a great stove. So glad you are enjoying it.
 
Anything to help out..... :)

I am loving this stove so far, holds heat like crazy. I need some cold weather to properly compare this stove to my last one but I'm sure it will blow it away. I've only been burning low fires because the weather hasn't been that cold at all around here. Getting warmer for this weekend but then some crazy weather moving in on Monday, and the latter part of next week looks like high 30s at night so that's burning weather!

Not only does it hold heat, but it is such a comfortable heat. Best way to describe it that I can think of is that it is like sitting in a really sunny window. The heat is very gentle and really warms you. That's a great feeling in the dead of winter. Also, the heat is radiated so slowly that you can put all your wet winter clothes on the hearth to dry without worrying about them getting too hot...lots of other nice things you'll learn as you burn with this stove. It cooks very nicely too.
 
dylskee, I've usually got my stove top thermo in a similar spot but further back, off the heat shield. Seems to be a hot spot, but the thermo can vary depending on how the load is burning; Sometimes one side of the load will be hotter and the stove top on that side will be higher.
My flue thermo lies on the horizontal tee snout, several inches behind the rear-vent flue exit. Not many options here, with the liner in the chimney. I've been thinking about drilling the tee for a probe...
What do you do when you reload after an over night fire and you have just coals? The manual says you can reload and re-engage the cat after 15 minutes or so but when I did this morning it didn't look like the cat was fully engaged before I left for work.
It probably didn't stall on you, but it could. I don't have stalls because I get the temp up pretty good before I drop the bypass door. What temp was the stove top with just the coals, and what temp did it rebound to by the time your re-engaged?


Temps of mid 50s/mid 30s for a while here. Looking forward to tossing a big load of Red Oak in and seeing how long the Fireview will stretch that out on a low burn. :cool:
 
dylskee, I've usually got my stove top thermo in a similar spot but further back, off the heat shield. Seems to be a hot spot, but the thermo can vary depending on how the load is burning; Sometimes one side of the load will be hotter and the stove top on that side will be higher.
My flue thermo lies on the horizontal tee snout, several inches behind the rear-vent flue exit. Not many options here, with the liner in the chimney. I've been thinking about drilling the tee for a probe...
It probably didn't stall on you, but it could. I don't have stalls because I get the temp up pretty good before I drop the bypass door. What temp was the stove top with just the coals, and what temp did it rebound to by the time your re-engaged?


Temps of mid 50s/mid 30s for a while here. Looking forward to tossing a big load of Red Oak in and seeing how long the Fireview will stretch that out on a low burn. :cool:
The temp was around 250° when I reloaded the stove and I didn't look at the temps before I left for work I just saw that the wood was going pretty good so I engaged the cat. It was burning for about 15 minutes or so. It's going to be sunny and 68° today so no chance I'll be burning today.... :(
 
The temp was around 250° when I reloaded the stove and I didn't look at the temps before I left for work I just saw that the wood was going pretty good so I engaged the cat. It was burning for about 15 minutes or so. It's going to be sunny and 68° today so no chance I'll be burning today.... :(
If you had some flame in the box, they will tend to eat up the smoke and the combustor will glow faintly, if at all. As long as there's no smoke out of the stack, you're good (a little steam is OK.)
It's downright nasty here; 42, light rain and wind, and little rise in temp today. It's under 70 in here. When I lose a couple more degrees, I'm gonna fire up a load of Sugar Maple short chunks. :cool:
 
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If you had some flame in the box, they will tend to eat up the smoke and the combustor will glow faintly, if at all. As long as there's no smoke out of the stack, you're good (a little steam is OK.)
It's downright nasty here; 42, light rain and wind, and little rise in temp today. It's under 70 in here. When I lose a couple more degrees, I'm gonna fire up a load of Sugar Maple short chunks. :cool:
Yeah when it gets to 63° inside I light the fire to take the chill off. It's cloudy here and about 50°, I can't see it hitting the upper 60s if the sun doesn't come out. If it stays cool I'll light up a small fire as well but that might not happen until Sunday, going to be cooler and rainy.
 
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