Insert I have never heard of

Hello, first post but long time lurker.
I am supposed to pick up an insert that I found on CL tomorrow am. It's a "Nu-tech catalyst" insert. Guy said he used it for the last five yrs and had no issues heating a 2400sq ft home. It has a blower and it appears to be in good shape. a web search turns up very little on this maker. anyone out there have any info? Likes, dislikes etc. For $100 and gas I don't think its too bad a deal but, I don't want to install a nightmare that I will regret.
Thanks!

Well, I picked it up. It's friggin heavy! Still not sure of the make but there was, at one time, a catalyst. It is currently not there but there is a round cutout for one at the top. It's gonna need some work. New gaskets and a thorough cleaning and some paint but, for $100 I can't fault it. The blower is there and works. It does not have any type of fire bricks on the inside. The walls are straight steel but the base has a cement looking floor that extends about 3" up. It too is a little beat up. The only issue I see right now is that there is a small crack in the face about 1.5" long near the door hinge. It is very thin but I can see daylight when looking from inside. Pretty sure the guy I got it from over fired it a few times but, it's not bowed and the doors shut flat. The crack he said was there and he still used it with no ill effects. Maybe some chimney mortar can fix it.

So it looks to be a Buck Stove model 2800? Anyone have any experience with this model?

Webbie, I agree it's an old stove. I had a VC Encore prior in my old house but it was sold with the house. Our new house is larger, and I have run into some major financial setbacks because of shoddy work done by the previous owners. A stove was always in the budget especially with the amount of trees we just took down but, that has taken a back seat due to financial considerations. For the price I paid for this stove I can't fault it. If it does the job for a year or two and I throw a little money at it to make it safe and workable I'll be happy. It's probably going to cost me $1000+ to line my chimney but, that will be fine as if I go to a newer stove later the chimney will be done.
That said, does it make sense to replace the cat? The online manual I saw that was linked above gives no mention of a catalyzer. Also the connection to the chimney is a bit hard to figure out. I see they sell a connector that attaches to the top of the stove and reduces to an 8" round but, that is not for use in an insert type install.
I'm thinking that if this stove can be used that I will have a company come in for the install. I did my own install on the last house and it was a groan. Lining a chimney and making that connection is a pain.

Well, I agree. The crack does concern me, but not all that much. It is really only the thickness of a hair and since the thing is still in the back of my truck maybe I can have it welded? Truth is I really like the size of this stove. Most of the inserts I've seen, my two sisters have identical ones, only seem to be able to fit a small amount of wood and the size of the logs has to be a consideration.
I mean in all seriousness, is this stove a waste of time? I don't mind polishing a turd and throwing some new gaskets and making it work for a year or two. I just cant shell out 2-4k on a new stove right now. At the same time I also don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on an unsafe relic that might burn my house down.

Ok. The fan works. It has a switch on the side and when plugged in it turns on. I'm not sure a out the thermostat though. The stove appears to be steel not cast so I imagine a competent welder could throw a quick bead from the back to seal it up.
I don't have the boot. I see they sell one for like $180 but maybe I could have one made up by a shop. The previous owner told me he had his chimney guy make him up a boot and it looks as if it was just mortared to the top. I'm not really sure how this damper works. To be honest I've have not had the time to really check it out. I do know that the chain or whatever mechanism that is used to close the plate is missing and has been remedied by a piece of wire. I think this stove was not used properly as evidenced by the crack and lack of useable gaskets on the door.
If the cat was a retro fit do I really need it? The guy before clearly didn't use it. Other than environmental concerns are there any downsides to not having it in there?

Well good info here. I took a look at the stove today and the damper control is not connected. It looks as if there is a hook which goes through a chain loop which should open and close the flap. I think a piece of metal came off the hook bc it won't catch the loop. The whole assembly is attached to the cat holder which is bolted to the stove top. The two 3/16" bolts are not coming loose. I think they may need to be cut but if I do that ill still need them and the threads are on a piece of metal that forms an "L" at the top and I don't know if replacements are available. And...I'm still not sure how this assembly should work and how I would get a cat in there.
This may go back to Craigslist.

Ah the Internet. I did a little digging and phone calling and it seems that while this cAt retrofit is an issue it may not have to be. I was informed today that the entire damper assembly is still available for these stoves minus the cat. So in essence I could have a hungry non-cat stove that will heat the house. I know many of you think it's silly to make this old beast work, but like I've said if I throw a cou

Sorry, iPhone typing...
Anyway if I spend $200 bucks getting this pig up to speed I will have a $300 stove that could feasibly save me $1000 in oil. I also just got a line on 35' of 8" liner for @250 with cap. So, lets call it $600 to have it all set up. Isn't that worth it? Of course, this is all hinging upon this stove being repairable. I think it's possible though.
I am trying to wrap my head around the connection to the liner though. I wonder if there is enough clearance between the top of the stove and the fireplace opening to reach in and attach the pipe. Guess ill find out huh?

The liner was used by a buddy of mine. He removed it when he sold his stove. It's single wall stainless flex pipe.
Yes, the top boot will conceivably cost more than the stove. But if it's safe it's worth the money.
I'm getting excited to get this old beast up and running. I'm not excited about installing the liner and cutting out the fireplace damper. Nope. Not looking forward to that at all.