Wet wood in a catalytic???

Dont do it. If you dont know that your wood is going to be dry then dont feed the CAT with it. Dry food only. Exess moisture is exess /rapid cooling at the face of the CAT and rapid expantion travelling through it. Takes the nine lives right out of it. No stoves are good for wet wood. A huge efficiency loss is created along with more creosote. Stay away from the CAT stoves if you cannot provide them with dry food. :down:

Why would anyone want to burn wet wood in any stove? It simply should not be done in any type of stove and it definitely could ruin the cat.

Backwoods Savage said:

Why would anyone want to burn wet wood in any stove? It simply should not be done in any type of stove and it definitely could ruin the cat.

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EXACTLY DENNIS But your gonna hear , some people dont have a choice. sob sob :shut: I personally think if you have to pay for your wood and burn it unseasoned than your wasting your money and you might as well be using oil/propane ect...

Its simple. DO NOT EVER BURN WET WOOD IN AN INDOOR WOODSTOVE.

Wet wood in a cat stove can cause thermo shock and crack and crumble the cat. If you have no other choice but to burn less than seasoned wood, burn hot with the bypass open til the wood stops sizzling before engaging the cat. Also check your chimney regularly.

Todd said:

Wet wood in a cat stove can cause thermo shock and crack and crumble the cat. If you have no other choice but to burn less than seasoned wood, burn hot with the bypass open til the wood stops sizzling before engaging the cat. Also check your chimney regularly.

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What he said ;-) Last winter was my first year burning with a woodstock fireview. As expected my wood supply was not seasoned/dry as it should of been.. result.. partially damaged cat.. shows some cracking, a few bits have crumbled off.
Probably ok for another season but its life was definately reduced. Luckely Woodstock has a very good warranty and I already have a backup replacement, no charge except for shipping.

I dunno but perhaps Hiker means surface wetness on otherwise seasoned wood? If that's the case I've done that but I don't have a cat stove...and the wood burns well.

We refer to unseasoned wood as green, unseasoned etc but not wet....right?

I'm sure glad I don't burn a cat stove...It is enough of a task to burn less than 20% M.C. wood in an E.P.A. stove. My wood in my wood pile is about 35% and I do bring it inside and have a small electric splitter which I split these splits into very small splits and after 2 days drying inside I get a M.C. reading of 16-20% and then these splits burn great. I alway see secondary combustion, which I think of as ghost fire. I guess my winter will be be burning small splits at the right M.C. I do have a moisture meter and keep close tabs on what I burn.

My electric splitter sets next to my stove and it has made it possible to be able to burn wood this season. I just have to stay a couple of days ahead of the process... It is a means to an end and I did spend all my money to get set up with a wood stove and all the wood, pipe, hearth, and insulation for this season. So I have very little money for oil.

I bet many others spent their last $ to do the same and are now disappointed that their stove goes out because the wood is too wet.... For me this forum offered advice and alternatives, but without the splitter I would be in bad shape.

This was a good question to ask. I've seen people who would rather just blame their stove for the problems associated with wet wood.

An intresting couple of sentences in my Dutchwest 2461 cat owners manual.

"Avoid using wood that has been dried more than two years. Often gray in color, this wood burns very quickly, resulting in short burn time and diminished stove performance. If you must burn it, mix it with greener wood to slow the burn."

This is from page 18, right hand side, third paragragh. As you can see they recomend using less than completely seasoned wood in some circomstances. I used a "less than fully seasoned" split in the back on the bottom to get over night burns last winter with no ill effect that I could determine.

Well alrighty then...I take it you read Pine Knot's manufacturers recommendations.

I will have some problems as well in the wood area . Not enough and some not ready . I have about 1.5 cords which i think is nothing and I m a little light $ wise
. Next few weeks cool enough to hit the woods for dead . Next year will be better as I have about 25 x 10 foot logs sitting for next year .

Hiker said:

Yes, thank you. It all becoming clear as mud.

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Sarcism aside, if I could have afforded the Princess Blaze King (cat). I would have bought it=nice long burns, controlable fire, and just a wonderful piece of work. Now, if I had sprung for it, I certainly would never even have used it this year if I didn`t have nice dry and seasoned wood to burn. Why ruin a good thing?? I believe it is one of the best cat stoves/inserts out there in the market place.

Maybe pm north of 60 for more info. Like his adress explains, it doesn`t get much colder there.

We are all here cause we want to be so we can help others , and also learn more oursleves.

By the way, that Princess, when I last costed it out was about 3k, not including liner etc.

Hiker said:

sonnyinbc said:

Hiker said:

Yes, thank you. It all becoming clear as mud.

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Sarcism aside, if I could have afforded the Princess Blaze King (cat). I would have bought it=nice long burns, controlable fire, and just a wonderful piece of work. Now, if I had sprung for it, I certainly would never even have used it this year if I didn`t have nice dry and seasoned wood to burn. Why ruin a good thing?? I believe it is one of the best cat stoves/inserts out there in the market place.

Maybe pm north of 60 for more info. Like his adress explains, it doesn`t get much colder there.

We are all here cause we want to be so we can help others , and also learn more oursleves.

By the way, that Princess, when I last costed it out was about 3k, not including liner etc.

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I agree they are great stoves - that is why I am considering it (or a Lopi Revere) even though it does not meet all our concerns. One of the big ones is that in the insert form you cannot put a kettle on it for humidity (my wife does not do well with our too dry winter climate) and you cannot cook if necessary.



My cost on the Princess would be about $2650 (U.S) without installation costs and with the fan.

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Hiker: got a propane BBQ? If so, buy the Princess, you will have the best of the best.

Hiker said:

sonnyinbc said:

Hiker: got a propane BBQ? If so, buy the Princess, you will have the best of the best.

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I guess we could use it in a pinch. But I an not inclined to stand outside in a blizzard cooking. Actually a cold rain would be worse.

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I hear what you are saying, that is why my new insert has the warming/heating shelf. I would look at the Blaze King again, cept it makes me sad that I didn`t spring for that one. but don`t recall any warming shelf? still ,, best bang for the initial capital outlay. way, way, less wood burned.