Trouble getting new DutchWest Catalytic 2462 above 1000deg F

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hoosier hardwood

New Member
Dec 31, 2008
5
Central Indiana
First time Poster - I need help understanding the effects of my primary and secondary air controls on catalytic temp. I have just installed the DutchWest 2462 on my fireplace hearth - exiting the stove straight out the back and 90deg straight up(16ft insulated flue liner) my full masonry (internal wall) chimney. I am using only seasoned Black Locust and Hard Maple firewood. So far I am loving the output of this stove - I have yet to catch my furnace running after 10 days of use.
:question:
The concern I have is that all I have read in the manual and this forum leads me to believe my cat temp should be running well over 1000deg F. I have only reached the maximum of 1000 mark for short periods of time. What is the exact relationship between the primary and secondary air controls. One higher the other lower etc.? How should I adjust the controls to raise or lower the cat temp? I have experimented and found a consistent burn with the primary air barely cracked and the secondary 1/2 to 1 turn open. This will get me an 8 hr burn. Maybe operating in the 700 - 1000deg range is good enough???? This is a big box and I have operated it with medium to large loads. Maybe my stove top cat probe thermometer is faulty and I have no problem at all.
Any advise or discussion would be great.
 
First, is your temperature probe sitting flush, and as far as it will go into the stovetop hole? The correct installation of the probe requires a hole in the refractory above the cat. If the refractory has not been penetrated, the thermometer will not provide the actual cat temperature.

If you are in fact getting 8 hr burns, you are probably operating everything properly, except that the refractory is intact between the cat and the temp probe- you would just hand turn a drill bit the size of the probe into the whole, and penetrate the refractory. I could never master my dutchwest, and it caused me far too many headaches, so I cannot offer advice on the primary vs secondary air controls. I will say that 1400 to 1700 was my normal cat temperature.
 
Thanks for the reply Corpseal
Probe is in correct position and clear to the cat. Cat is glowing at what I show as 800 so I must be OK.

Hate to ask why you couldn't stay with the DutchWest since I just bought one....but..... what were your issues - - I can plan to accept the possible problems on my end since I can't invest in another brand at this point[:)....
 
If cat is glowing some of the time...then all sounds well. The temp probe may be a little off.

Newer cat stoves are hard to mess up - especially with a decent chimney and wood. It is probably OK to leave the secondary control 1/3 to 1/2 open and then use the primary for most operations. The exact amount could change depending on chimney height and draft, but with a short chimney like yours that should be OK.
 
Thanks Craig - I appreciate this source of info. being available.. Happy New Year......I'll be learning from this crowd in '09..........

I will replace the probe when convenient and see what changes.
 
My Dutchwest Catalytic, which is an old one, a APlus from 1990, likes to run approx. 1100 degrees which is where it is as I write this. It will go to 1400 degrees at times. I set it without thinking a lot about it as I have been running it for 18 years. I have found that the secondary air needs to be open a full turn on my stove to get enough air to the cat to achieve high burn temps. I am burning BioBricks at the moment and this stove burns very well with them.
 
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