Steel catalyst report, and questions (VC Defiant Encore)

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slindo

Member
Mar 14, 2008
171
Maine
I installed a stainless steel catalyst in a Vermont Castings Defiant Encore last winter. We had it out the other day for cleaning, and were surprised to find that the stainless core had sagged in the center (the metal cats are wound from very thin SS) maybe 1/4" so it sagged in some places and bulged in others. The very lightweight SS wrapping around the outside had also distorted in use so the cat is no longer square. Actually, it looks sort of like a loaf of bread, puffing up in the middle, and with rounded corners.

It can still be gotten in and out of its slot without too much trouble, but I am concerned that if it distorts any more it may not.

I'm trying to figure out whether to return it under warranty, or to clean it and put it back in and see what happens. There are some things in situations like this that distort a bit on first use, then stop once they are comfortable, and others that keep getting worse and worse until they fall completely apart. I don't know what category this catalyst falls into. The manufacturer offered to replace it under warranty with a ceramic one, but didn't have any more advice - they said they'd only been selling them for 2 years, and hadn't had enough come back to have a feeling for how they behaved in the field. I sort of hate to give up on it, because I really did want to give it a good run and find out if the steel cats are any good.

The SS cat is much lighter and less rigid than the ceramic ones - you could twist or flatten it easily with your hands. A bit disconcerting if you are used to the ceramic one. But is this necessarily bad? When I open up a really trashed Defiant Encore, one where the refractory box has started to disintegrate, I usually find the SS frame from the stock ceramic cat completley pretzeled by the heat, lying twisted and almost unrecognizable in the wreckage. My suspicion is that the standard cats may be what actually destroys the refractory box once they start distorting, since this could put a lot of stress on the surrounding refractory. The SS cats might actually be superior in this regard, as they are much flimsier, and not as likely to put stress on the refractory as a result.

I would be interested in hearing what kind of experiences others are having with these cats, and whether the sort of sagging this one is experiencing is normal.
 
Thanks for the review, I've been wondering how these new cats would do. I did hear of some others that have slight warping but still worked fine. Yours sounds much worse but if it still has a tight fit and doesn't break the seal maybe it still works?
 
It seems to work fine otherwise.

I think the problems we are seeing are due more to the odd way the VC stoves mount the catalyst - half resting on the soft refractory and half on a flimsy little SS shelf, that doubtless move around in relation to each other as the stove heats or cools, to say nothing of the long and skinny shape of the cat itself. If the cat was resting on a proper, continuous, metal frame I don't think there would be any problems. If problems they are, and not just the normal run of things.

Todd said:
Thanks for the review, I've been wondering how these new cats would do. I did hear of some others that have slight warping but still worked fine. Yours sounds much worse but if it still has a tight fit and doesn't break the seal maybe it still works?
 
I used mine for 3 months last season and it was fine this year it failed it warped in the middle and the front side completely blew out :( I called Condor and they didn't even hesitate to send me a new one and asked if I wanted a ceramic one instead makes one wonder whats going on when offers are get throne on the table like that .... I paid allot of $$$$$ for that hoping this was the answer I'm going to give it one more shot .. But would like to hear more from other users of both steel/ceramic ...
 
I ran a Condar Steel Cat last winter. It couldn't stand up to the high temps. I ended up calling Eddie @ Condar, and he sent me a ceramic replacement.

I'm going to stay with the ceramic. It is far more rigid that the steel cat - making a better seal to the refractory in a VC Encore.
 
I've been running a steel cat in my VC Defiant Encore 0028 for a couple of months now. I took it out and blew the dust off it after about a cord of wood. So far so good.
The flimsiness of it did concern me, but at least its not going to potentially crack and crumble like a ceramic catalyst.
 
Ive also got the Steel Condar in my encore. about 3/4 cord through it so far and a couple times I hit 1900+ accidentally - so far no problems that I can see (maybe I should check again). To the OP - what brand of steel cat do you have?


BTW Is there a difference in cat mounting between the Defiant Encore and the 2550 Encore? In the 2550 the catalast is completely surrounded and supported by refractory....
 
In the VC Definant Encore model # 0028, the front of the catalyst (towards the front of the stove) is supported by the heat exchanger. The back and sides are supported by the refractory.
 
we really wanted to give the steel cat a good try, so rather than trading it in on a ceramic one we decided to clean it up and try it a while longer. We did the full Condar cleaning routine - soaking it in hot 50/50 vinegar water solution, the boiling in two changes of distilled water. Materials cost $6 - the long skinny shape of the Defiant Encore cat means it takes a very large pan or bucket to hold it, and a lot of vinegar and distilled water to fill.

We were a bit disappointed with the cleaning - the cat was noticeably cleaner than before, but still a fair number of clogged holes. We tried cleaning them using a pipecleaner, as Condar suggests, but it kept catching and trying to pull the cat apart. And their are a LOT of holes. I think the cleaning procedure is complicated and expensive enough that I wouldn't want to do it regularly.

Cat went in very easily, despite being twisted and bulged. The lightweight construction seemed an advantage here, as it easily reshaped its warped self to fit the slot. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing in the long run!

Cat seemed to burn well after cleaning, with a good roar from the cat to indicate it was lighting, however, the stove (see my other post) is still puffing. which may or may not have anything to do with the cat.
 

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