Any correlation between stove top temperatures and cat operating temperature?

[ohlongarm]

Just wondering if there's any relationship between say a stovetop temp of 600,and the cat temperature ,is there an ideal range ?are the two temps supposed to be vastly different etc. I'm sure someone knows what i'm asking. Thanks

 

[HotCoals]

Of course the cat temp is effecting the stove top temp to a large degree...for sure in slow burn.
It will swing up(cat + stove top temp) then peak then drop through the wood burning cycle of course.
I'm sure there are correlations there somewhere..lol.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We've never measured the cat temperatures. Some tell about the cat stalling but we have not experienced that either.

 

[Hass]

cat temp should be in same range after a few hours of burning if the thermostat + fan speed are at the same setting time after time.

Fan speed lowers cat temp.
Thermostat changes cat temp.

so if you leave the fan variable out.. yes.
If you run the stove on 2, after a few hours the cat should be at the same point on the needle more or less every time you burn it.
When you drop the stove from 3 to 2, the cat temp will spike because of the shortage of air and increase of smoke... but after time it will settle down and even out.

 

[HotCoals]

I hardly use the fans..but I'll tell you this..the fans will make the cat gauge drop some ..give you a false reading.

 

[Hass]

How hot do you guys let the cat gauge get?
I'm burning on 3 right now, and the cat probe is nearly all the way over. There's maybe 1/8th of an inch left before it goes off the marking.. getting me worried some

 

[HotCoals]

Don't worry about it being all the way over...I would worry more about flames licking the cat and sending all that heat up the pipe on 3.
Why do you have it on 3?
Did you just fire the load?
EDIT: does the Chinook dial go to 3 like the BKK?

 

[Hass]

Don't worry about it being all the way over...I would worry more about flames licking the cat and sending all that heat up the pipe on 3.
Why do you have it on 3?
Did you just fire the load?

paint curing, wants a stove temp of 600.
I've only been able to get 525 out of it so far.

Any fear about flames licking the cat damaging the cat? Or is it just wasting the heat?
I ask about the flames, because it seems the fire is always up front and heading straight up the cat area, which makes sense since that's the way the air is flowing...
yeah, same as the BKK, goes from 1-3

 

[HotCoals]

Don't worry about it being all the way over...I would worry more about flames licking the cat and sending all that heat up the pipe on 3.
Why do you have it on 3?
Did you just fire the load?

paint curing, wants a stove temp of 600.
I've only been able to get 525 out of it so far.

Any fear about flames licking the cat damaging the cat? Or is it just wasting the heat?

I don't really know how your new stove is.
My BKK has a flame shield in front of the cat to help with keeping the flame away from the cat..still,I don't like to see a lot of flame..it can damage it..yes.
I'm sure your cat is red hot now..shut the air part way down but keep some flame and you will hit 600 pretty easy..I do with mine.

 

[Hass]

I don't really know how your new stove is.
My BKK has a flame shield in front of the cat to help with keeping the flame away from the cat..still,I don't like to see a lot of flame..it can damage it..yes.
I'm sure your cat is red hot now..shut the air part way down but keep some flame and you will hit 600 pretty easy..I do with mine.

Yeah, it has a flame shield there too, it's a rectangle pieces with holes in it. The cat has been glowing since I closed the bypass 3 hours ago. started glowing almost immediately.
So do you have any fear running your stove on 3 without the fans on? In the case of a power outage or anything? I know the stoves come without fans so I imagine it's entirely safe.

 

[HotCoals]

I'm sure the Chinook must have a by-pass and that you have have it out of by-pass.
EDIT: just seen your post above.

 

[HotCoals]

I don't really know how your new stove is.
My BKK has a flame shield in front of the cat to help with keeping the flame away from the cat..still,I don't like to see a lot of flame..it can damage it..yes.
I'm sure your cat is red hot now..shut the air part way down but keep some flame and you will hit 600 pretty easy..I do with mine.

Yeah, it has a flame shield there too, it's a rectangle pieces with holes in it. The cat has been glowing since I closed the bypass 3 hours ago. started glowing almost immediately.
So do you have any fear running your stove on 3 without the fans on? In the case of a power outage or anything? I know the stoves come without fans so I imagine it's entirely safe.

I don't have 4 hours on my fans ..never use them at all hardly.
That said I never burn on 3 either...don't see the need.

 

[Hass]

I'm sure the Chinook must have a by-pass and that you have have it out of by-pass.
EDIT: just seen your post above.

Thanks for your help by the way...
and sorry for the thread hijack to the OP!

I closed it down a bit to 2.5, the cat probe is pegged over. stove top is at about 550... the living/dining room is 78 with all the windows open in the house and it was 25 out last I checked... I can NOT imagine anyone sane enough to do this in the summer time like some of us here do!
Just kidding, I still would if it would have been ready by then.

 

[HotCoals]

My feeling on theses cat stoves is that they are the cats butt for maintaining temps in a house for long periods of times.
If someone wants fast hot fires once a night then I think a tube stove is a better choice.

 

[Hass]

My feeling on theses cat stoves is that they are the cats butt for maintaining temps in a house for long periods of times.
If someone wants fast hot fires once a night then I think a tube stove is a better choice.

I figured since a wood stove will be my primary heat for a few years I'd better do it right. I don't have any other source of heat other than an electric space heater...
tube stoves seem like far too much work to me for varying results when heating an entire house.

 

[HotCoals]

I'm sure the Chinook must have a by-pass and that you have have it out of by-pass.
EDIT: just seen your post above.

Thanks for your help by the way...
and sorry for the thread hijack to the OP!

I closed it down a bit to 2.5, the cat probe is pegged over. stove top is at about 550... the living/dining room is 78 with all the windows open in the house and it was 25 out last I checked... I can NOT imagine anyone sane enough to do this in the summer time like some of us here do!
Just kidding, I still would if it would have been ready by then.

I love to help with what I know about cat stoves..I don't want people to have a bad experience with them and be turned off.
The fine people here helped me and I'm just passing it forward..great site.
Just try and keep the flames out of the cat and you will be doing it a favor.
That cat will glow foe hours with no flame..and even when not red hot (on the way down)it will be working.

 

[jeff_t]

Don't worry about it being all the way over...I would worry more about flames licking the cat and sending all that heat up the pipe on 3.
Why do you have it on 3?
Did you just fire the load?

paint curing, wants a stove temp of 600.
I've only been able to get 525 out of it so far.

Any fear about flames licking the cat damaging the cat? Or is it just wasting the heat?

I don't really know how your new stove is.
My BKK has a flame shield in front of the cat to help with keeping the flame away from the cat..still,I don't like to see a lot of flame..it can damage it..yes.
I'm sure your cat is red hot now..shut the air part way down but keep some flame and you will hit 600 pretty easy..I do with mine.

I've seen the highest temps by getting the load charred with the stat wide open, then backing it down to a bit under 2 until I lose flames, then opening it back up a bit at a time until I get a small flame. The wood is offgassing quite a bit, and I get flames rolling around at the top of the box, igniting off the cat. Hits 600 pretty quick.
The flame shield offers some protection, like getting a fresh load going. I don't think I would want flames licking up there all the time. But then, I've only been burning it for a week and a half.

 

[HotCoals]

My feeling on theses cat stoves is that they are the cats butt for maintaining temps in a house for long periods of times.
If someone wants fast hot fires once a night then I think a tube stove is a better choice.

I figured since a wood stove will be my primary heat for a few years I'd better do it right. I don't have any other source of heat other than an electric space heater...
tube stoves seem like far too much work to me for varying results when heating an entire house.

Like I said..tube stoves are great for heating up a cold house fast..they also do good burning the smoke while the fire is low..producing cleaner air and good heat.
But you will find that cat stoves can burn way longer and still produce good heat to maintain temps.
Anyways,with a tube stove you don't have to worry about flames hurting the cat..that said cats will take flame abuse to some extent I'm sure..I have done it more then once..lol.

 

[HotCoals]

Don't worry about it being all the way over...I would worry more about flames licking the cat and sending all that heat up the pipe on 3.
Why do you have it on 3?
Did you just fire the load?

paint curing, wants a stove temp of 600.
I've only been able to get 525 out of it so far.

Any fear about flames licking the cat damaging the cat? Or is it just wasting the heat?

I don't really know how your new stove is.
My BKK has a flame shield in front of the cat to help with keeping the flame away from the cat..still,I don't like to see a lot of flame..it can damage it..yes.
I'm sure your cat is red hot now..shut the air part way down but keep some flame and you will hit 600 pretty easy..I do with mine.

I've seen the highest temps by getting the load charred with the stat wide open, then backing it down to a bit under 2 until I lose flames, then opening it back up a bit at a time until I get a small flame. The wood is offgassing quite a bit, and I get flames rolling around at the top of the box, igniting off the cat. Hits 600 pretty quick.
The flame shield offers some protection, like getting a fresh load going. I don't think I would want flames licking up there all the time. But then, I've only been burning it for a week and a half.

I think you are spot on!
Crazy light shows at times eh?
The more seasoned your wood is the wilder it can get...sometimes it's almost imposable to have small flames on real dry wood...either a roaring fire or nothing.
I burnt some old pine boards that had been around here for 20 years..omg..lol.

 

[ohlongarm]

I've been told the cat will take probably more flame than one would ever give it,I've had my cat engaged stovetop 600 to 700 with a full load set on 2.5 for a couple hours to watch the fire. Doesn't seem to bother it,I'll start to worry when the warranty runs out. Then a new cat at 300$ or less doesn't scare me. I'm going to burn the King,I don't believe it's meant to be coddled ,BUT I am a firm advocate of dry wood and I've got plenty so only time will tell if the King can stand up to my burn methods.Interesting responses much appreciated.

 

[HotCoals]

I've been told the cat will take probably more flame than one would ever give it,I've had my cat engaged stovetop 600 to 700 with a full load set on 2.5 for a couple hours to watch the fire. Doesn't seem to bother it,I'll start to worry when the warranty runs out. Then a new cat at 300$ or less doesn't scare me. I'm going to burn the King,I don't believe it's meant to be coddled ,BUT I am a firm advocate of dry wood and I've got plenty so only time will tell if the King can stand up to my burn methods.Interesting responses much appreciated.

Burn away!

I'm sure it will take more then I think.
I just don't have the need here for roaring fires.
After I'm well into my burn I like to have some flame to watch dancing around and ghost flames lingering by the cat..cool stuff..but if I'm not in the room it is turned back down to a boring smoldering fire box.lol.