closing the cat "late" on Ashford 30

[green pacific]

hello Hearth.com folk. I'm new. I am very glad to have found this group and have benefitted a lot already, just lurking. Now I've joined and I have a question for you all.

I am very happy with my newish (it'll be a year this coming February) Blaze King Ashford 30. The one thing that keeps haunting me, though, is the remark in a YouTube "how to" and something in the manual that the cat should be closed as soon as it reaches the active zone. ... There's nothing screaming and no bold face or threats of eternal damnation, just a remark or two; maybe the terrifying word, "damage". So, if I am distracted and it's running for a while (15 minutes) in the active zone without the cat closed, what harm?

Thanks for your comments, knowledge and experiences!

 

[webby3650]

Warped parts is the biggest concern. If you forget for short time here and there it's not going to be an issue most likely. But with a full box of dry wood, things can change quick! You'll get the hang of it in no time. When you smell the hot stove pipe you'll remember pretty quick too!

 

[green pacific]

Warped parts is the biggest concern. If you forget for short time here and there it's not going to be an issue most likely. But with a full box of dry wood, things can change quick! You'll get the hang of it in no time. When you smell the hot stove pipe you'll remember pretty quick too!

Thanks, that's reassuring. And you're right: the stovepipe smell would be a giveaway (the paint still seems to "cure" when the fire gets hot -- yuck) and I haven't smelled that, just noticed the handle un-thrown and the needle up into the active zone, usually short of high noon. Luckily as it's been pretty mild here since I began using the stove, I haven't had huge loads of dry wood. Am amusing myself in these "shoulder season"s with making one-log fires! (which are plenty hot!) . ...

 

[Woody Stover]

Well, you have "green" in your username so I'd think you'd want to close the bypass and get the cat burning up all the nasties as soon as possible.

 

[mellow]

That is why I recommend getting a digital thermocouple so you can monitor temps, some even come with an alarm if you hit a certain temp.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292

 

[kennyp2339]

I accidently left my by-pass opened for a full hour, I let the stove cool down and did a quick inspection, first I took the cat grate and laid it on the floor to check for warping, I then checked the cat with a flash light, took the smoke pipe out and put the flash light in the stove box, closed the door and checked looking down with the lights off, to see if any light shinned through the plate, then the dollar bill test all the way around on the by-pass.
Was this overboard? Yes, but like green pacific says "haunting me" at nearly 3g's for the stove, I'm will to check everything for my dumb mistake.

 

[English BoB]

What Mellow said...........dont ask how I know.

Bob

 

[Woody Stover]

Was this overboard? Yes, but like green pacific says "haunting me" at nearly 3g's for the stove, I'm will to check everything for my dumb mistake.

Wow, that's pricey. What kind of stove do you have?

 

[kennyp2339]

Wow, that's pricey. What kind of stove do you have?

BK princess