dam catalyst!!!

[WoodpileOCD]

Something is off... I'd be amazed if you could get to temps of 1700F with the bypass open. Your stove pipe would be glowing cherry red by then

+1 on this. 1700 is the upper limit of where a cat is supposed to burn without doing damage according to several sources I have read. I guess if that is actually when you engage it I would ask why? I engage mine at 400 and it goes up from there.

 

[Woodrow]

Just a few thoughts: Did you buy the replacement cat from a reputable source? I know cheap/substandard/counterfeit products from China have infiltrated all levels of consumer products. I could see some unscrupulous distributor selling a $10 counterfeit cat that didn't have the necessary percentage of precious metals in it and making a mint considering what they sell for. Not saying that's what it is, but I remember several years ago buying and installing several sets of wheel bearings (which failed way before their expected lifespan) for my old VW rabbit before I realized the bearings I was getting were cheap Chinese counterfeits. Just a thought, not trying to make you paranoid.

Otherwise I'd get right on the phone to customer support and disucss your problem with the stove manufacturer AND with the replacement cat manufacturer. You never know, they might know what the problem/fix is right off the bat. I'd definitely stop using the any waxy starter logs etc and see if the problem re-occurs. Also, I'd inspect the switching mechanism for the cat. Make sure the smoke path is fully directed into the cat when it it is switched on. Make sure the linkage and switch mechanism fully engages and it isn't a problem with partial engagement. Good luck figuring it out.

 

[VCBurner]

Ok. Lots of ideas being thrown out! Again, I must ask, have you had this problem since you started using the stove? You've used it for 3-4 seasons right? Has this problem been occurring from day one?

I can tell you that I used all kinds of fire starters with my VC Dw lg. Cat. Anything from fatwood to Rutland starter squares (which I found to be the most cost effective @ $11/122 pack) to different starter logs and even my own homemade fire starters (made out of candle wax and sawdust). None of those caused a clog in my cat. In fact I used both ceramic and a SS cat and never had one clog! I found the SS cat to light off much quicker. I could engage the cat as long as it was on its way up to 300° and it would do the work. The process would take between 10-30 minutes. Depending on how hot the stove was or if it was a cold start.

As some of us have said, if this problem has been going on from the get go, it may have something to do with your particular stove. Some of the old cat stoves just were not designed well and caused a backlash against catalytic technology from the consumers and the industry itself. Some companies vowed never to use cats again, others don't use it because it is cheaper to stick some SS re-burn tubes in a stove than to design a proper catalytic re-burn chamber and to buy the catalysts themselves.

Nowadays, there are good catalytic and non catalytic stoves available. Many here have operated cat stoves for 20 plus years and only replaced the cats once or twice. Catalysts should last from 6-10 years with proper operation. The same can be said about re-burn tube stoves, there are many out there that can provide good service with little trouble for many years. You should not have to clean up the secondary burn system constantly on any stove to get it to burn properly. There has to be something wrong with the stove you are using.