Do you engage the cat on a Fireview breakin fire?

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Bub381

Minister of Fire
Feb 4, 2011
872
Mid-coast Maine
I know to do 2 or 3 small to moderate breakins and with the cat it seems as though that may be too warm of a fire.Can't find it in the manual. Just checking.
 
I'm wondering if engaging the cat might create too much heat for these first fires. I don't think that I engaged the cat when I did mine, as I recall.
 
When you break the stove in with 3 small fires my .02 or recommendation is not to engage the cat. You want to season the stove. After that is said and done when you build the ember bed and maintain cat temps then I would reccommend and engage.
 
I didn't and wouldn't until you are done with the breakins. Backwoods Sav or Todd may have more experience though.

fv
 
Runnin at 200 and seems happy there.Just addin a little piece of wood every so often.
 
2nd fire hovering around 300,when i start this stove from dead cold i get a pretty good amount of smoke out of the air intake which subsides in about 3 to 5 min's.Mainly with the door open,i'm assuming this is because of the warm weather poor draft conditions.I checked the draft with a match under the lid and it was pulling hard but it's when i have alot of smoke in the stove at startup.I just close the door and it stops so it's no biggy.Just checkin.
 
Warm your flue! If I am going from a cold start then I always burn several pieces of paper in the stove to get the flue/chimney warmed up, it makes all the difference.

fv
 
My apologies. I know not what happened but I made a post to this yesterday and today it is gone. Gremlins at work?

Break-in for Fireview.

1. Build first fire with kindling. Light it and just let it burn itself out.

2. Second fire build with kindling and 1 or 2 splits; small splits. Just let the fire go until it is out.

3. Now you want the stove to heat up well. At least to 400 degrees. Build a fire with kindling and add 3 splits should do the trick (possibly 4 but usually 3). Yes, this time you will be engaging the cat. You can do this from 200-250 stove top temperature; 400-500 flue temperature. Once you engage the cat, just let the stove burn until it is down to coals. The stove is ready to use now so enjoy the heat.
 
2nd fire hovering around 300,when i start this stove from dead cold i get a pretty good amount of smoke out of the air intake which subsides in about 3 to 5 min's.Mainly with the door open,i'm assuming this is because of the warm weather poor draft conditions.I checked the draft with a match under the lid and it was pulling hard but it's when i have alot of smoke in the stove at startup.I just close the door and it stops so it's no biggy.Just checkin.

Bub, that is a good second fire. Do not be surprised also if you get some black glass. We got some black on our glass during this break-in and that is the only time we've had black. The black went away on the third break-in fire and all was well from then on.


Also, if you are getting smoke out of the intake, close the firebox door. You need the heat to go into the chimney as the warm chimney is what you need for the draft.
 
Just as i figured Dennis.Breakin fires all done and burning a little over 400 for the day.Nice to not get driven out of the house though it is still quite hot but a smooth heat.We did have to open windows but gotta try er out.Sure like this cat,don't she purrrrrrr.
 
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Did you see any sweating on the stone during break in? Sometimes a new Woodstock will show some moisture escaping from the stone on the first couple break in fires.

I also like to do a break in fire or two at the beginning of each season to drive out any moisture from the previous humid summer just in case.
 
I just ran it without the cat on the break-in but I don't think it would make too much difference, as the cat would just heat up the lid a little more, not the entire stove, especially with a small load.
I know not what happened but I made a post to this yesterday and today it is gone.
Did you have a lot of jumbo pics in that post? ;lol
 
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No stone sweating but the seam on the back bottom of the firebox sweated something that looked like power steering fluid.She;s up and running now but i'm not running anything over 400.No need to.
 
No stone sweating but the seam on the back bottom of the firebox sweated something that looked like power steering fluid.She;s up and running now but i'm not running anything over 400.No need to.

Oh that could be a problem if you suddenly need to take a hard, right-hand turn with your Fireview . . . be careful. ;)
 
lol,sweated the moisture out of my cement i know,all left turns here.
 
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