Long MFG Model 1662

[Grimmy347]

Hello,

My father-in-law has a long model 1662, and he really likes the catalytic combustor on my buck stove and he wanted to see if there was a way he could install that on his long 1662. Does anyone know if there is an insert for this or if he would have to get a whole new stove to have that feature? I know it greatly adds to the efficiency of my stove and allows me to easily heat my whole house with it. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Add-on catalysts don't do much for heating efficiency because they sit right on the flue collar. The Buck's catalyst is part of the interior combustion design that allows secondary air to be added and heat to be extracted before the smoke heads up the flue. They are designed to fit the stove's capacity and flue gas velocity. An add-on takes a one-size-fits-all approach and just passes this heat up the flue.

From Mother Earth News back in the 1980s:
"Any retrofit catalyst is a compromise because the stove that it’s installed in was not designed to insure an adequate supply of oxygen and good mixing of the smoke and oxygen at the combustor. Also, add-on catalysts are often positioned farther from active flames than are designed-in units, so the temperature of gases entering them is generally lower. This means that the add-on (and particularly the external) catalyst may be reluctant to “light off” at the beginning of a burn or after refueling."

They're also a bigger hassle to clean.

This article goes into more detail, but note that catalytic combustion has progressed further than the early date of this article. Most of the products mentioned at the end are no longer sold:

Wood Stove Catalytic Converter Retrofit – Mother Earth News

If you'd rather burn the smoke from your stove than clean it from your chimney, consider adding a retrofit wood stove catalytic converter.

www.motherearthnews.com