new ss cat

hey guys i have ordered the new ss cat for my fireview and i have it jusy waiting for the fire to go out completely which takes forever lol! i currently have the old cat which i engage when the stove pipe temp reaches 300 degrees. i have read that they can be engaged sooner if thats so at which temp should i engage the new ss cat?

Word is that you can engage the SS cat at 250.

They say the steel cat will light off at 400 verses 500 for the ceramic. If you had good results at a 300 pipe temp I'd say give it a try at 250 and see what happens. Could you post a picture of this new cat? I've heard they improved it from the other ss cat.

They light off super-quick until they settle in, at which point they are pretty similar to the ceramics. Did you also get the stainless scope?

I would not engage the cat until the flue temperature reaches 400. Stove top should be 250 or close to it. They do say you can light off at 200 with the steel cat but we've had better performance if we wait until 250 or very close to that temperature. I can see no need for a higher temperature.

I would also caution that it is also good to look at the fire in addition to the temperatures. I've heard of some getting the flue really hot right away and flipping the cat on but the fire has not even charred the wood. If the wood is questionable on dryness then you are asking for problems. If you know your wood is super dry, then you don't have to wait a long time but if it isn't, you'll only create problems. Let the moisture burn off first.