OMG, fellow newbies, clean yer secondaries/cat more often...

[Spletz]

First year burner here. Thrilled early on, and underwhelmed the last month or so. I burn strictly <20 % MC oak and hickory normally, and no materials that could hurt a cat (wood only, no BS materials).

A month or so ago, I switched to some Ash that I cut up a year ago....burn times, clean glass, and BTUs seemed to suffer. I blamed it on the wood (and it maybe partially to blame, partially).

Today, I let the fire die and completely cleaned out ash and coals. And, for the first time (ever) in 4 months, brushed clean the secondary tubes and the cat thoroughly.

I'm sure this is a rookie learning curve, thus the title! Sorry to bore the seniors with this.

I cannot believe the difference in performance! Glass clean, flames incredible, secondaries alight, heat many degrees better than usual.

For an extra 10 mins of maintenance, what a massive difference.

It's 76 deg in and 5 deg out.

If you haven't already, clean up your stove and fall in love again!

 

[begreen]

Well done. With weather like you are having it pays to keep system in top working order.

 

[Spletz]

Well done. With weather like you are having it pays to keep system in top working order.

Thanks Begreen, I just can't believe what a difference it made to brush secondaries and cat, we ought tell newbies of its importance! Happy to be 12' away and burning up as I type, and still see clear glass to boot! Keep warm!

 

[begreen]

I think it was cleaning the cat that made the difference. Secondaries usually don't need cleaning because the air blows out of them

 

[Spletz]

I think it was cleaning the cat that made the difference. Secondaries usually don't need cleaning because the air blows out of them

Thanks again. Makes sense as cat looked like it was entirely ashed/clayed over. However, I noticed secondaries, post-cleaning, appeared stronger than previously.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks again. Makes sense as cat looked like it was entirely ashed/clayed over. However, I noticed secondaries, post-cleaning, appeared stronger than previously.

Since the engine that sucks the air out of your secondary tubes is the draft and since your draft had been ruined by that clayed over cat, cleaning the cat is the most likely cause for you joy. Keep an eye on it.

 

[begreen]

Agreed. That was my theory.

 

[Midway43]

How often should it be cleaned?

 

[JA600L]

How often should it be cleaned?

It should explain this in your owners manual. I have seen it said that it should be cleaned for every cord of wood used. Anytime you suspect a performance problem the cat would be the first thing to check.

 

[Highbeam]

Every stove is different. I have never had an accumulation of anything on the cat of my BK. Keep an eye on it for accumulation and if you can see any accumulation on the cat then clean it off. Hopefully cat access is good on your stove to monitor for this and to clean it.

 

[Spletz]

The difference in performance has been night and day. I will keep an eye out for this going forward for sure. Thanks all.

 

[Spletz]

All-

Please help. Everything looked good at the end of last years burn season. Now, I've started two fires, last nite and tonight. (Oak < 15 % MC). I've noticed smoke leaving the chimney and went to check my cat - dark, no glow! none. Insert is less than one year old, and I've done everything to burn responsibly - no paper, no bs, just wood.

Is my cat dead already? It normally glows like a sob and no smoke from the chimney.

Thoughts?

 

[JA600L]

Make sure something isn't clogging your chimney.

 

[webby3650]

It's normal for cats to be less active after they have some age on them. Yours though I'm afraid will suffer more than most. Very few, if any other cat stoves offer no type of flame shield to protect the cat from the flames. In fact the design of the hybrid stoves from Lopi dump secondary flames directly into the cat! In stove building history, protecting the cat has been #1 Even with a well shielded cat many, or should I say most have premature cat failure issues. My hybrid didn't experience cat failure, but every other baffle component failed after only 1 season.

 

[Spletz]

Really?!?!? So WTF?!? What are my options? For what I paid I'm less than thrilled with performance.

 

[PWash]

I dont own a cat stove but i read you can soak cats in vinegar/water mix every season to help clean them. see if your manual mentions that process?

 

[BrotherBart]

Good grief. I just looked at a schematic of that thing. I can't believe anybody is building a cat stove without a flame impingement shield on the cat. That lesson was learned in 1986. They are depending on the secondary burn to eat the flame before it gets to the cat.

Unbelievable.

 

[begreen]

Same complaint by webby3650 about their design with the Cape Cod freestander. Travis seems to like to run their cats naked.

 

[Dmitry]

I got the same stove and your post is scaring me. Although, my cat never got dirty. I've brushed it, but never got anything brushed out of it. I've burned bio bricks exclusively .
I remember when I was buying the stove the salesman told me I can get the cat out and burn as a secondary stove if I want. Not sure if its true.

 

[BrotherBart]

If I had one of them I would for sure leave that bypass open until the thing was rocking hard. The schematic I looked at tells me any flame going up and over that baffle is going straight into the cat. And all stoves with that baffle design, pretty much every EPA burner, has flame lapping over the front of the baffle during startup if it doesn't have a bypass open.

 

[webby3650]

 

[webby3650]

Travis Industries still to this day will not accept the fact that the cape cod has a flawed baffle design. I've personally talked to the engineers, in person. They act like they have never heard of any issues and said that they aren't aware of any cracked cape cod stoves. I sent the stove back to them but the engineers never saw it. Ya right!
The insert has a different design so I don't expect parts to warp like the free stander but I still don't see how that catalyst can hold up under these conditions. Why would they make the baffle way beefier in the insert if the free stander hadn't had any issues? Hmm...

 

[Dmitry]

That's what I got

 

[Highbeam]

That's what I got View attachment 161732

Hey, your baffle is warped. Lifted in the back! Cool picture to show it all.

 

[pdxdave]

Travis Industries still to this day will not accept the fact that the cape cod has a flawed baffle design. I've personally talked to the engineers, in person. They act like they have never heard of any issues and said that they aren't aware of any cracked cape cod stoves. I sent the stove back to them but the engineers never saw it. Ya right!
The insert has a different design so I don't expect parts to warp like the free stander but I still don't see how that catalyst can hold up under these conditions. Why would they make the baffle way beefier in the insert if the free stander hadn't had any issues? Hmm...

Yeah I seriously question that engineering. I didn't have the hybrid, but my non-cat version of almost the same stove had so many glaring design flaws it was unbelievable.