Pros/Cons: Steel vs. Ceramic Combustor

[isuphipsi1052]

Went through the "pre-season" checklist yesterday, swept the chimney, checked all gaskets on the stove, etc., checked the combustor. It was cracked. In searching for a replacement unit I came across the steel version made by Condar. Anyone use them? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to switching to the steel version? Also, while I was sweeping the liner, I noticed that the part the covers the chimney (kinda of like a piece of sheet metal bent to cover the existing masonry opening) was moving freely. It appears that when it was installed there was some type of sealant applied between the sheet metal and masonry (it appeared to be orange in color). Anyone know what was used so that I can reapply the same type of sealant?

 

[slindo]

The metal cats have been one of the mysteries of wood burning - they have been around long enough that you'd think they'd established a track record, but there is surprisingly little feedback about them. I haven't heard a single word, or read a single post, from sanyone saying they have had good luck with one, while one reliable stove shop told me they'd given them a try and gone back to the ceramic ones.

What gets me about them, is the base premise that SS will necessarily withstand heat better than ceramic. As I have just finished prising the twisted, bent remains of a heat exchanger out of my stove, which is made of SS considerably heavier than the steel cats are, I don't know how fair it is to expect the paper thin matrix of the SS cat to hold up any better.

If the warranty was a lot better than the one on the ceramic cat, I'd be tempted to try one. But since it isn't, I can't see any reason to.

 

[slindo]

I was just talking to Condar, and they said the metal cats I had heard negative comments about were probably the no-longer-made ACS, since the Condar metal cat hasn't been around that long.

They also swore that they have torture tested theirs thoroughly, and it outperforms the ceramic cats.

That is the manufacturer speaking, so it has to be taken with the usual grain of salt, but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

[Todd]

I really thought these new metal cats were going to take off. Elk use to call them "Super Cats" The great thing about metal cats is the resistance to thermo shock and lower light off temps. If you happen to use not so seasoned firewood you shouldn't have to worry about replacing a crumbling cat. But I remember someone on here, maybe it was Mike from Englander who said something about the precious metals don't stick to these cats as well as the ceramic ones so maybe they don't last as long? It would be nice to see some reviews.

 

[isuphipsi1052]

Received my new SS Cat from Condar last week. Installed it yesterday. WOW What a difference. The heat output from the stove was much improved, and the wood consumption was way, way down. I should have replaced the ceramic unit last year with this unit. Very pleased...