I read this quote in another discussion on cats and now I'm worried that I'm killing my cat (the important cat. The other one I'd like to kill sometimes. >:-( . )
Here is the situation.
In the first hour or two of a full reload my cat probe jumps to 1500 regularly and with everything shut down as far as it will go, I get no flame in the firebox but plenty of smoke being generated from the smoldering. My cat is glowing like nobody's business above the flame impingement plate and I can see the smoke pouring into it. I then get the pre-cat combustion referred to below and it will dance between the plate and the cat. If I open the primary just a bit I can get some flame in the box and that extinguishes the flame below the cat. I don't like to open it up as it starts to go through the wood and I get plenty of heat with it shut down.
My question is whether or not I should be concerned about flame impingement damage to the cat with this going on. It doesn't happen all the time and haven't figured out yet the circumstances that start it because sometimes I get a good set of secondaries dancing under the impingement plate for a couple of hours.
I have to watch carefully when I have a full load and don't have the blowers on as it WILL try to run up to 1800-2000 on occasion which I know is also very bad. As I learn more about this stove I'm realizing that I don't have the low end air control that I need even with evrything closed down all the way. I'm going to have to start thinking about some mods to the primary air plates underneath. This is installed as an insert so a flue damper won't work.
Thanks in advance.
[quote author="jharkin" date="1326405008"]Ive learned to watch it like a hawk anytime I see the temp go over 1600. From experience Ive found that 1650-1700 sets up the right conditions to trigger spontaneous secondary combustion before the cat, resulting in the upper fireback glowing cherry red. very bad. Also Condars manual says anything over 1700 will degrade the cat.[/quote]
EDIT: Pic added. The lower black area is the impingement plate below the cat.
Here is the situation.
In the first hour or two of a full reload my cat probe jumps to 1500 regularly and with everything shut down as far as it will go, I get no flame in the firebox but plenty of smoke being generated from the smoldering. My cat is glowing like nobody's business above the flame impingement plate and I can see the smoke pouring into it. I then get the pre-cat combustion referred to below and it will dance between the plate and the cat. If I open the primary just a bit I can get some flame in the box and that extinguishes the flame below the cat. I don't like to open it up as it starts to go through the wood and I get plenty of heat with it shut down.
My question is whether or not I should be concerned about flame impingement damage to the cat with this going on. It doesn't happen all the time and haven't figured out yet the circumstances that start it because sometimes I get a good set of secondaries dancing under the impingement plate for a couple of hours.
I have to watch carefully when I have a full load and don't have the blowers on as it WILL try to run up to 1800-2000 on occasion which I know is also very bad. As I learn more about this stove I'm realizing that I don't have the low end air control that I need even with evrything closed down all the way. I'm going to have to start thinking about some mods to the primary air plates underneath. This is installed as an insert so a flue damper won't work.
Thanks in advance.
[quote author="jharkin" date="1326405008"]Ive learned to watch it like a hawk anytime I see the temp go over 1600. From experience Ive found that 1650-1700 sets up the right conditions to trigger spontaneous secondary combustion before the cat, resulting in the upper fireback glowing cherry red. very bad. Also Condars manual says anything over 1700 will degrade the cat.[/quote]
EDIT: Pic added. The lower black area is the impingement plate below the cat.