rideau
Minister of Fire
Joful, as far as caking with fly ash, that was non-event in ceramic. Certainly is not a non-event in my SS cat. However, the cat works just fine, and only needs to be surface brushed occasionally. This is in a setting of approx. 450 stove top temps, and flue temps always kept under 900, so no high external thermal exposure.
Ceramic cat would work just fine in my setting, and I'd try one in a heartbeat if one was made for my stove.
However, I do have a lot of respect for the people at Woodstock, and firmly believe that if they did not believe the steel cat was the best long term solution, then they would not be working so hard to develop it with Sud Chemi. Certainly, going to the steel cats and dealing with the iterations, and the transport of cats to and from customers, has cost them much in time compared to sticking with ceramic cats, I'm sure.
The design of the PH calls for a very long, narrow cat. I don't know whether that places a limit on the feasibility of a ceramic cat. If so, Woodstock definitely has a vested interest in the development of a good, reliable steel cat. Which could be a factor.
Ceramic cat would work just fine in my setting, and I'd try one in a heartbeat if one was made for my stove.
However, I do have a lot of respect for the people at Woodstock, and firmly believe that if they did not believe the steel cat was the best long term solution, then they would not be working so hard to develop it with Sud Chemi. Certainly, going to the steel cats and dealing with the iterations, and the transport of cats to and from customers, has cost them much in time compared to sticking with ceramic cats, I'm sure.
The design of the PH calls for a very long, narrow cat. I don't know whether that places a limit on the feasibility of a ceramic cat. If so, Woodstock definitely has a vested interest in the development of a good, reliable steel cat. Which could be a factor.