Adding a Cat

[WidowMaker]

Had anybody tried adding a Cat to an EPA non cat stove. Would there be any advantage to it???

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Methinks it would be a lot of redesigning the stove. You need a bypass with a cat stove. The reason is when you first start wood to burning you get the moisture evaporated. Moisture is the cat's enemy. That is why we bypass the cat for 10-15 minutes on every reload.

 

[begreen]

There used to be a 3d party add on catalyst for flue pipes. It had a bypass IIRC. I'm not sure if you can still get them.

Edit: Yep, Woodmans sells them

(broken link removed)

 

[Pagey]

Methinks it would be a lot of redesigning the stove. You need a bypass with a cat stove. The reason is when you first start wood to burning you get the moisture evaporated. Moisture is the cat's enemy. That is why we bypass the cat for 10-15 minutes on every reload.

Wonder how that would work out in a Lopi? Some of their models have a bypass damper which bypasses the baffle for starts and reloads. Again, I'm sure it would involve much redesigning.

 

[bluefrier]

Why add a CAT to an EPA NON-CAT? The cat would need smoke to function properly and so would the burn tubes. There would be no benefit unless you do away with the tubes and baffle of the non-cat and like Backwoods said you would need to add some type of bypass for the cat.

 

[oldAGE]

Had anybody tried adding a Cat to an EPA non cat stove. Would there be any advantage to it???

Quite honestly, you're asking for trouble. You're making a seriously simple device greatly complicated, more expensive to operate, and even possibly operate outside of it's designed limits. A CAT can light off quite a bit hotter than you think. It's no wonder that the most reputable manufacturers are using burn tubes for secondary rather than CATs these days.

My 2 cents for what it's worth (My Encore CAT is currently sitting around 595 on this chilly day)....
AGE

 

[Highbeam]

You guys have got to look at the add -on cats. It just sits up in the flue above the stove and has it's own"bypass" which is roatating the cat element sideways like a key damper in teh stove pipe. No reengineering, no adding a bypass, no risk of too much heat since the cat is designed to burn in the pipe. We would all like to thnk that our non-cat stoves burn cleanly but there is some smoke. The cat could be used to clean up the smoke. I don't know if there would be enough smoke to keep the cat active but this would be an experiment.

 

[Todd]

I don't see how those stove pipe cat add ons can work without some kind of secondary air supply to help ignite the smoke?

 

[katwillny]

Moisture is the cat's enemy. That is why we bypass the cat for 10-15 minutes on every reload.

BackWoods Savage, you bypass the Cat on every reload? So if you have a established fire and the Cat is engaged, litoff, and you need to add a few extra logs, do you bypas the Cat for 10 to 15 minutes then too?

 

[Highbeam]

I don't see how those stove pipe cat add ons can work without some kind of secondary air supply to help ignite the smoke?

Do you think they need an air supply? Why? Your car's catalyst doesn't have an air supply, at least not the modern ones. These flue cats never took off but they haven't died either so they, not unlike the magic heat, must do something other than just look pretty.

 

[Todd]

I don't see how those stove pipe cat add ons can work without some kind of secondary air supply to help ignite the smoke?

Do you think they need an air supply? Why? Your car's catalyst doesn't have an air supply, at least not the modern ones. These flue cats never took off but they haven't died either so they, not unlike the magic heat, must do something other than just look pretty.

I don't know for sure but most everything I've read about cat stoves say there is a secondary air supply near the cat to help ignition, mine does.

 

[WidowMaker]

My stove is a Lopi Endeavor, it has a by-pass. I was thinking Considering add a cat above and across the front of the smoke shelf, much in the mannor of a Blaze King. It would recieve secondary air from the front air tube. As shown in the antimation in this video...Thoughts

(broken link removed to http://www.blazeking.com/video1.html)

 

[greythorn3]

that blaze king video is so awesome!

 

[oldAGE]

Moisture is the cat's enemy. That is why we bypass the cat for 10-15 minutes on every reload.

BackWoods Savage, you bypass the Cat on every reload? So if you have a established fire and the Cat is engaged, litoff, and you need to add a few extra logs, do you bypas the Cat for 10 to 15 minutes then too?

You didn't address me but on my CAT, you have to. If you don't, the path of least resistance is for all heat and flue gas is in your face either via the top loading door or the double front doors. You have to bypass the CAT every time you open your stove. If it's just reloading, I bypass, reload, and re-engage. If your temps are too low, you have to let it get back to operating temps again.

AGE

 

[EatenByLimestone]

There is probably enough air going up the flue to feed the cat. It doesn't have to work 100%, it just needs to be hot enough to clean itself and scrub the flue gas a little.

If they were cheaper I think you would see more of them. I know I wouldn't put out $200 just to see what it did.

With the MH, at least you can see where it would work. (But not see the associated issues you might have.) With this, you are still out the cash, but it may not fire off... It may seriously dampen your draft, etc.

Matt

 

[WidowMaker]

There is probably enough air going up the flue to feed the cat. It doesn't have to work 100%, it just needs to be hot enough to clean itself and scrub the flue gas a little.

If they were cheaper I think you would see more of them. I know I wouldn't put out $200 just to see what it did.

With the MH, at least you can see where it would work. (But not see the associated issues you might have.) With this, you are still out the cash, but it may not fire off... It may seriously dampen your draft, etc. Matt

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Ive wasted lots more with 0% chance of return then $200...You probably have too...

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Completely agree! But I still like to limit the losses!


Matt

 

[johnn]

Why add a CAT to an EPA NON-CAT? The cat would need smoke to function properly and so would the burn tubes. There would be no benefit unless you do away with the tubes and baffle of the non-cat and like Backwoods said you would need to add some type of bypass for the cat.

I know in my non-Epa stove,,,there is no baffle,,,the top plate serves as a top plate , and i guess you could say the baffle also,,,the exhaust comes directly off it in the back,,,there are no tubes,,or firebrick for that matter,,,i guess im lucky it has c-channel serving as ducting for the hot air and blower :roll:

just a steel box you could get heat with a bic lighter from,,,gonna be an adjustment when i replace it next year

 

[Todd]

I think that pipe cat would be more effective if you took it out of the pipe and rigged it into the stove exhaust collar somehow, then it would keep more of the heat in the stove and not just heat up the pipe cherry red?

 

[BrotherBart]

This all sounds like fun stuff to try. With somebody else stove. Out in the yard.

 

[WidowMaker]

[quote author="Todd" date="1260069286"]I think that pipe cat would be more effective if you took it out of the pipe and rigged it into the stove exhaust collar somehow, then it would keep more of the heat in the stove and not just heat up the pipe cherry red?[/quote

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I wouldn't/wasn't even considering a pipe cat...