An Insert that Came With My House

[Fraxinensis]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here. I feel bad about having my first post be a bunch of newbie questions, but then again I suppose I have to start somehow.

I bought a house last fall, and only recently started using the fireplace insert that was in the house when I bought it. First of all, I don't have a manual of any kind for it. It seems to be the same insert as in this link, which the person who posted the video calls an "Ultimate BV Large Wood Fireplace Insert." However, when I search this very little comes up, so I can't find a manual.

The chimney sweep said that the stove has a catalytic converter, which should burn the smoke once the fire gets hot enough. I did some research on catalytic stoves, however, and this insert doesn't have a thermometer or any way of "engaging the catalyst" (as many of the websites I've seen say) unless that just means closing the damper. I do see that the catalyst starts glowing when the fire gets hot, but it stops glowing shortly after I turn on the fan that distributes the heat throughout the house. The fire gets the house warmer, but I don't feel like I'm doing quite the right thing with the catalyst because the increase in heat once it gets going is relatively modest, and the catalytic converter stops glowing during the fire.

Should I be closing the damper all the way? The chimney sweep suggested leaving it open a tiny crack, "just in case," but I wonder if that is preventing the catalyst from fully lighting. Also, there are two small vents at the bottom that can be opened and closed. Should I be closing them once the fire gets going? A lot of information I have found discusses the problems with letting the fire smolder, and since I live in an area with frequent bad air/ no burn days I want to burn as cleanly as possible, but it seems like a hot, subdued fire is what I should be trying for to get the converter working.

Thank you!

 

[Heatsource]

dang google is failing me. nada on that stove model, any idea who makes it?
(label may be on back, or side of unit or behind surround panels)

 

[begreen]

Sure is a big wide baby, but I know nothing about it.

 

[MasterMech]

Uh Oh, if BeGreen is stumped then we are in trouble.

Perhaps some pictures with close-ups of the controls would help some of the experts here get you roaring.

 

[begreen]

He did provide a link to this video:

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And yes, this chump is stumped.

 

[Woody Stover]

The chimney sweep said that the stove has a catalytic converter, which should burn the smoke once the fire gets hot enough. I did some research on catalytic stoves, however, and this insert doesn't have a thermometer or any way of "engaging the catalyst" (as many of the websites I've seen say) unless that just means closing the damper. I do see that the catalyst starts glowing when the fire gets hot, but it stops glowing shortly after I turn on the fan that distributes the heat throughout the house. The fire gets the house warmer, but I don't feel like I'm doing quite the right thing with the catalyst because the increase in heat once it gets going is relatively modest, and the catalytic converter stops glowing during the fire.

Should I be closing the damper all the way? The chimney sweep suggested leaving it open a tiny crack, "just in case," but I wonder if that is preventing the catalyst from fully lighting. Also, there are two small vents at the bottom that can be opened and closed. Should I be closing them once the fire gets going? A lot of information I have found discusses the problems with letting the fire smolder, and since I live in an area with frequent bad air/ no burn days I want to burn as cleanly as possible, but it seems like a hot, subdued fire is what I should be trying for to get the converter working.

I assume that your sweep has inspected the chimney and found it to be safe. Is there a stainless liner all the way to the top of the masonry chimney?
The "damper" is probably the bypass, which allows smoke from the firebox to exit directly into the flue, without passing through the combustor. It should be open when you are starting a fire and bringing the stove up to temp. If the stove is up to temp, you should see the combustor start to glow when you close the bypass and the smoke is routed through the combustor. The cat can be burning the smoke, but not glowing. The only way to tell for sure if the smoke is being burned is to go out and see what's coming out of the chimney. If the cat is glowing, it will eventually stop as the load enters the coaling stage and there are less volatiles to burn. Sometimes on my Buck 91, the cat will glow less when I turn on the blower but once it is burning, it should stay hot enough to continue to burn the smoke. The bypass should be closed completely once the stove is up to temp, and should be open until then. Is there a provision for a cat probe on the stove, a small hole in the upper front face of the stove where the probe stem is inserted? I also have a surface thermometer on the front of the Buck 91 where the top plate of the firebox intersects the front of the stove. You can't just put that thermo anywhere and get a good reading of firebox temp, since the sides and top of the stove have a shell that the blower air passes through.
Here's a pic of the thermos I have above the load door on the Buck 91. The combustor probe is to the right of the bypass spring handle and the surface thermo is to the left.
(broken image removed)

The two vents at the bottom are most likely your primary air controls. They should cause the fire to burn hotter when they are opened. Cat stoves are designed to "smolder" because the cat will still burn the smoke. Where are you looking that you can see the combustor glowing? Can you get a good look at the combustor, possibly when the fire is out? This seems unlikely; The Buck 91 has a shield below it in the firebox, and the only way to see it glow is to look in around the bypass rod on the front of the stove. To inspect the combustor, I have to remove the shield below it, and the frame that holds it in place in the top of the firebox. If you are getting a lot of smoke (not steam) out of the stack when the combustor is engaged, the condition of the combustor should be assessed.

any idea who makes it?
(label may be on back, or side of unit or behind surround panels)

Yeah, if you can find the UL tag on that thing, it'll have the model number, date of manufacture and other useful info.

 

[tickbitty]

The guy who posted the video of that insert has an additional video on there too,

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and in the comments section he says the stove is from 1994 and a company that's gone out of business called "Ultimate Heating Systems" and is called "Large Insert,"
there doesn't seem to be much more in a google search but here's the replacement cat
http://www.inandoutlifestyles.com/ulhewostcaco.html
(broken link removed)

 

[Fraxinensis]

Thank you for the responses, everyone. After posting I did some more research (mostly around these forums) and I think I figured out a little bit more than I knew before. A1 Stoves, the front of the unit says "Ultimate." When the chimney sweep came, he seemed to recognize the brand, but I can't find anything about it online except in that one video.

I assume that your sweep has inspected the chimney and found it to be safe. Is there a stainless liner all the way to the top of the masonry chimney?

Yes, he said that it was safe. His report states that there is a liner, but it doesn't say that it is stainless or that it goes all the way to the top. He also spent a while going over how the insert works, but it was all somewhat vague.

The "damper" is probably the bypass, which allows smoke from the firebox to exit directly into the flue, without passing through the combustor. It should be open when you are starting a fire and bringing the stove up to temp. If the stove is up to temp, you should see the combustor start to glow when you close the bypass and the smoke is routed through the combustor. The catcan be burning the smoke, but not glowing.

Yes, I believe I figured that out last night. I got the fire going, closed the bypass, and the cat started glowing fairly quickly, and brighter than it had on previous tries. As the cat gets going, I often hear a kind of clicking sound. I'm not sure if this is related to the catalyst or if there's some other reason. As the high flames started to settle down and the fire seemed more like coals or embers, the cat stopped glowing but the insert and the house stayed very warm.

The only way to tell for sure if the smoke is being burned is to go out and see what's coming out of the chimney. If the cat is glowing, it will eventually stop as the load enters the coaling stage and there are less volatiles to burn. Sometimes on my Buck 91, the cat will glow less when I turn on the blower but once it is burning, it should stay hot enough to continue to burn the smoke. The bypass should be closed completely once the stove is up to temp, and should be open until then.

Yes, this is about what I started doing. Outside, there is very little smoke once the bypass is closed. It is white/ clear, and very difficult to see. If I open the bypass back up, it seems to smoke a bit more (though still not terribly much) which makes me think that the cat is burning the smoke.

Is there a provision for a cat probe on the stove, a small hole in the upper front face of the stove where the probe stem is inserted? I also have a surface thermometer on the front of the Buck 91 where the top plate of the firebox intersects the front of the stove. You can't just put that thermo anywhere and get a good reading of firebox temp, since the sides and top of the stove have a shell that the blower air passes through.

No, there is no hole to put a probe stem in, the only thing even remotely close to being a hole for a probe stem is a small open gap between the top part of the insert and the main body/ front panel, underneath the little lip. It isn't open to the inside, of course, but it is the closest area to the catalyst that has any kind of opening. Looking at the picture, where would you recommend I put a surface thermometer? And how exactly would the reading of the surface thermometer corollate to the temperature inside the firebox?

Last night, burning about four logs, I was able to get the house to about seventy degrees according to the thermostat. It was warmer than that near the insert. Does that sound like a reasonable and expected amount of heat (the starting temperature in the house was in the high fifties)?

When I checked the fire box today, there was a lot of mostly white ash in the bottom, with a few small black chunks of charred wood. In the past there's been less white ash and more charred wood, so I think that I'm on the right track.

 

[Fraxinensis]

Yesterday I noticed that there is a small hole near the bypass control, on the top of the stove, not the front plate. This seems like it could be the place for the thermometer. Does anyone have any suggestions for good thermometers?

 

[mellow]

Condar is who I use for a cat probe, you will need to measure to find out how long you will need.

(broken link removed to http://www.condar.com/cat_meters_woodstoves.html)