I'm having a lot of trouble with my VC Defiant CAT stove as far as back-puffing, CAT overfiring, and temperature regulation. I'm also tired of baby-sitting it; a problem which I never had with my previous non-CAT stove (Avalon Olympic). I'm using the same wood with the Defiant that I used with the Olympic; it is possible that my wood is not as dry as it should be for the Defiant. I ordered a moisture meter so will have more information about that shortly.
The questions is whether in general non-CAT stoves are more forgiving over CAT stoves if the wood is not perfectly seasoned? Or are the problems I'm having more due to my specific stove? I am considering replacing my Defiant with something else and am wondering what direction to go in. If my wood is not perfectly seasoned, I could certainly try to get better wood, but I would think that occassionally some of the wood might still have a bit higher moisture content and I don't want the stove to barf every time there is a little bit of wood which isn't perfectly dry. I also want to be able to babysit the stove less, especially in the morning when I need to go to work and don't have so much time.
Thanks!
The questions is whether in general non-CAT stoves are more forgiving over CAT stoves if the wood is not perfectly seasoned? Or are the problems I'm having more due to my specific stove? I am considering replacing my Defiant with something else and am wondering what direction to go in. If my wood is not perfectly seasoned, I could certainly try to get better wood, but I would think that occassionally some of the wood might still have a bit higher moisture content and I don't want the stove to barf every time there is a little bit of wood which isn't perfectly dry. I also want to be able to babysit the stove less, especially in the morning when I need to go to work and don't have so much time.
Thanks!