Buck Stove 91 Catalytic Converter Fix.

[Conrad Swensen]

I'm new to this group but not new to wood stoves. We have owned our Buck Stove 91 for over 10 years and purchased it used...so it is at least 15 years old. We use our stove all the time here in Ohio, probably three months of the year full time. The stove has never been running the way I've heard it should so I we put a stainless steel liner in and always check the moisture of the wood (between 7-14%). The glass on the stove would get very dirty with black shiny creosote. Also, every year I have removed the Catalytic Converter (CC) and cleaned it...no real damage...looked good to me. I talked to the local fire place shop that sells Buck and they said the CC doesn't go bad...if it isn't broken, cracked, or clogged don't worry about it. Anyway, this year the glass got very bad, very fast. I decided to purchase a new CC, and it cost $300..ouch! Anyway, it transformed the stove I can not believe the difference it made, it generates so much more heat and the glass stays way cleaner, just a little bit of a smudge on the corners after a week of burning. Anyway, I just wanted to pass this tip along hopping it might help somebody. Thanks.

 

[begreen]

The catalyst is good for about 10,000 hrs. If the stove is used for 24/7 heat the lifespan can be as little as 3 yrs. A sign that the cat is dying is when you start seeing smoke out of the chimney with the cat engaged.

 

[_CY_]

before you replace any cat
remove guard then use low pressure air to blow off all the ash
don't use high pressure air as that could damage cat

what works good is a quality shop vac with good filtration
then hookup hose to exhaust side of vac to blow off ash
wear a good mask for this job