Burning a Country Flame 1991 Cat Stove Slow and getting brown/black NEW glass

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777funk

Member
Sep 12, 2014
126
MO
I usually keep just enough coals on a log to keep burning and not smoke much. I crank it down at night to where it'll still be slowly burning in the morning. I'll have one or two logs glowing and in the morning 1/4 of the material is still there.

Anything wrong with this approach? Heat wise it's giving what we need and not using too much wood.

I'm getting dirty glass though and if I don't clean it every day it gets pretty dark with brown soot. Eventually, it'll build a layer of dark brown that has to be scrapped off and is crusty.

This is a new piece of glass from a local glass shop. He said the type is Pyroceram but he didn't know (or reveal) the brand or much information. I wasn't all that comfortable here. I paid $125 for the glass. The inside of the stove also has the same residue. I don't know what to look for but I don't see an air wash for the glass fWIW.
 
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So long as the cat has enough heat to ignite, and all that smoke / creosote you are making in the stove gets consumed by the cat and not deposited in your chimney, then it's a legitimate way to operate a cat stove.

That said, when operating at a smolder like this, expecting the cat to do all the work of consuming the smoke since there is minimal air being allowed into the stove, you are going to have dirty glass / insides. The only solution is for a hotter fire.

You can try putting less wood in the stove but giving things more air so it runs hotter. Think shorter hotter fire to get the btu's you need instead of long and low.

In all, if you keep with this approach, just make sure that cat is up to temp and operating properly.

pen
 
Thanks! Eventually the cat will cool as the fire dies down through the night. But at that point there's not a lot of smoke anyways (just embers that are burning clean). I wonder if this is a problem.

I wish my stove was a little shorter in the firebox. There's about 18" from the bottom to the cat. It's a big stove. It's not real cold yet but on the few 35F days it was more than enough to get the house hotter than I liked. Guess it's better for the stove to be a little too big than not quite enough. Overnight slow burns keep it 65F at night which is good with me.
 
I just purchased a Country Flame Wood Stove form house some bought and they didn't want the stove. I have a manual that really isn't much help on this older model. It has all the info plates on it. What it is an R6 Feb. 1991 test date & Oct.1994 sale date. Serial #4639. The rear plate says 2250. It appears to be in good shape. Some 1/3 of the firebrick is gone looks like it was poured in and then grooved to look like river rock. It is stuck fast. To put new firebrick in I will have to break it out with a chisel and tapping with a hammer. There is no blower which is fine, I guess. I have been using a 200 year old large potbelly RR stove and it worked good in here, a 32'x32 log cabin. I am 77 and cut, split and stack my wood. I would like to try using less wood. I don't know what next year will bring??

Is it necessary to use a grate? And what is a cat. and does this stove have one and where? I see how the damper works but what is the handle below the door for??? I can pull in and out but can't see what it is doing? If there is anything else I need to know...have at it, never too old to lean. Thanks and God bless
 
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I usually keep just enough coals on a log to keep burning and not smoke much. I crank it down at night to where it'll still be slowly burning in the morning. I'll have one or two logs glowing and in the morning 1/4 of the material is still there.

Anything wrong with this approach? Heat wise it's giving what we need and not using too much wood.

I'm getting dirty glass though and if I don't clean it every day it gets pretty dark with brown soot. Eventually, it'll build a layer of dark brown that has to be scrapped off and is crusty.

This is a new piece of glass from a local glass shop. He said the type is Pyroceram but he didn't know (or reveal) the brand or much information. I wasn't all that comfortable here. I paid $125 for the glass. The inside of the stove also has the same residue. I don't know what to look for but I don't see an air wash for the glass fWIW.


Hi, I just posted on the Fourm and hope that some one some like you can help me learn more about my Country Flame R 6 from1991
 
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The stove doesn't need a grate. I think the Country Flame around this time did have a cat, but I am not familiar with this stove model. A catalytic combustor is used to burn up wood gases in the smoke before they go up the chimney. There is usually a bypass lever on the stove to open up the flue to directly exhaust the smoke, or to divert it past the cat. You might try contacting Magnum with a picture of your stove to see if they have the manual.
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If the stove needs a lot of work and parts it may be cheaper to get a new stove.