burning without the cat?

[saichele]

I have a VC WinterWarm Large that has burned well for 7 or 8 seasons. I was doing the annual maintenance/clean up/checking the gaskets and the cat started to disintegrate. The cover panel on the refractory was cracked, so I ordered another one of those too.

Come to find out it might be another month before it comes in. In the meantime, can I burn a fire in bypass without causing grief? If so, do you think I can flip the damper and run it through the refractory w/o the cat in there, or would that cause some damage to the refractory?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Heatsource]

I'm not a VC expert, but i'd assume the bypass should stay in the open position if the cat is removed.

 

[webby3650]

I don't see how you could hurt anything in there by running without the cat and the bypass closed.
What is the condition of the refractory box? The ones I have seen that needed a cat also needed a whole new box as well.

 

[saichele]

The refractory box looked solid. The front piece that fits in and covers the cat was cracked though - just sort of disintegrated in my hand. Looked like a section of the car crumbled, and that area was bulged, which cracked the refractory cover.

I guess I'm thinking the refractory normally handles the heat of the cat and cat exhaust, running regular smoke/flame shouldn't really be too much of a challenge.

 

[mellow]

For a short period of time you should be OK, but you will have to keep an eye out for creosote buildup and make sure your stove does not run away on you... ie keeping a closer eye on the temps.

 

[Heatsource]

I don't see how you could hurt anything in there by running without the cat and the bypass closed.
What is the condition of the refractory box? The ones I have seen that needed a cat also needed a whole new box as well.

i dont know they always seem to be falling apart

op, you could call VC and ask them

 

[jharkin]

What's out of stock, the cat or the refractory cover panel?


If you are willing to venture to other vendors Condar has cats in stock and I just got refractory parts from Fergusun's. The refractory should be good for a few cat changes. They die early from overfiring, but could last 10-20 years if not abused.