My Ashley20 is 7 years old. It's not putting out the same heat it used to so I am wondering about the cat. It glows, but only in the middle. The sides seem "cool." I burn from October to April with 24/7 burning from December to March. I've used mostly pine and fir since that's what we grow, but this year I landed some birch. When my cord is done I'll be back to fir in the remaining cords. So, it's either the cat, I'm thinking, or maybe the birch is not dry enough. I don't have a moisture measurer. Opinions anyone? See cat photo
Cat Life Span
- Thread starter Maddi in the Cariboo
- Start date
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It could very well be the cat.
I would order one. And order gasket for a few cat swaps
Then you can run with the new cat. If it runs well,.solved. if it runs the same you can put the old one back.
@Highbeam runs similar heating season and fuel.
I would order one. And order gasket for a few cat swaps
Then you can run with the new cat. If it runs well,.solved. if it runs the same you can put the old one back.
@Highbeam runs similar heating season and fuel.
Wisco Shepherd
Minister of Fire
Wet wood could be the issue. Cooling off the cat as your baking the moisture out of the stove. Also the entire cat does not need to glow evenly.
When the stove is in the active zone is any smoke visible out of your chimney? How long has the birch been split and stacked out of the weather for?
Here’s some Cat info from the manufacturer;
When the stove is in the active zone is any smoke visible out of your chimney? How long has the birch been split and stacked out of the weather for?
Here’s some Cat info from the manufacturer;
FireCatâ„¢ Catalytic Combustors FAQ's
Applied Ceramic's purpose for this guide is that of giving you a better understanding on how the Firecatâ„¢ catalytic combustor works in your EPA certified catalytic stove and the role it plays in reducing harmful air pollution.
www.firecatcombustors.com
Regardless, get a new cat. The current one, if still okay, will fail at some point - and given it's age, odds are sooner rather than later. Better have a new one on the shelf ready to go.
I didn’t know Ashley had a cat stove? Have any other pictures of the stove? Anyways I agree with the others that the cat more than likely needs replacing.
Even 28 months of 24/7 burning is more than I get out of a catalyst when I burn low and with PNW species such as doug fir.
Also, that ashford 20 came with the silly steel cat that is even worse for life expectancy and they clog up.
Maddi: Check that cat for cloggage. They clog on the front, the back, and in the middle so it's not always easy to know.
Is it smoking? The cat is well past it's life expectancy in my experience so every day is a bonus. Definitely get a new cat on the shelf because you are on borrowed time. Plus it's just smart to have the next cat ready. These are a wear item.
Owner’s manual mentions nothing about acetic acid for combustor cleaning so I’d guess BK doesn’t think favourably of the procedure? If it’s not mentioned in the owners manual I stay away from “other ideas”
I do like vinegar as a glass cleaner or on my fries.
I did it once, really well, and made a whole thread about it. It worked to improve the cat, bring it back from the dead enough to work but only got me a few months of extra life. Totally not worth the effort unless it’s an emergency or something. It takes time, a new gasket, vinegar, a stinky mess, and just doesn’t gain you much.
Just pop in a new one once your cat dies and you verify it’s not just clogged. They’re cheap and easy to replace.
Yes, cheap. A properly running cat even saves you money beyond its price due to wood savings.
Also cheap compared to the cost of a vinegar bath process to gain a couple of months.
Woodstock recommends it once per year for their steel cats. So maybe if it’s done as yearly maintenance it helps?
spudman99
Feeling the Heat
I routinely hear in the forums that the cost of a cat is a negative and factors against using that stove. I find that silly. How many of those forum users have a pick up truck that will typically burn $100 a month or more in gas. A $300 cat by comparison is cheap. Yes I realize that a vehicle is a necessity (so is gas), but wouldn't a stove then be the same. We need heat, think of the cat the gas tank of the stove. Spread that $300 cost over 3 years of even just 4 month burning, then its $25 a month. Cheaper than 2 drinks at a bar or a case of beer.
Burnin Since 1991
Minister of Fire
True.
On the other hand the arguments "from the other (tube stove) side" are that they do not have to pay any (cat) cost.
In your analogy, they have a car that doesn't use gas...
Imo, "expensive" is too subjective a notion to be useful here. $200 may be expensive to some, it may be economically justifiable (investment leading to lower cost down the road) to some, and it may be in the financial noise to others.
But they don’t have quite the turn down cat stoves do so they are going through more wood, there’s a break even at some point. Even if wood is “free” processing costs and time has a value.
That's THE key issue, IMHO. In addition to the wood consumed, it's just a comfort issue. The ability to run low and slow with high efficiency (active cat) is to me probably the biggest plus of BK.
You talking about the vinegar cleaning ? Maybe I'll try it with an old one I have lying around and stick it in and see what happens.
Yes, fill a spray bottle with 50/50 vinegar/distilled water and spray the cat, let stand for a bit then rinse with distilled water. I think they have a video of it somewhere.
Here’s some cat bath info. I did the deep clean vinegar bath years ago and didn’t notice much difference.
