Cat Thermometer

[newenglandstove]

Hey everyone..

New stove owner here. I had a hearthstone Clydesdale installed this past weekend. I'll admit ahead of time this is probably a ridiculous question so I apologize in advance...

I have quickly come to find I am beyond nervous about getting the stove too hot and breaking it.... Like obsessively nervous (I set up a phone the other day to monitor the catalyst thermometer so I could facetime it while I was on a work call in the other room). I've done pretty well keeping the fire burning in the "catalyst active" range, as in I've never gone into the too hot section, but I just recently got pretty close (within a half millimeter of going over). I guess my question is, should I be worried I'm going to break the stove if I get up to the upper end of the catalyst active range on the thermometer a few times a day? Or is that normal operation?

Again, probably a ridiculous question, but I'm very anal about taking good care of my stuff and I'm concerned about warping parts or cracking any of the castings so wanted to check with the pros.

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[begreen]

Damage to the catalyst from overheating is not the same as overfiring and overheating the stove. It sounds like you are doing ok. A new catalyst can be hyperactive for the first couple weeks but should settle down. You can also slow down the fire by the way it is loaded. Burning larger, thick splits and tight packing will slow the fire down. Turning down the air sooner than later also helps.

 

[newenglandstove]

Damage to the catalyst from overheating is not the same as overfiring and overheating the stove. It sounds like you are doing ok. A new catalyst can be hyperactive for the first couple weeks but should settle down. You can also slow down the fire by the way it is loaded. Burning larger, thick splits and tight packing will slow the fire down. Turning down the air sooner than later also helps.

Good to know. Thanks!

When you first start a fire, how long after starting it do you turn the air down?

Also, would you recommend getting a stove thermometer as well to ensure I don't overheat the stove? I've been using an IR thermometer and have been getting stove top readings of ~150-350F. Closer to the back of the stove, near the stove pipe (I think? It's an insert) I've gotten as high as 450.