Cat working even if it's not glowing?

[Darl Bundren]

I've been burning in my Keystone fairly regularly with pretty good wood. When I engage the cat, sometimes it glows. At other times when the surface temps seem comparable (and firebox activity looks pretty lively) it does not glow. Is the cat still working even if it is not glowing?

 

[North of 60]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/36621/ try this, Thanx to Todd. Have you checked your chimney for smoke. No visible smoke= probably working. Mine will stop glowing after a few hrs into my low turn down when stove top drops below 500f. All is clear up above. ;-)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I can see where it could be frustrating not knowing. My wife still doesn't understand it. Sometimes when we engage the cat the glow will be in less than a minute. Other times it might take 20 minutes and at other times it just does not glow (usually not a full load of wood either).


What is the stove top temperature? Sometimes ours does not glow but the stove top temperature goes up fast and that for sure is a key to knowing the cat is working. A lot depends upon the wood; how much smoke you are getting. Not much smoke, not much glow to the cat.


Another thing could be your temperature gauge is off and you might be engaging too soon.

 

[Darl Bundren]

Thanks for the info. I'm not seeing any smoke, my set off temps are accurate as I double checked the stovetop thermometer with a digital infrared one, so I guess everything is as it should be. No glow = no big deal.