Catalytic stove - burning creosote off glass?

[wkpoor]

I wonder why vc decided to go with single pane glass. My old/sold (relatively new vc nc) had single pane glass and if I closed air too fast, glass would darken. My new (very old vc cat) has double pane and it has not once darken when closing air too fast.... I like the two pane system much better!

My Elm has the 2 pane system, ceramic with the plate over it, and the glass stays surprisingly clean considering its doesn't have any airwash system. I get a slight brownish haze at the end of a burn cycle that can be burned of in the next round.
A good airwash like the Englander or US Stove has completely solves the dirty glass issue.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I wonder why vc decided to go with single pane glass. My old/sold (relatively new vc nc) had single pane glass and if I closed air too fast, glass would darken. My new (very old vc cat) has double pane and it has not once darken when closing air too fast.... I like the two pane system much better!

My Elm has the 2 pane system, ceramic with the plate over it, and the glass stays surprisingly clean considering its doesn't have any airwash system. I get a slight brownish haze at the end of a burn cycle that can be burned of in the next round.
A good airwash like the Englander or US Stove has completely solves the dirty glass issue.

Did you ever post pics and do a review of the elm? I'd like to read about it.

 

[wkpoor]

Did you ever post pics and do a review of the elm? I’d like to read about it.

Not an official stand alone post. I've made a few comments attached to other threads. I can, if you like, do a new thread for the review.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Did you ever post pics and do a review of the elm? I’d like to read about it.

Not an official stand alone post. I've made a few comments attached to other threads. I can, if you like, do a new thread for the review.

Sure. It's a cool looking stoves. I've wondered about the heat output, burn times, and what not.

 

[rdust]

And you are very correct because we read recently of someone having those problems. However we really did not know that much about the wood. But I can certainly understand why black glass would be frustrating for folks.

My glass is dirty with every burn right now and I can tell you 100% it's not the wood. I learned how to get ahead so I always have dry wood from an old pro. ;-) I got over the glass being dirty after the first full load and a 24+ hour burn time.

And, of course, BK owners could also stop this by allowing more draft rather than smoldering the fires. I highly doubt they have much of a problem when the cold of winter hits but this time of the year if they are filling the stoves and dampering down, well, problems can happen. They have a wonderful stove and can get some fantastic burn times but one still has to have some control over the stove and this is one way to control it; don't fill it if it is not needed. That is what folks do with the OWB and why they stick so badly.

Dennis, I'm not sure OWB and BK owners need to be mentioned in the same post. The OWB guys smolder a fire and dump all the crap directly into the air, the cat in the BK stoves clean the air up pretty darn good before letting it up the chimney. Being able to load the stove once a day in this weather has been huge I can't imagine ever having to go back to the "old" way. I would argue we have more control over our stoves than most others, that is the reason we can load them full even when it's not needed.

 

[bogydave]

Mine hasn't been cleaned in a year.
Maybe next time I get a chance to let it cool off I'll clean it.
Few minutes ago pic.

 

[weatherguy]

Thats about what mine looks like Dave, Ive been getting a little dark in the corners but its cold enough at night that I can burn it hot enough to clean it up. In another couple weeks we'll all have clean glass for three months straight.

 

[nate379]

About what mine looks like as well. If I run the crap out of the stove it cleans up, but I'd rather have a dirty window and not waste wood and be cooked out of the house.

 

[BrowningBAR]

So, to conclude, yes your glass can get dirty running a cat stove and, yes, a high burn should clean it off.

 

[bogydave]

Seems like some stove have more "air wash" across the glass & the glass stays cleaner, but shorter burn times.
Dry wood & hotter burns help the glass stay clean, but even dry wood at lower burn temps can cause the glass to get stained black.
Trade offs.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Seems like some stove have more "air wash" across the glass & the glass stays cleaner, but shorter burn times.
Dry wood & hotter burns help the glass stay clean, but even dry wood at lower burn temps can cause the glass to get stained black.
Trade offs.

And then there are those stoves that do not have to be burned that hot and the glass still stays clean.

 

[Flatbedford]

And then there are those stoves that do not have to be burned that hot and the glass still stays clean.

Yup

 

[bogydave]

And then there are those stoves that do not have to be burned that hot and the glass still stays clean.

Yup

+1

 

[BrowningBAR]

And then there are those stoves that do not have to be burned that hot and the glass still stays clean.

Yup

+1

I am very excited to hear about these new stoves that don't cloud up or blacked the glass on low burn. I have my pen in hand and ready to jot them done! :lol:

Because I know that both Blaze King and Woodstock darken the glass on low burns.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Methinks you may have noticed that the Keystone is the one that had the blackened glass. Our Fireview had black glass only during the initial burn-in fires. Once we started burning regular we have not had any black glass at all.

 

[Flatbedford]

My Fireview only blackens the glass if a split is touching or very near the glass during a reload. As soon as it hits about 400, it is clean.

 

[jharkin]

I can also confirm BBARs experience. My Encore glass gets totally black after a low overnight burn, and Im burning 2 year old oak and apple this year that measures 15% on a resplit. I get zero smoke. Its not the wood, its just the nature of the smoky firebox in a cat stove.

I can also get it hot enough to clean the glass. With the bypass open to heat it up on a full load Ive gotten it so hot that the Andirons were glowing red. That's not recommended of course but the stove can take it on occasion. Don't be afraid of a little heat.

 

[PassionForFire&Water]

Cat or Non-Cat stoves will get black on the glass when less than optimal seasoned wood is touching it, moisture will form on the glass catching the creosote and building up layers and baking it on, then you have to go in with the razor to scrape it off.

I have not tried it but someone mentioned a while back that spraying WD40 on that lump on the glass helped get it right off.

Yes, cat or non-cat stoves will have black glass when not hot enough firebox.
Black is carbon, unburned carbon because of lack of air (oxygen)

What works well to clean the glass time to time, in cold condition, is steel wool 0000

 

[Todd]

Methinks you may have noticed that the Keystone is the one that had the blackened glass. Our Fireview had black glass only during the initial burn-in fires. Once we started burning regular we have not had any black glass at all.

This has been my experience. My old Fireview's glass stayed cleaner in low burn mode than my Keystone's. I don't know why, maybe it's the smaller glass on the Fireview? Doesn't really bother me becuase it's not consistantly dirty, it's only the lower corners, it burns off when I reload and get the stove back up to temp.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

My Fireview only blackens the glass if a split is touching or very near the glass during a reload. As soon as it hits about 400, it is clean.

How in the heck do you get the split touching the glass Steve? Or maybe you had some really short splits or uglies burning?

 

[Flatbedford]

I guess it was a curly one. Maybe not touching, but much closer than the others. Or, maybe I was imagining it?