Yea, I meant to vacuum it today while doing a general clean out, but the vacuum is buried behind 7 x-mas crates in the garage that we put over a door... and i just went back and lit a fire. I'll get to it during the next ash clean out if the consensus follows your statement.
Cleaning a catalytic combustor with vinegar bath
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Yea, I meant to vacuum it today while doing a general clean out, but the vacuum is buried behind 7 x-mas crates in the garage that we put over a door... and i just went back and lit a fire. I'll get to it during the next ash clean out if the consensus follows your statement.
Yes. If someone wants a combustor made in USA and will fit a Blaze King, Midwest is way to go.
If someone wants the exact same substrate PLUS the original coating (they call it loading) of precious metals, OEM is only way to get that.
I posted previously that EPA has this aftermarket issue on their radar. I'm off to DC Wednesday to meet with EPA to discuss a few topics.
And before someone writes I'm just trying to sell combustors, you are the consumer. I provide the data. You make the decision.
Thanks,
BKVP
Do you have a spare? I like to have a spare on hand just in case it fails. I know people rely on the warranty for the first replacement but waiting on shipping and or supply issues could put you in a bad spot.
I emailed them and simply said I see smoke coming out the chimney even when the combustor thermometer is showing 800 degrees, my firewood is cured for 2+ years so I do not think it is steam, and it's been in service two years and living in central NC I don't put excessive hours on it.
And thery were like sure, we'll give you 40% off on a new one. Almost seemed too easy, like they know their product is inferior (as @BKVP seems to be implying) and are happy to sell 'em for $180 (which is what the 40% discount turns out to be. Or maybe they just give great customer service and I'm cynical.
Water is one of the main products of combustion. So steam will also appear (depending on outside conditions) for perfectly dry wood ..
Well, doesn't happen if temp is 1000+ degrees. Maybe my combustor is fine. But if they'll sell me a new one for 60% of normal price, why not. Seems almost too good to be true.
Did this today and can't report on the effectiveness yet (the instructions https://hearth.com/images/uploads/combustorcleaningmanual.pdf suggest that steam from using a damp converter can damage the coating, so even for a metal cat it sounds like a bad idea).
But I am happy to report that the gear I purchased worked nicely. I might have wished the hot-plate more power, but I just tootled around the yard doing miscellaneous preps for this godawful winter storm that's coming, so didn't midn the time so much.
One great thing about the vessel is that you can grab it by the ears even when full of boiling water - that's convenient. I imagine it's too small for bigger cats than the Princess one, but probably can find larger similar one.
Well dang, that worked well, almost too well. When I turned the stove down to where the flap was closed, with a fire that was neither big nor long-established (as you'd usually do before starting a long slow burn), it went to 600 degrees in half and hour or so, still producing very little smoke. When it dropped to 500 I put the thermostat to a medium setting and went outside to do some choring. When I came back the cat thermometer was PEGGED, like all the way 'round to the 'R' in "CONDAR" (if you have one of those), I'd estimate about 2000 degrees. We'll see how long this lasts.
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