Combustor boil, need bigger pot!

[OhioBurner©]

So during the second year of the stove the combustor seemed to loose a lot of performance. This seemed a bit early to me? I tried the spray method last year, it helped maybe a little but by the end of the season it was smoking even more, sluggish, and not throwing as much heat as I felt it should. So willing to try a vinegar boil, but after scouring the house for large pots n pans I can't find anything that will fit! My larger roasting pan was about an inch too small...


Only pot I could fit it in was my large pressure canner, but had to go in upright, which would be like 5 gallons I think! Guess I'll have to go shopping for a bigger pot, though I don't plan on spending much just for this so not sure if I'll find anything big enough and cheap.

Any other ideas I may have overlooked? Can you boil one half of it at a time? The instructions suggest steam could damage the combustor (make sure its fully dry before placing back in stove) so not sure if the steam from the boil would hurt the dry side if I was just dunking half of it...

 

[Woody Stover]

I've got a shallow stainless pan about the size of an aluminum turkey pan. I wouldn't use aluminum though. You might find a stainless pan at a restaurant supply place.

 

[Highbeam]

No galvanized steel either! I was going to suggest automotive oil drain pan but those are galvanized.

Big giant stockpot but only fill enough to cover the cat by a couple of inches.

I used a stainless skillet with pretty tall sides. We must have bought it as part of a set because I can’t think of an actual use for it.

How about a cast iron Dutch oven?

I have no qualms about reusing the pan for food prep afterwards but some say not to. Not sure why.

 

[Woody Stover]

I have no qualms about reusing the pan for food prep afterwards but some say not to. Not sure why.

I guess because of the platinum and palladium. Probably wouldn't be good to have those metals in the human body. Hard to imagine that you wouldn't be able to wash it off, but I'm no chemist. I'm using a dedicated pan.

 

[Highbeam]

I guess because of the platinum and palladium. Probably wouldn't be good to have those metals in the human body. Hard to imagine that you wouldn't be able to wash it off, but I'm no chemist. I'm using a dedicated pan.

People wear platinum jewelry. It doesn’t hurt anything but your wallet to buy and store a dedicated pot for this.

 

[Woody Stover]

People wear platinum jewelry. It doesn’t hurt anything but your wallet to buy and store a dedicated pot for this.

A brief inquiry on google indicated that some platinum compounds are poison. Maybe they are produced when burning wood or soaking in hot vinegar, I don't know. Palladium for sure is poisonous.
But I didn't hurt my pocketbook to store the pan..I didn't buy a bigger house to do it.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I still have not made it to a store that sells a large enough pan. Safe or not to use in kitchen isn't really factoring in, I've never needed a pot bigger than the ones I have so this is just for the combustor cleaning. Maybe I'll look on amazon or something, seeing how getting my ass around to stores isn't really happening lol.