Fire view in a cat stove

[Light in the Dark]

....can any of you convince me with pictures or videos, that a cat stove doesnt look like a black box with a tiny dancing flame in the recesses? That's what I have seen in looking on youtube and such. Is this something where a non-cat very simply just has the advantage?

 

[jharkin]

It depends on how hot you burn it. Its true that on low a cat stove will be a lifeless dark box... But on a medium burn you will get some flame and on a hot burn you will see a good show.

 

[BrotherBart]

Kinda like watching your water heater.

 

[jatoxico]

Kinda like watching your water heater.

Ouch!

 

[evilgriff]

It depends on how hot you burn it. Its true that on low a cat stove will be a lifeless dark box... But on a medium burn you will get some flame and on a hot burn you will see a good show.

This is how it is with my Sirocco. I currently see a wisp of a flame now and then when on low, but mostly a glow. What I am watching is my wood lasting a long time. Ideally I would never see the wood burn, my stove would keep the house warm, and I would never have to reload all winter.

 

[rdust]

Depends on your heating needs. If you have a high heat load you'll get flames, if not you'll be looking at a black box. I can turn the t-stat up/down as desired, have flames if I want(over heat my house) or shut it down and have a black box.

 

[jatoxico]

This is how it is with my Sirocco. I currently see a wisp of a flame now and then when on low, but mostly a glow. What I am watching is my wood lasting a long time. Ideally I would never see the wood burn, my stove would keep the house warm, and I would never have to reload all winter.

We're all just jealous. Actually I love loading my insert every 5 hrs .

If I could get 10-12 hrs out of a load I could start to burn 24/7 or nearly so instead of nights and weekends. As it is, post insert, I use about the same amount of oil. Granted the house is 75 when the insert is running instead of 60 so I'm happy enough. I notice a big difference in performance when I run all weekend, everything works better so I could probably learn to love the glow!

 

[charly]

If I run my FireView at a number 1 setting, I have flames and a glowing cat.. it then looks like a regular stove burning.

 

[evilgriff]

If I run my FireView at a number 1 setting, I have flames and a glowing cat.. it then looks like a regular stove burning.
View attachment 86208

How many hours do you get out of a full load of newspaper??? Only kidding

 

[Woody Stover]

If I run my FireView at a number 1 setting, I have flames and a glowing cat.. it then looks like a regular stove burning.

I can have flame sometimes as low as .5 air setting. I can get flames for two hrs + on a fresh load, and after it settles in, floating flames chasing around the box that are cool to watch. Black Cherry on the front of the load works great for this. Fv needs a bigger window though, so the top of the box could be seen more easily. You get a lot of action in the top of the box sometimes.

 

[HotCoals]

Kinda like watching your water heater.

Funny..that's how I figured watching a tube burner would be like ..only upside down. lol

 

[Machria]

Here's some video on youtube of the Progress Hybrid buring.....

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[BrowningBAR]

....can any of you convince me with pictures or videos, that a cat stove doesnt look like a black box with a tiny dancing flame in the recesses? That's what I have seen in looking on youtube and such. Is this something where a non-cat very simply just has the advantage?

On VC stoves, the fire is slowed down and looks very thick. I always describe it like underwater flame.

 

[jharkin]

Its past oh dark thirty (toddlers won't sleep ) anyway just looked at the stove, sitting at 300 stovetop and 1250 catalyst temp. Loaded it full 5 hours ago.

But there is only the faintest glow in the bottom, you have to turn out the lights to see it.

In the morning it will look like charleys fire view for an hour or two while I burn hot to bring the house up to 75.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Its past oh dark thirty (toddlers won't sleep ) anyway just looked at the stove, sitting at 300 stovetop and 1250 catalyst temp. Loaded it full 5 hours ago.

But there is only the faintest glow in the bottom, you have to turn out the lights to see it.

In the morning it will look like charleys fire view for an hour or two while I burn hot to bring the house up to 75.

I've got all three stoves going. The wind from the last two days made parts of the house unfriendly. Started up the Encore for the first time since before Thanksgiving, I think.

 

[ddddddden]

My cat stove puts on a very nice display of secondary flames when the air is turned down. (Hence the "Fireview" name, eh?) You don't need to "goose it" or anything to make it do this; it just happens spontaneously at some point during the burn cycle. It's how this particular cat stove burns best. . .it lacks the Alien Technology® necessary to function optimally with just a plasma glow.

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Sorry 'bout the low resolution of that. . .shot with my phone.
Here's another with better picture quality:

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. . .and the Fireview's version of the infamous "gas grill" secondary burn:

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Search "Fireview wood stove" on Youtube, if you want to see more videos of this stove.

 

[nate379]

Can't say I've ever thought of my stove as much more than a"water heater". Don't really care what the fire looks like if its heating my house efficiently. This is the first stove I've run that has a window on it even,

 

[charly]

My cat stove puts on a very nice display of secondary flames when the air is turned down. (Hence the "Fireview" name, eh?) You don't need to "goose it" or anything to make it do this; it just happens spontaneously at some point during the burn cycle. It's how this particular cat stove burns best. . .it lacks the Alien Technology® necessary to function optimally with just a plasma glow.

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Sorry 'bout the low resolution of that. . .shot with my phone.
Here's another with better picture quality:

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. . .and the Fireview's version of the infamous "gas grill" secondary burn:

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Accept third party cookies

Search "Fireview wood stove" on Youtube, if you want to see more videos of this stove.

That's what I like ,,, the gas grill flames,,, pretty wild!

 

[charly]

How many hours do you get out of a full load of newspaper??? Only kidding

The sports section we'll get me the longest burns

 

[ddddddden]

That's what I like ,,, the gas grill flames,,, pretty wild!

I like the floaty blue flames, aka "ghost flames." I think that is supposed to be the most efficient secondary burn.

 

[Highbeam]

I had a non-cat hearthstone heritage with a huge clean window and a very nice flameshow all the time. That experience is lost with the BK. Not by accident, I knew what I was giving up and have no regrets but we do miss the flame show of that non-cat. I've cranked up the BK to make heat and it does make flames but they are not the liquid, floating, slow, cascading, blue and purple flames of a hot non-cat shooting its wad. Also, I get really hot really fast when trying to make the BK rip, it is way too big of a stove to run hard in a small home.

So yes, give credit where credit is due. The non-cats (including the hybrids) have a superior fire viewing experience. Only you can decide if that view is worth the decidedly inferior performance.

 

[Todd]

I actually like the flame show in a cat stove better than a non cat tube stove's gas grill like flames.

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[raybonz]

The non-cats (including the hybrids) have a superior fire viewing experience. Only you can decide if that view is worth the decidedly inferior performance.

HB I normally agree with you on many things but not this time.. Inferior performance?? I beg to differ as I get very long burn times and a great fire show.. I could have gone 12hrs. on the last load easily.. The T5 and many other non-cats get over 80% efficiency on a low burn which produces lots of heat.. I had a cat stove for a very long time and I don't miss it.. The only other stove I feel is better is the PH which knocks the ball out of the park..

Ray

 

[lumbering on]

I have a non-cat lopi Leyden and this is only my second month burning. At the end of a burn cycle, for several hours, the wood and Envi-blocks are glowing red hot and the wood appears to be vaporizing instead of burning and I can't see a flame.

This thread has shown me this is normal for a cat stove, but...

Is this normal for a non-cat stove? I'm just afraid of a smoldering fire dirtying up my chimney? Am I doing it right leaving this happen?

 

[raybonz]

I have a non-cat lopi Leyden and this is only my second month burning. At the end of a burn cycle, for several hours, the wood and Envi-blocks are glowing red hot and the wood appears to be vaporizing instead of burning and I can't see a flame.

This thread has shown me this is normal for a cat stove, but...

Is this normal for a non-cat stove? I'm just afraid of a smoldering fire dirtying up my chimney? Am I doing it right leaving this happen?

Yes, that is normal because when the wood has burnt down to coals there is very little off gassing from the wood so it's burning clean at that point so the secondaries will be inactive.. If you go outside and look at your chimney you probably will see very little smoke if any..

Ray