The blower attachment for my Green Mountain 60 does an excellent job at extracting heat that would otherwise go up the chimney. Since I've gotten my FlueGuard probe thermometer (installed 18" above the stove on my double-walled pipe) I can watch Flue temps easily drop 300+ºF within minutes of turning on the blower.
I found this post from 2021 that asked about creosote buildup in low EGTs, but I wanted to expand on it specifically for when a Cat is active.
I've come to learn the dirties part of a burn is when you put in the new logs. I'm guessing that dirty burn lasts until the logs are burning well enough where there is no smoke/steam visible when I open to the door. It seems that could last up to the first 50% the life of the burn depending on how wet the wood is. This winter my wood has ranged from 5%-20%, with some pieces possibly higher. I try to avoid those logs. And I also try to avoid using the Cat when the wood appears wetter until all the moisture has burned off. In those instances I would make sure my EGTs are well in the optimal range (~400-800 indicated on my FlueGuard), ideally 500-600+ so the top of the chimney is hot.
But if I'm burning strong and clean, and my EGTs are 600+, and my Cat has been heated well into it's active range -- when I kick on the Cat are the creosote causing gasses burned off enough by the Cat so I can comfortably operate with a lower range of EGTs?
Once I kick on the blower full blast my EGTs can easily drop from 800 to 400. If my EGTs are lower to begin with my temps can drop from 600 to 300. It appears the "too cool" range on the FlueGuard begins around 375 so I'll often extract enough heat using the blower to dip into that "too cool" range.
But with the Cat functioning correctly aren't I safe to avoid creosote?
I found this post from 2021 that asked about creosote buildup in low EGTs, but I wanted to expand on it specifically for when a Cat is active.
I've come to learn the dirties part of a burn is when you put in the new logs. I'm guessing that dirty burn lasts until the logs are burning well enough where there is no smoke/steam visible when I open to the door. It seems that could last up to the first 50% the life of the burn depending on how wet the wood is. This winter my wood has ranged from 5%-20%, with some pieces possibly higher. I try to avoid those logs. And I also try to avoid using the Cat when the wood appears wetter until all the moisture has burned off. In those instances I would make sure my EGTs are well in the optimal range (~400-800 indicated on my FlueGuard), ideally 500-600+ so the top of the chimney is hot.
But if I'm burning strong and clean, and my EGTs are 600+, and my Cat has been heated well into it's active range -- when I kick on the Cat are the creosote causing gasses burned off enough by the Cat so I can comfortably operate with a lower range of EGTs?
Once I kick on the blower full blast my EGTs can easily drop from 800 to 400. If my EGTs are lower to begin with my temps can drop from 600 to 300. It appears the "too cool" range on the FlueGuard begins around 375 so I'll often extract enough heat using the blower to dip into that "too cool" range.
But with the Cat functioning correctly aren't I safe to avoid creosote?