Green Mountain 80 clogged CAT sections w pics

[GM80NY]

Of course, this happened right when we were getting single digit temps. Thankfully, we should be returning to 30's - 50's by the end of this week. Here's what was happening.

1. CAT temp would be in the active range. Flame was going good. As soon as I engaged the CAT all flame would move to above the wood (secondary) and roll for a few minutes and disappear.

2. Stove would not get up to normal temps with the CAT engaged.

3. Horrbile amounts of coal build up. Single digit temps might've attributed to this.

I knew this was the issue. See below.



All 3 CAT sections were as bad as the one to the right.



All Clean. I used a shop vac and actually a plastic bristle brush because they needed a light amount of scrubbing. You're supposed to be gentle on these things when you clean them. Also, the one on the right looks worse from an angle. If you're directly under it, it will look like the one on the left.

I started burning at the end of October. I was for the past couple of months cleaning the ash out every day but I would try to sift through it and try to slide the coals over the top to the side so I can save them for re-loading/lighting. I've encountered this issue before. I think I'm gonna try to just not play in the ashes as much as possible. If the ash is hot it floats up a lot. Anyways just sharing so people with this model know what's to come. Take care guys!

 

[begreen]

. I mess with the ash as little as possible in our stove. An ash bed is generally good underneath the fire. It provides insulation under the coals

 

[EncoreInMass]

Of course, this happened right when we were getting single digit temps. Thankfully, we should be returning to 30's - 50's by the end of this week. Here's what was happening.

1. CAT temp would be in the active range. Flame was going good. As soon as I engaged the CAT all flame would move to above the wood (secondary) and roll for a few minutes and disappear.

2. Stove would not get up to normal temps with the CAT engaged.

3. Horrbile amounts of coal build up. Single digit temps might've attributed to this.

I knew this was the issue. See below.

View attachment 306242

All 3 CAT sections were as bad as the one to the right.

View attachment 306243

All Clean. I used a shop vac and actually a plastic bristle brush because they needed a light amount of scrubbing. You're supposed to be gentle on these things when you clean them. Also, the one on the right looks worse from an angle. If you're directly under it, it will look like the one on the left.

I started burning at the end of October. I was for the past couple of months cleaning the ash out every day but I would try to sift through it and try to slide the coals over the top to the side so I can save them for re-loading/lighting. I've encountered this issue before. I think I'm gonna try to just not play in the ashes as much as possible. If the ash is hot it floats up a lot. Anyways just sharing so people with this model know what's to come. Take care guys!

Maybe you could get a coal/ash sifter...Stir up less ashes?

Stainless Steel Ember Extractor Jr.

Stainless Steel Ember Extractor Jr. - Makes cleaning your wood stove, fireplace or insert a simple task, while keeping hot coals for the next fire. - Northlineexpress.com

www.northlineexpress.com

 

[webby3650]

We’ve been seeing many of the hearthstone hybrid stoves clogging up in a very short amount of time. In several models the cats are directly under the flue collar. Collecting debris on both sides of the cat quickly.

 

[bundy150]

Webby,
Which models have the cat directly under the flue collar?

 

[GM80NY]

We’ve been seeing many of the hearthstone hybrid stoves clogging up in a very short amount of time. In several models the cats are directly under the flue collar. Collecting debris on both sides of the cat quickly.

The pictures are only of the underside. Ive seen the tops a few times and i’ve never had the tops clog or look bad at all. With that being said, my chimney isnt a straight shot up. That might be helping me with the top side of the catalyst.

 

[GM80NY]

Webby,
Which models have the cat directly under the flue collar?

I have GM80 and its right below mine.

Maybe you could get a coal/ash sifter...Stir up less ashes?

Stainless Steel Ember Extractor Jr.

Stainless Steel Ember Extractor Jr. - Makes cleaning your wood stove, fireplace or insert a simple task, while keeping hot coals for the next fire. - Northlineexpress.com

www.northlineexpress.com

I actually made one out of steel mesh with a handle but like I said before when the ash is hot it floats up into the top with minimal disturbance.

 

[Todd]

I think this ash build up happens with most cat stoves. I know I usually brushed the cat monthly on my Woodstock’s whether they needed it or not. The new steel cats seem to plug faster than the ceramics due to the smaller cells.

 

[Rickb]

Never had to clean the ash from mine......

 

[webby3650]

Webby,
Which models have the cat directly under the flue collar?

Looks like all the green mountains, I have installed an 80 so I’ll take the op’s word for it. The Shelburn, and the craftsbury also, if I’m remembering correctly. It’s been an issue for us and I knew it would the day I saw them at the trade show.

 

[begreen]

I'm sorry to hear this. I had this concern as soon as I saw the design, but have not had any practical experience with them. Being a low-maintenance kind of guy this would be a showstopper for me. If the cat is right under the flue then it also seems like a lot of the heat from the cat would end up heading up the stovepipe before it has a chance to heat the stove body.

 

[webby3650]

I'm sorry to hear this. I had this concern as soon as I saw the design, but have not had any practical experience with them. Being a low-maintenance kind of guy this would be a showstopper for me. If the cat is right under the flue then it seems like a lot of the heat from the cat would end up heading up the stovepipe before it has a chance to heat the stove body.

Exactly. This cat is there only to clean the exhaust before leaving. Cleaner for the environment, no more efficient for the user in my opinion. Think about all the gas that’s being wasted by hearth pros driving out to show people how to remove the baffle and clean the cats. Again..

 

[begreen]

Exactly. This cat is there only to clean the exhaust before leaving. Cleaner for the environment, no more efficient for the user in my opinion. Think about all the gas that’s being wasted by hearth pros driving out to show people how to remove the baffle and clean the cats. Again..

Oy. It's like teaching a student how to pass a test without educating him/her on how to solve problems and think.

 

[Shrewboy]

I have to clean out my Hearthstone castleton catalyst about 5 times per burning season, same issues as the OP described. and I try not to allow the wood to "plop" into the ashes (it kicks up ashes a lot)

I didnt think that this was unusual, I just assumed thats how often it needed to be cleaned out

 

[bundy150]

I have to clean out my Hearthstone castleton catalyst about 5 times per burning season, same issues as the OP described. and I try not to allow the wood to "plop" into the ashes (it kicks up ashes a lot)

I didnt think that this was unusual, I just assumed thats how often it needed to be cleaned out

What is your cleaning procedure? Do you remove the Catalyst or just the baffle board and just vacuum/brush the bottom of the catalyst?

 

[GM80NY]

What is your cleaning procedure? Do you remove the Catalyst or just the baffle board and just vacuum/brush the bottom of the catalyst?

It makes no sense to remove the back plate. I remove the baffleboards and vacuum them and maybe a little light brushing. I also clean the chimney every 2 to 3 months and you can vacuum the tops of the catalyst with the pipe off the top of the stove. Ive never seen anything concerning from the top. This weekend I will clean chimney and take pics with the chimney piece disconnected.

 

[GM80NY]

Pics from above. I never remove the cats. I will vacuum the inside of this out today.

 

[mdocod]

I made myself a little slotted prop-rod stick for the adjustable section of stove pipe above the stove. When I need to clean the chimney or the cats I just telescope up the stove-pipe, insert prop rod. From there I can pull the cats out through the top of the stove and vacuum them out with the ash vac. It's a 5 minute job to clean the cats.

I haven't had a problem with ash buildup on them. I wonder if certain species of wood produce a lot of lighter, fluffier ash that likes to find its way up to the cats.

I have had 2 incidents of soot-plugging from hyper-resin-rich ponderosa chunks that I now know I did not burn hot enough. Operator error. Best not to continuous feed these stoves.

Read 20+ years of internet forums posts on cat stoves and you'll find they all have a history of increased operating challenges compared to traditional stoves. I went into this stove assuming it would have some quirks, and it does, like every cat stove before it. A lot of it comes down to operator expectations, patience, and competence. There are lots of very happy cat-stove owners out there who have dialed in their operating process to work well with the stove, but there are also some people out there who never figure it out and have constant problems with them. I think it's important to go into a cat stove expecting a higher learning curve and more maintenance than a non-cat stove.

We're burning WOOD, a solid, dirty, ashy, sooty fuel through a combustion system that was originally developed for liquid fuels. I don't have expectations of perfection here, but I do appreciate the fact that the Hearthstone design allows for continued temporary operation in bypass mode if a problem with the cats arises. I like that design choice.

The Mansfield III 8013 jumped from 68% to 78% HHV efficiency over the Mansfield II 8012. The cats do more than just clean up the exhaust, especially if you can run single wall stove pipe... The local hearthstone installer in our area leans towards single wall for these stoves anywhere clearances allow. Makes sense when we consider the position of the combustor. This might not be the ideal stove for applications that require double wall but I am very happy with the heat we get out of it with a nice long section of single wall on it. These stoves work best when burning as a Hybrid, some primary combustion, lots of secondary combustion, final cleanup on the tertiary. If you were expecting it to be usable as a wood gasifier stove like a BK sorry, it isn't.

 

[kkitty]

I'm also having difficulty with Hearthstone Shelbourne - will follow suggestion to check/clean the cats. I have seen some improvement by using the "upside down" starting method (kindling on top of larger wood) - by loading bottom layer N/S it helps keep the air supply route clear and improves the effective draft so it starts faster and cleaner. I'm tempted to try putting wood on a grate to accomplish this, although the manufacturer says not to - does anyone know of a reason I should NOT use a grate?

 

[GM80NY]

I'm also having difficulty with Hearthstone Shelbourne - will follow suggestion to check/clean the cats. I have seen some improvement by using the "upside down" starting method (kindling on top of larger wood) - by loading bottom layer N/S it helps keep the air supply route clear and improves the effective draft so it starts faster and cleaner. I'm tempted to try putting wood on a grate to accomplish this, although the manufacturer says not to - does anyone know of a reason I should NOT use a grate?

If you use a grate it can create a situation where the fire goes too fast. Ive tried this by using small pieces of wood to raise the load up. Stick to what the manual says. Try to keep that channel in the center free of coal and ash front to back. Properly seasoned wood, and learning the technique to slow the fire down in stages so the fire doesnt run away has worked for me.

I never top down to start fires. I start with paper and bigger and bigger sticks on top. Light the bottom and keep it cracked then when flame is decent I just barely close the latch on the front door for a few minutes. When theres decent flames still I close the door completely. Let it burn to the coal stage and reload. If the temp gets high enough Ill engage the cat and leave the air open all the way.

 

[mdocod]

I'm also having difficulty with Hearthstone Shelbourne - will follow suggestion to check/clean the cats. I have seen some improvement by using the "upside down" starting method (kindling on top of larger wood) - by loading bottom layer N/S it helps keep the air supply route clear and improves the effective draft so it starts faster and cleaner. I'm tempted to try putting wood on a grate to accomplish this, although the manufacturer says not to - does anyone know of a reason I should NOT use a grate?

There's no advantage to using a grate in a wood stove. It will just reduce the amount of fuel you can fit in the box. Your "grate" should just be more wood! In some stoves it could cause burn-off to be too rapid, though, you're unlikely to have that problem with your limited draft in this particular stove. You have less than ideal draft and a stove that can be choked down very far, so over-fire isn't a risk with a grate in this circumstance, but trying to "force" the wood to burn by getting more air around it in a system that can't pull more air through won't help either.

 

[rashomon]

. I mess with the ash as little as possible in our stove

Never had to clean the ash from mine......

How is this even possible? Isn't this like making dinner but never having to clean the dishes? Someone is cleaning it out aren't they? It doesn't just disappear..... does it?!

 

[Rickb]

How is this even possible? Isn't this like making dinner but never having to clean the dishes? Someone is cleaning it out aren't they? It doesn't just disappear..... does it?!

Not sure on your stove.... But on mine there is never any need to clean ash from the cat... I shovel the ash out from the belly every 3 - 4 weeks but other then blowing out the the cat after I do the yearly chimney cleaning I dont mess with it.

 

[rashomon]

Not sure on your stove.... But on mine there is never any need to clean ash from the cat... I shovel the ash out from the belly every 3 - 4 weeks but other then blowing out the the cat after I do the yearly chimney cleaning I dont mess with it.

Oh! My apologies, I didn't realize you were talking about cleaning the ash from your cat. Rereading your post that was clear because of who you were responding too.

But the other person appears to be talking about the ash in the firebox. They wrote, ". I mess with the ash as little as possible in our stove. An ash bed is generally good underneath the fire. It provides insulation under the coals"

How is it possible to not clean the ash after at least every 5 full loads if not sooner? I still get a good amount of chunks of wood too, but I'm burning pine. I have a Green Mountain 60. But I REALLY wish I got the 80. I need more from it unless it's 40+ degrees outside. At least I didn't get the 40.

 

[Rickb]

ahh that makes since.

Well some wood has more ash then others. But if you got a bunch of chunks in your ash that ussually means your not burning everything. I also dont use the stove full time. I load 3-5 pieces opf wood once a day on week days and that is about all I need. weekends I load it twice a day. I very very rarely load the stove full. I get 8-10 hours of usable heat at the rate I need it per load. If you need more heat then you would need more wood and would get more ash. lol