How does air intake affect catalyst burn?

[Hbob]

So I have watched videos on how a catalyst burns using the propane gas demo. I get that it burns a fuel and I am guessing its preferred fuels are the gases of incomplete combustion from the fire box. Once the catalyst is active and the damper is closed and directing everything through the catalyst chamber, how does changing air flow to the stove affect the catalyst burn and temperature? I have read here that opening the air intake more will help bring down catalyst temp. I have also read the opposite. Does increasing air cause the wood in the fire box to burn more completely, thus cutting down on the incomplete combustion products or would the increased air increase the burn rate of the wood causing more heat and more fuel for the catalyst. It seems like people are working hard to chase the catalyst temperature up and down to find the sweet spot.
(I mentioned over in the VC area that I would love to have a pinned post on best practices for running a catalyst stove. It is pretty difficult to piece together from literally hundreds of posts on the topic and the VC manual is pretty bare bones).

 

[Eman85]

Do you have an accurate temperature reading of your catalyst? The best I can tell you is it's trial and error. If we all had the same stove with the same exact chimney at the same outdoor temperature burning the same exact load of wood maybe there could be a standard. Basically there are too many variables and the only control is the air intake unless you install a flue damper which many don't have. You have to burn and see what happens, sounds crude but that's all there is to it. There are times I can open the air and the cat temps drop, other times they take off higher. There are times I shut the air and the cat temp drops immediately some times not so much. Clear as mud answer, sorry just the way it is playing with an EPA stove.

 

[Hbob]

Do you have an accurate temperature reading of your catalyst? The best I can tell you is it's trial and error. If we all had the same stove with the same exact chimney at the same outdoor temperature burning the same exact load of wood maybe there could be a standard. Basically there are too many variables and the only control is the air intake unless you install a flue damper which many don't have. You have to burn and see what happens, sounds crude but that's all there is to it. There are times I can open the air and the cat temps drop, other times they take off higher. There are times I shut the air and the cat temp drops immediately some times not so much. Clear as mud answer, sorry just the way it is playing with an EPA stove.

I get that. Will get a good thermometer and start slow.

 

[AsylumResident]

This is one of the biggest topics in the VC community, cat temps. And yes, basically just start burning and learning how your stove reacts. Due to all the variables, there are many potential answers. I am starting to get a feel for what I need to do with my primary air based on how the burn started, reacts as it get hotter, how the flames look, how the glass looks, and then able to make some adjustments to keep things relatively controlled. I think the biggest thing is to make small changes and then give the stove some time to adjust to that change. There are times when the cat is starting to spike and your adjustment might make it spike a little more but then soon start dropping. Just keep burning wood and making small adjustments as you learn the stove.

 

[Hbob]

This is one of the biggest topics in the VC community, cat temps. And yes, basically just start burning and learning how your stove reacts. Due to all the variables, there are many potential answers. I am starting to get a feel for what I need to do with my primary air based on how the burn started, reacts as it get hotter, how the flames look, how the glass looks, and then able to make some adjustments to keep things relatively controlled. I think the biggest thing is to make small changes and then give the stove some time to adjust to that change. There are times when the cat is starting to spike and your adjustment might make it spike a little more but then soon start dropping. Just keep burning wood and making small adjustments as you learn the stove.

Fortunately I have been burning an old cat-removed Encore for 4 years so I am very familiar with the basic stove adjustments. It took a full Winter to figure it out as it is now. Adding the cat back in the mix will add some complexity but I know my wood and Encores. To make things a little more complicated I am changing form 8" single wall to 6" double wall pipe.

 

[Eman85]

I have a thread about burning my Encore without the cat. Simple and easy metal box with a fire in it, controls work and you get instant reaction. Adding the cat to the equation totally changes everything. I can get a lot more heat from my stove without using the cat and easily regulate that heat in the home. With the cat you spend your time and your heat regulating it to get a long burn.

 

[Hbob]

I have a thread about burning my Encore without the cat. Simple and easy metal box with a fire in it, controls work and you get instant reaction. Adding the cat to the equation totally changes everything. I can get a lot more heat from my stove without using the cat and easily regulate that heat in the home. With the cat you spend your time and your heat regulating it to get a long burn.

I also have the 0028 now, loads cat through the back. I have ordered the new one but want to clean old pipe before removing it for my new double wall 6". I figure it will be a lot better to clean before I take the old pipe apart in the house.