Hi all. So I have an Ideal Steel 210 by Woodstock Stove company and I am having Catalytic Combustor issues for the 2nd time. I bought this house in 2022, Stove was installed in 2018, last November the original catalytic combustor failed so I ordered a new one. I started running it in December, ran it until March 2025. After the burning season I have a company come clean and inspect the entire system, Stove and pipe. They literally take the stove apart and clean it. I fired it up first week of November 2025, the combustor wasn't functioning correctly. After a burn, to reload I open the cat, rake the coals to the front, open air damper to fully open, once coals get hot, I spread them out evenly, load Stove with oak and ash all below 15% on moisture meter. (I find that burns best in my stove).
Once pipe gets up to 250-275, front of stove by probe temp is 500-525, top of stove by pipe fitting us 450 ish (on infrared thermometer), i lower the air control down to 1/4 open, close the combustor, and the fire slowly dies out. Pipe temp drops to around 150, top of stove down to around 280-300 and front of stove by probe down to 350-300. I then have to re ignite the fire by repeating the process or just leave the combustor closed and open the air to half way or 3/4s until stove comes back up to temp, then I lower the air again to 1/4 position and then the combustor will do what it's supposed to. Mind you, I just cleaned the whole stove and combustor last weekend according to their instructions.
I called Woodstock stove company, explained this to the woman st least 6 times and she's telling me it can't be the combustor because it's working the second time, it has to be an air flow issue. I explained to her it's not an air flow issue because when ignite the stove the 2nd time, I put the air control in the same exact spot (1/4 open) and then the stove gets way too hot and I have to lower the air flow below 1/4 and it will burn fine all night. I told her the combustor only has 4 months burning on it. She says, u can buy a new combustor if u want. I said well, isn't this one under warranty. She said no, there's no warranty on combustors, only the original one that comes with the stove. I said so what am I supposed to buy a new combustor every year pr other year, she said I sure hope not.
So my question is, does anyone else have this issue of the combustor not igniting the first time and you have to reignite the stove a 2nd time and then the combustor works. According to the rep I spoke to I must be a complete idiot which I am not but that's exactly what she made me out to be. I love the stove but there's definitely a combustor issue on a few month old combustor and they are not standing by their product or even offering a replacement. Instead they r trying to come up with something that is my fault instead of saying, hey, maybe you got a bad combustor, that shouldn't happen. Let me send you out a replacement this time and u can send the old one back so we can inspect it. Instead they say well, u have to be doing something wrong because it works the 2nd time lol. I've had wood stove literally my entire life, I mean u don't need an engineering degree to run a wood stove but yet it has to be my fault. Anyone else have an issue like this?
Once pipe gets up to 250-275, front of stove by probe temp is 500-525, top of stove by pipe fitting us 450 ish (on infrared thermometer), i lower the air control down to 1/4 open, close the combustor, and the fire slowly dies out. Pipe temp drops to around 150, top of stove down to around 280-300 and front of stove by probe down to 350-300. I then have to re ignite the fire by repeating the process or just leave the combustor closed and open the air to half way or 3/4s until stove comes back up to temp, then I lower the air again to 1/4 position and then the combustor will do what it's supposed to. Mind you, I just cleaned the whole stove and combustor last weekend according to their instructions.
I called Woodstock stove company, explained this to the woman st least 6 times and she's telling me it can't be the combustor because it's working the second time, it has to be an air flow issue. I explained to her it's not an air flow issue because when ignite the stove the 2nd time, I put the air control in the same exact spot (1/4 open) and then the stove gets way too hot and I have to lower the air flow below 1/4 and it will burn fine all night. I told her the combustor only has 4 months burning on it. She says, u can buy a new combustor if u want. I said well, isn't this one under warranty. She said no, there's no warranty on combustors, only the original one that comes with the stove. I said so what am I supposed to buy a new combustor every year pr other year, she said I sure hope not.
So my question is, does anyone else have this issue of the combustor not igniting the first time and you have to reignite the stove a 2nd time and then the combustor works. According to the rep I spoke to I must be a complete idiot which I am not but that's exactly what she made me out to be. I love the stove but there's definitely a combustor issue on a few month old combustor and they are not standing by their product or even offering a replacement. Instead they r trying to come up with something that is my fault instead of saying, hey, maybe you got a bad combustor, that shouldn't happen. Let me send you out a replacement this time and u can send the old one back so we can inspect it. Instead they say well, u have to be doing something wrong because it works the 2nd time lol. I've had wood stove literally my entire life, I mean u don't need an engineering degree to run a wood stove but yet it has to be my fault. Anyone else have an issue like this?
