So I hooked up our new(used) Encore cat stove yesterday and had the first burn last night. Overall, it went very well and I'm very happy with the stove. I got a nice, slow, 8 hour burn with some well seasoned Madrone, and it easily relit this morning with a nice available coal bed. The cat engaged last night just fine, and I had nice 550 degree griddle temps, 285 degree flue temps, and little to no visible smoke out the stack. It was 28 here last night and the Encore kept our yurt at a cozy 75 degrees or so for most of the night with the primary air about a 1/4 open--not too hot not too cold. One of my fears was that this stove might throw too much heat and cook us out, but I was very happy with the "smooth" consistant heat of the cast iron as opposed to our older steel stove.
I know that all stoves have their own "personalities" when it comes to lighting and using them--I'm hoping some of the VC users here can help with a few questions I have.
In reading through the forums here, I picked up on the tip of cracking open the ash tray door when lighting. I did that, and it worked very well, so it seems like my 16' single wall 8" metal chimney is providing enough draft. At one point I thought the fire was going good enough to shut the ash tray door, but when I did that the flames died down....so I reopened it and let it burn another 5-10 mins (the fire really cooks with the bypass open, the air control open, and the ash door cracked!), then shut the ash tray door but left the damper open. So one question I have is: where does the air from the primary air control enter the firebox? I thought it was at the back of the ash tray housing, but when you open the ash tray door the little flap is not visible. So, I'm wondering how air enters the firebox, and, if I need to worry about keeping that area clean and free of ashes to allow proper air flow in the firebox.
Second question is: how does the secondary air control work and what is it for? When we first got the stove I pulled the secondary air probe out to make sure it was in good shape--it's about 2 1/2 inches long and a little black/brown, but appears normal from what I've read here. When the stove is cold, the secondary air flap is open--is that how it's supposed to be? When does it open and shut during stove use?
Next, once I closed the bypass damper and activated the cat as I turned the primary air control down more and more (to lower the temp) I noticed that there were very little flames in the firebox, just hot glowing coals. If I opened up the primary air the coals instantly got redder and brighter (I think this means I have good draw--yes??) and then there would be some "licking flames" around the splits--is this normal? This is the first cat stove I've ever used, so not sure what to expect yet........
Last question, how do you "turn the stove off?" It's sunny and 55 here today, and I still have some wood coals in the stove--what's the best way to snuff the fire? Should I open the bypass damper first? Obviously shut down the primary air supply, but I noticed when checking the stove over that even with the lever all the way back, there's still a 1/8" gap or at the primary air intake flap, so some air can still get in. Will shutting it down with the cat engaged damage the cat as the temp drops and it gets more smokey as the fire dies out?
Thanks again for everyone's help!
NP
I know that all stoves have their own "personalities" when it comes to lighting and using them--I'm hoping some of the VC users here can help with a few questions I have.
In reading through the forums here, I picked up on the tip of cracking open the ash tray door when lighting. I did that, and it worked very well, so it seems like my 16' single wall 8" metal chimney is providing enough draft. At one point I thought the fire was going good enough to shut the ash tray door, but when I did that the flames died down....so I reopened it and let it burn another 5-10 mins (the fire really cooks with the bypass open, the air control open, and the ash door cracked!), then shut the ash tray door but left the damper open. So one question I have is: where does the air from the primary air control enter the firebox? I thought it was at the back of the ash tray housing, but when you open the ash tray door the little flap is not visible. So, I'm wondering how air enters the firebox, and, if I need to worry about keeping that area clean and free of ashes to allow proper air flow in the firebox.
Second question is: how does the secondary air control work and what is it for? When we first got the stove I pulled the secondary air probe out to make sure it was in good shape--it's about 2 1/2 inches long and a little black/brown, but appears normal from what I've read here. When the stove is cold, the secondary air flap is open--is that how it's supposed to be? When does it open and shut during stove use?
Next, once I closed the bypass damper and activated the cat as I turned the primary air control down more and more (to lower the temp) I noticed that there were very little flames in the firebox, just hot glowing coals. If I opened up the primary air the coals instantly got redder and brighter (I think this means I have good draw--yes??) and then there would be some "licking flames" around the splits--is this normal? This is the first cat stove I've ever used, so not sure what to expect yet........
Last question, how do you "turn the stove off?" It's sunny and 55 here today, and I still have some wood coals in the stove--what's the best way to snuff the fire? Should I open the bypass damper first? Obviously shut down the primary air supply, but I noticed when checking the stove over that even with the lever all the way back, there's still a 1/8" gap or at the primary air intake flap, so some air can still get in. Will shutting it down with the cat engaged damage the cat as the temp drops and it gets more smokey as the fire dies out?
Thanks again for everyone's help!
NP
