New at this and need help w/ my catalyst on a dutchwest 2462

[drmmrsgrl]

Please be patient, first time poster needing some basic info. Searched thru the posts but still need help.

I have a large dutchwest wood stove with catalyst and I don't have an owners manual for this unit. We have thermostats on the flue going into the ceiling, one built in to the unit on top (for catalyst?) and another on the woodbox door. I've read the do's and don'ts on this website but do still have some even-more basic questions. Here goes:

How do I engage the catalyst on this unit (Dutchwest XL Model 2462 wood stove) or does it engage automatically? There is a knob (turns like a screw) on the side of my unit that I think has a connection with the catalyst??.

Info on burning a fire in this unit says to operate it in 'bypass' mode initially before engaging catalyst but be careful not to overheat the stove. How do I keep this from happening?

We use this unit to heat our home (2400 sq ft) but I feel I'm not using it's full potential. Guess I'm scared of burning the house down in our sleep! What do (all) the thermostats need to read (how hot) before I panic and shut it down? Thermostat on the firebox says its in the 'burn zone' and I keep it there except for the times it drops low then I add a log and open the damper. I add a log or two usually in the middle of the night but I'm always having to adjust the damper to keep it in the burn zone.

How long (days) can I keep the fire going with catalyst engaged (once I learn to do this). It's been great having a fire these past couple of weeks - the heat hasn't had to be turned on - but I'm going thru a lot of wood, making a lot of ashes and it's a little high maintenance. Again, I feel once I learn about the catalyst I can tap into this stove's full potential.

And lastly, is the only time I should close my flu when I am not burning a fire??

Thanks for any help :0) Sorry for the long post...

 

[SigElec]

Welcome to the site. As you have already found out there is a wealth of information available here. I'm not familiar with your particular stove but there will be someone along that is. In the meantime here is a link to the owners manual for your stove. This should help you find the answers to some or most of your questions (or raise more questions!)

(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/catalog/elements/files/2008/7001135_Dutchwest_24601.pdf)

 

[BJ64]

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

The guys that know about these units will need to know how old the stove is or, to be more exact, how many years do you think the stove has been used.

The Catalyst on your stove is good for several years and then it is time to replace it, which is not that big of a deal, but the age of the stove will be useful.

 

[hookspacken]

I have a small dutchwest cat stove. This is how I run mine. I get the temp gauge on the side load door up to about 550-600, engage the catalyst ( the lever on the same side as the side load door, up is disengaged, down is engaged) within a matter of 5-10 minutes, the catalyst gauge( the one on the top of the stove) will start to climb into the 800-1000 degree range. at this point it usually throttle it down a bit and the convertor usually settles in around 1150-1200 degrees. I then tweak the air lever to only about 1/8" open. I can get about a 6-7 hour burn out of a chucked full firebox. Let me know if you have any futher questions. once ou get the hang of it, this is a really easy stove to operate. I have found that it lieks to have a nice coal bed. The stove runs best when it is used 24/7.

 

[drmmrsgrl]

sigelec, thanks for the link - can't open it for some reason but will keep tryin!

bj64, the unit was installed in 98 but we moved in 5 yrs ago and used it 1/2 dozen times. i suspect they rarely used it, from the condition it was in.

hookspacken, THANKS for the post. with u so far. got to 550 and i flipped the switch down (up and down only options) on what i thought was the flue. converter started to glow and i wasn't sure it was right so i flipped it back up. all that time i thought that lever was an open/closed flue switch. i could look in the glass and see that it was "closing' the big outlet to the smoke and fire. stupid question i know, but is that the catalyst control???

if that is in fact the engage/disengage for the catalyst, what keeps the exhaust from coming out of the front vents??

thanks again everyone. this is a PROCESS for me!

 

[Pagey]

Think of your stove as a cube or a box...and within that box is another, somewhat smaller box, i.e., your firebox. In traditional, older stoves, when the wood burned (primary combustion), the smoke and exhaust would exit straight up the flue. With the more modern design, the smoke is forced to travel back across the top of the stove's firebox. When you disengage the cat in your stove, you are opening up the firebox so that the smoke can go straight up the flue. This is good for reloading, as it keeps smoke out of your house, but it is bad for efficiency, as it allows the potential heat in the smoke to be wasted.

When you engage the cat, you close that direct, open path to the flue and force the smoke to take an alternate route through the firebox. In the case of your stove, this path forces it through the cat which uses certain principles to cause the smoke itself to burn. This is known as "secondary combustion" and 1.) reduces creosote buildup and 2.) increased the efficiency and heat output of your stove.

My understanding is that with most catalytic stoves, once the cat reaches 500F, you can engage the cat and it will begin to burn smoke. The cat will reach temps of up to/over 1,000F. It will glow red. That's just what it's supposed to do. You should be able to go out and see only heat shimmers from your chimney when it's working properly.

Look at this diagram of a cat stove to see what I mean by the "box within a box" and the path the smoke is forced to take by engaging/disengaging the cat.

(broken image removed)

 

[Defiant]

Well done Pagey, the graphic tells it all.

 

[drmmrsgrl]

Okay, this is all making much more sense.

Get my firebox nice and hot and full of wood, get my cat to around 500 degrees, engage the cat and barely keep my dampers open. Cat will glow I'll get increased heat and efficiency and decreased polution and my wood will burn slower and hotter. When it's finally necessary to reload, disengage my cat then re-engage it when temp rises again (if it falls at all).

So, as it turns out, I don't have a flue lever on this unit at all. The lever is to engage the catalyst.

Can't tell you all how much I appreciate the help! I'll revisit and let you know my "progress".

The diagram really helped and thanks for the comment that I'll only see heat waves out of my chimney when the cat's engaged. I was wondering why I didn't see any smoke! haha

Take care and thanks again everyone :0)

##

 

[Pagey]

No problem, we're all here to help and learn. I've learned a ton in the short time I've been here, and I continue to learn daily with the forums here. Please do come back with updates and more questions.

 

[iskiatomic]

Maybe a stupid question, but what is available for wood in Texas?


No smartasses please.

 

[Pagey]

Maybe a stupid question, but what is available for wood in Texas?


No smartasses please.

Trees native to Texas according to a Google search.

 

[jpl1nh]

Maybe a stupid question, but what is available for wood in Texas?


No smartasses please.

Trees native to Texas according to a Google search.

??? none? Just Bushes I guess huh?

 

[Pagey]

Maybe a stupid question, but what is available for wood in Texas?


No smartasses please.

Trees native to Texas according to a Google search.

??? none? Just Bushes I guess huh?

(broken link removed)

WHOOPS!

 

[Defiant]

Trees native to Texas according to a Google search.[/quote]??? none? Just Bushes I guess huh?[/quote]

What gives off more BTU's Tumbleweed or cactus?

 

[vtgolfer75]

I have a Dutchwest 2462 and sorry to say have not been overly pleased with it since I bought it from a local farm supply company. My previous stove was a real work horse and the salesman sold me on the catalytic design of the 2462. The main problem is draft, which I had no issue with my other stove. I basically run it without the catalytic on, resulting in more wood burned, but if I run the catalytic I get back smoke in the house. For now the stove works, but I would never buy another one. I also found I got no service from the store that sold me this stove, nor by calling the manufacturer directly. The old run around routine. Seeing I've been burning wood for 26 years, I think I'm very good at it. My house is 1820 square feet, and I can keep it at 70" running the stove at 500 degrees. No fans, installed into the center chimney in my basement with a stainless steel flu.

The connnection for the catalytic burn is on the left side of the stove. The round knob is an air vent, but directly behind that is an L-shaped brass lever that controls the internal plate to switch the stove over to catalytic burn. Now this stove would burn when I engaged this but only if it were 20" degrees or colder out. Once it warmed up, past 32" I got back smoke real bad. Stunk up the entire house. So I keep it open. I've had the stove for 5 years now anyway, and already need a new back plate for it. Parts are easy to find. If you take the 4 corner nuts off the top of the stove you can remove the top and easily see how this stove works. As for burning down my house, I have a chimney guy inspect my stove every year. He tells me I have one of the best setups he's seen. I just wish the stove worked the way it was advertised too. Vermont Castings blew it

 

[mellow]

I just wish the stove worked the way it was advertised too. Vermont Castings blew it

Sounds to me like you have a chimney issue, not a stove issue, backdraft most often occurs if your chimney is not setup correctly or is too cold to draft well.

 

[Highbeam]

Maybe the cat is plugged up with ash. Remove and suck it out or just suck it out with a shop vac.